The Minnesota Vikings have a lot to be excited about. Their rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater finished the season in impressive fashion. Their defense improved under first-year head coach Mike Zimmer. No, the Vikes aren't winning any Super Bowls tomorrow. But the foundation for a competitive team seems to be in place.
One disappointing aspect of their season, however, was second-year WR Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson was a popular breakout candidate for 2014, yet he was ineffective for most of the year before losing his starting gig.
Upgrading the wide receiving corps must be a priority for Minnesota this offseason if they hope to build on last year's positives and continue to develop Bridgewater.
"I do expect the Vikings to add more talent to the receiver position group this offseason, but whether that pursuit manifests in free agency, the draft, or a combination of the two remains to be seen," Mike Wobschall of Vikings.com wrote. "As far as free agent options go, we don't have a good idea there until free agency actually begins on March 10 because that's when we'll know exactly who is on the market.
"While big names such as (Dez Bryant), Randall Cobb and (Demaryius Thomas) are scheduled to be on the market, they could be retained by their teams and never hit the market. Until we know who is on the market, we won't know what the best option is for the Vikings as they look to add talent to the wide receiver position."
The Vikings ranked just 28th in passing yards per game (202.8) despite Bridgewater's 64.4 completion percentage. Former Cleveland Browns practice squad player Charles Johnson provided a nice boost late in the season, but it's unknown if he can develop into anything other than a complimentary player. The team needs to honestly assess what they have in Patterson and Johnson and make offseason plans accordingly.
"Draft priority: Medium," ESPN's Ben Goessling said of the Vikings wide receiver outlook. "If Patterson or perhaps (Johnson) turns into a true No. 1 receiver, there's not much problem here. But the feeling in some circles is that Patterson might be best used as a gadget player, which might leave the Vikings in the market for a true split end. With the 11th pick in the draft, could a reunion between Bridgewater and former Louisville teammate DaVante Parker be in the cards..."
Minnesota is probably looking around the NFL at the explosion of rookie wide receiver talent in 2014 (Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans, etc.) and hoping it can get similar results next season. With running back Adrian Peterson's NFL future still up in the air, the Vikings could use all of the offensive help they can get.
