Quarterbacks: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... arterbacks
Running backs: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... um=twitterDraft priority: Very high. Once again, the Vikings find themselves in the hunt for a player who could be a franchise quarterback, and if there's one available with the No. 8 overall pick, they'll likely take one. At the very least, it's tough to see them not drafting a quarterback in the first two or three rounds of the draft.
Wide receivers: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... um=twitterDraft priority: Low. The Vikings might want to look at another young running back if Gerhart departs in free agency, but if they're able to get by with the backups they have on their roster, they might not address the position. Peterson still runs the show here.
Offensive tackles: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... um=twitterDraft priority: Low. It's possible the Vikings could take a flier on a young receiver in case they didn't re-sign Simpson and didn't feel like Wright could be a capable third receiver, but there's talent here, and much of it is young.
Guards/centers: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... um=twitterThe good: The Vikings know they're set at the position, with Matt Kalil signed through 2015 and Phil Loadholt under contract until 2016. Both players got better after rough starts to the season; Loadholt allowed just one sack in the Vikings' final 13 games after giving up three in their first three, and Pro Football Focus ranked him the 10th-best tackle in the game. Kalil's best work came in the month of December, when he was credited with just two quarterback hits and no sacks, per Pro Football Focus. The Vikings know who both of their tackles will be for the foreseeable future, and they might have the best tackle tandem in the division.
Defensive ends: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... um=twitterThe good: The Vikings have a stable offensive line, even if the group as a whole regressed from the way it played in 2012. Center John Sullivan had a rough start to the season, but recovered to perform well in the second half, and guard Brandon Fusco seemed to show signs of development at times, particularly as a run blocker. Fusco is the kind of road grader the Vikings need at guard, to open holes for Adrian Peterson, and the running back gained 796 of his 1,266 yards going up the middle or running behind Fusco's right guard spot, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Linebackers: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... um=twitterThe bad: After enjoying more than a half-decade of stability at the position, the Vikings have some big decisions to make with their defensive ends. Allen hits free agency in March, after carrying a $17 million cap figure this season, and Griffen still disappeared too often to answer questions about whether he can be counted on consistently. As a result, the Vikings weren't able to get consistent pressure enough with their defensive line to control games the way they have in the past.
Defensive backs: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... sive-backsThe good: The Vikings might have found something at the end of the year at middle linebacker. Second-year man Audie Cole stepped in for Erin Henderson in late November and played well at the position until a high ankle sprain kept him out of the last game of the season. The Vikings hadn't planned to build around Henderson at middle linebacker, as former coach Leslie Frazier acknowledged during the season, and Cole mostly held up well as a blitzer and in pass coverage.
Defensive tackles: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... ve-tacklesThe money (2014 salary-cap numbers): Sanford ($2.75 million), Harrison Smith ($1.94 million), Rhodes ($1.77 million), Sendejo ($866,666), Robinson ($811,250), Mistral Raymond ($669,483), Blanton ($622,763), Prater ($570,000), Robert Steeples ($495,000). It wouldn't be surprising to see the Vikings make a run at a free-agent cornerback like Tennessee's Alterraun Verner, whom new defensive backs coach Jerry Gray coached as the Titans' defensive coordinator. The Vikings need to add some quality corners to their roster, and just for the sake of opening up roster space, it might lead them to cut some of the low-priced corners at the bottom of their roster.
Special teams: http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... um=twitter
The bad: As explosive as the Vikings' return game was, they also allowed plenty of big returns, including a punt return touchdown from Green Bay's Micah Hyde and a kick return touchdown from Baltimore's Jacoby Jones. Chicago's Devin Hester also had 249 kick return yards against the Vikings in Week 2, and in his one regular-season game with the Seahawks, Harvin had a 58-yard kick return against his former team. Punter Jeff Locke was also just OK as a rookie, finishing with the 25th-best gross average (44.2 yards per punt) and 18th-best net (39.2 yards) in the league.
