Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was very aggressive during the draft, pulling off four trades over three days. The team started with eight picks but ended up with ten selections, including first-rounders Anthony Barr and Teddy Bridgewater. As Matt Vensel of The Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, the team only picked in three of their original draft spots. It sounds like this was all part of Spielman’s strategy:
“We thought that if we accumulated more picks, there was enough depth there to add to our roster and create competition,” said Spielman.
The team wasn’t finished adding rookies. Yesterday, the Vikings announced the signings of 15 undrafted free agents.
Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Minnesota…
- Neither of the team’s first-round picks are guaranteed to start, but Barr is expected to be on the field for the team’s first defensive snap next season, Vensel mentions in another article . The writer adds that the team plans to use Barr as a strong-side linebacker in their 4-3 base defense.
- Offensive coordinator Norv Turner regards Bridgewater as the most impressive rookie quarterbacks and compares him to former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Trent Green, writes Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
- The Vikings are looking to trade star running back Adrian Peterson sooner than later, writes Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report. “This (coming) season will be Peterson’s last with the Vikings,” an AFC general manager told Freeman. “Despite the cap hit, they’ll make some sort of move to get him off the roster.”
- In regards to Christian Ponder‘s future with the team, Vensel tweets that the team wants to keep a third quarterback. The writer also adds that a trade probably isn’t an option because Ponder doesn’t have much trade value.