Before the preseason began, I ventured into the perilous task of a 53-man roster projection.
At that moment in time, Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t know how the roster was going to look. After all, there’s a reason why teams still participate in the largely meaningless preseason: the games (and practices scattered between) function as critical parts of the evaluation. My task was bound to fail, at least to a certain extent, without being able to see these games and practices.
Well, the trio of games are in the books. There were expected stars (Ivan Pace) and unexpected stars (NaJee Thompson). Someone like Nick Muse did an awful lot to help his chance of making the roster, and so too did Brandon Powell, Luiji Vilain, and Jay Ward show off some strong moments.
Not everyone performed well, though, and that’ll obviously factor into the difficult decisions that are now directly in front of O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah.
Very likely, the Vikings won’t constrain their 53-man roster to just the players in Minnesota right now. Every team needs to let go of talented players by the set deadline on August 29th and we can be sure that Adofo-Mensah’s staff is keeping a close eye on certain players. Moreover, we can’t totally discount the possibility of signing more well-known free agent or pulling off a trade. Alas, those are eventualities that are difficult to predict (try as we might).
Take a look at my final attempt to predict what the roster will look like on Tuesday, August 29th. And a shout out to Josh Frey for the helpful information on Brian Flores’ past defenses.
A 53-Man Roster Projection for the Vikings
— Offense —
Quarterback
QB1: Kirk Cousins
QB2: Nick Mullens
QB3: Jaren HallQB4: Jordan Ta’amu
TOTAL: 3
Running Back
RB1: Alexander Mattison
RB2: Ty ChandlerRB3: DeWayne McBride
RB4: Kene NwangwuRB5: Aaron DykesRB6: Abram Smith
TOTAL: 3
Fullback
FB1: C.J. Ham
TOTAL: 1
Wide Receiver
WR1: Justin Jefferson
WR2: Jordan Addison
WR3: K.J. Osborn
WR4: Jalen Nailor
WR5: Brandon PowellWR6: Jalen Reagor
WR7: Trishton Jackson
WR8: Blake Proehl
WR9: Thayer Thomas
WR10: Lucky Jackson
WR11: Garett Maag
WR12: Jacob Copeland
TOTAL: 5
Tight End
TE1: T.J. Hockenson
TE2: Josh Oliver
TE3: Johnny Mundt
TE4: Nick Muse
TE5: Colin Thompson
TE6: Ben Sims
TOTAL: 4
Offensive Tackle
OT1: Christian Darrisaw
OT2: Brian O’Neill
OT3: Oli Udoh
OT4: Blake Brandel
OT5: Vederian LoweOT6: Christian DiLauro
OT7: Jarrid Williams
TOTAL: 5
Guard
G1: Ezra Cleveland
G2: Ed IngramG3: Chris ReedG4: Josh SokolG5: Jack Snyder
TOTAL: 2
Center
C1: Garrett Bradbury
C2: Austin SchlottmannC3: Alan Ali
TOTAL: 2
FULL OFFENSE: 25 Players.
— Defense —
Outside Linebacker
OLB1: Danielle Hunter
OLB2: Marcus Davenport
OLB3: D.J. Wonnum
OLB4: Patrick Jones IIOLB5: Andre Carter II
OLB6: Luiji Vilain
OLB7: Benton Whitley
TOTAL: 5
Defensive Line
DL1: Harrison Phillips
DL2: Khyiris Tonga
DL3: Dean Lowry
DL4: Jonathan Bullard
DL5: Jaquelin Roy
DL6: Esezi OtomewoDL7: Ross Blacklock
DL8: Sheldon Day
DL9: T.J. Smith
DL10: Calvin Avery
DL11: Junior Aho
TOTAL: 6
Middle Linebacker
MLB1: Jordan Hicks
MLB2: Brian AsamoahMLB3: Troy Reeder
MLB4: Ivan Pace Jr.MLB5: Troy DyeMLB6: Tanner VallejoMLB7: Abraham Beauplan
MLB8: Wilson Huber
TOTAL: 3
Cornerback
CB1: Byron Murphy
CB2: Akayleb Evans
CB3: Andrew Booth Jr.
CB4: Mekhi Blackmon
CB5: Joejuan WilliamsCB6: Tay GowanCB7: Kalon BarnesCB9: NaJee Thompson
CB8: C.J. Coldon
CB10: Jaylin WilliamsCB11: Jameson Houston
TOTAL: 6
Safety
S1: Harrison Smith
S2: Josh Metellus
S3: Lewis Cine
S4: Camryn Bynum
S5: Jay WardS6: Theo JacksonS7: Jake Gervase
TOTAL: 5
FULL DEFENSE: 25 Players.
— Special Teams —
Kicker
K1: Greg Joseph
TOTAL: 1
Punter
P1: Ryan Wright
TOTAL: 1
Long Snapper
LS: Andrew DePaola
TOTAL: 1
FULL SPECIAL TEAMS: 3 Players.
