FanPost

Ultimate DN'er Roster, Part 8




I've wondered for some time if this could be done, and - with the blessings of the good folks at Daily Norseman - I'd like to try! Every couple days through Free Agency and leading up to the draft, I'd like all of your opinions - position by position - on who you'd like to see starting for the Purple in 2017. Read on, and be sure to vote for your favorite!

In Part 7 of this monstrosity of a series we took a minute to recap the offensive side of the ball before turning our attention to the strongest unit of the team - Mike Zimmer's fearsome defense. In 2016, the defense started out like a house on fire, but fizzled somewhat down the stretch. The defense, it seemed, had fallen off. Whether it was the awful performance against Indianapolis or letting Aaron Rodgers pick his way down the field in Lambeau, the team seemed suddenly vulnerable. One of the reasons that fans pointed to was the absence of Defensive Tackle Sharrif Floyd. Floyd battled what was deemed - at least by the Head Coach - a routine knee surgery. Zimmer lost faith in his big man at some point in the season, sent him to the dreaded doghouse, and the team ended up putting Floyd on Injured Reserve, ending his season.

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All of you DN'ers have more faith than Mike Zimmer, apparently. By a fairly wide margin, you've selected Sharrif Floyd to reclaim his position in 2017. And while I'm not sure the Head Coach would be so willing to give the spot over so easily, in this exercise Zim's opinion doesn't matter. So big number 73 will be back in the trenches as part of the Ultimate DN'er Roster.

With that, we'll move on to the Middle Linebacker position. Mike Zimmer's defense certainly uses hybrid positioning, so there is not always a true Mike Singletary/Scott Studwell type of Middle Linebacker. But in certain situations, there is.

Eric Kendricks took a small leap forward in 2016. He seemed like he was on a path to take over the middle linebacker role for which he was drafted in 2015. His size and speed may make him a better candidate for the outside linebacker role, however. In fact, Mike Zimmer often used him as a blitzer in passing situations, or as a spy on opposing teams' Running Backs. He is a versatile player, no doubt. He is not the classic Middle Linebacker, however, and Zimmer and company may find his strengths play more to the outside backer position. And, with Chad Greenway's retirement, Zimmer may be forced to play Kendricks on the outside more often.

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In 2016, the Vikings drafted Missouri Inside Linebacker Kentrell Brothers in the Fifth Round. Some pre-draft rankings of Inside Linbackers had Brothers rated as the second best at his position. Brothers was named an All-PFF player on two different units of special teams, so he certainly has talent. He's not exceptionally fast, but is a hard hitter and seems to find himself in the middle of the action more often than not. With another offseason under his belt - and the fact that Audie Cole has moved on, Brothers could begin to see some playing time on defense.

Free Agency is not a bad option for finding an Inside Linebacker. Two names that have gotten a ton of play on the pages of Daily Norseman lately are Gerald Hodges and Zach Brown.

Hodges, of course, was sent to San Francisco in a rare in-season trade, which netted the Vikings Center Nick Easton and a Sixth Round Pick - which the team used to draft German Wideout Moritz Boehringer. At the time, the speculation was that Kendricks' strong play, along with the uncertainty of Center John Sullivan's return, allowed the Vikings to use what trade capital they had to add some offensive line depth in Easton. As they say in the business, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Hodges has cleaned up some of the facets of his game that were lacking, and has turned into a capable inside linebacker. Couple that with his stated desire to return to the team, and he may be just the right man for the job. He was a favorite of PFF this year, as well.

Hodges became a major factor in the run game for the 49ers, notched three sacks and nine total pressures on the blitz, and improved his play in coverage – dropping his passer rating allowed by more than 25 points over his previous career high.

Zach Brown is the other free agent name that may draw some interest. He recorded 140+ total tackles for Buffalo in what certainly could be called a breakout season. His previous high was 92 in his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans in 2012. He recently fired his agent, due to the frustration of not drawing enough interest in Free Agency. Brown was named to his first Pro Bowl this season, and seems to be a player on the rise. PFF gave him a grade of 84.7 - and called him one of the best free agency signings of last season. Is one good year with Buffalo enough for the Vikings to show some interest? We'll see.

In the draft, a player such as Ohio State's Raekwon McMillan may be available with the Vikings third round draft choice. McMillan started for two years as Ohio State's Middle Linebacker, and played the part well. The NFL has moved away from the Singletary/Studwell mold, and towards the Bobby Wagner/Luke Kuechly/Navorro Bowman mold - hard hitting yet fast enough to cover modern NFL passing schemes, McMillan may be another Bowman.

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Outside of McMillan, LSU's pair of Duke Riley and Kendall Beckwith or Northwestern's Anthony Walker are intriguing prospects, who could be good enough in coverage to free up Barr and Kendricks to get after the quarterback. All three have their warts but could become solid players.

SO, with all that in mind, on to the voting!

UP NEXT: DOES THIS MEAN WE NEED ANOTHER LINEBACKER?

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.