1A. Cornerback: Cedric Griffin torn ACL during the playoff is a huge blow. Add in an aging Antoine Winfield who has missed 4 games last season and you have the recipe for a potential disaster. If a guy like Devin McCourty, Patrick Robinson or even Joe Haden slides to the Vikes at #30, there is no doubt that they should draft a corner. The Vikes can also address this in the second round with guys like Donovan Warren or Jerome Murphy
1B. Free Safety: Madieu Williams is not getting the job done, neither in coverage nor in run support. Think about the differences a playmaking safety would have made for the Vikings last year. That most likely would have been the difference for home-field advantage through the playoffs and possibly between winning and losing against the Saints. An upgrade here is a must. This is a deep draft and I would not be surprised to see one of the top DB slide all the way to the Vikes and they better take advantage of it.
2. Defensive Tackle: Pat Williams is getting up there in terms of age and is already not seeing the field as much. A big gap plugging DT like Terrence Cody or nimbler tackles like Lamarr Houston or Brian Price in the 2nd or 3rd round would be an extremely wise pick.
3. Linebacker: EJ Henderson will most likely not be ready to play at the beginning of next season. With the Vikes unable to sign free agents, that leaves us with Jasper Brinkley only. Additionally, Ben Leber is on his last year of his contract and albeit solid, could be upgraded for a more athletic and complete LB. If a stud like Rolando McClain gets to the Vikes, it would be wise to draft him as the run defense has been very shaky since EJ's injury.
4. Offensive Guard: Anthony Herrera could be upgraded. Adrian Peterson often had nowhere to go last season despite the revived air attack. This can be addressed later in the draft.
5. Quarterback: Brett Favre might come back for one more year but the Vikings better look for his successor if they don't want to be bottom feeders for the next 5 years afterward. Unfortunately, this is not a deep draft in terms of QB...
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