Offense -
QB: Sage Rosenfels, Tarvaris Jackson, John David Booty
HB: Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Ian Johnson
FB: Naufahu Tahi, Jeff Dugan
WR: Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, Bobby Wade, Percy Harvin, Aundrae Allison
TE: Visanthe Shiancoe, Jimmy Kleinsasser, Garrett Mills
OT: Bryant McKinnie, Ryan Cook, Phil Loadholt, Drew Radovich
OG: Steve Hutchinson, Anthony Herrera, Artis Hicks
C: John Sullivan, Jon Cooper
Defense -
DE: Jared Allen, Ray Edwards, Brian Robison, Jayme Mitchell, Kenechi Udeze
DT: Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Fred Evans, Jimmy Kennedy, Letroy Guion
OLB: Chad Greenway, Ben Leber, Heath Farwell, Erin Henderson
MLB: E.J. Henderson, Jasper Brinkley
CB: Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Asher Allen, Charles Gordon, Karl Paymah
SS: Tyrell Johnson, Eric Frampton
FS: Madieu Williams, Husain Abdullah
Special Teams -
K: Ryan Longwell
P: Chris Kluwe
LS: Cullen Loeffler
Possible noteable cuts -
Marcus McCauley: McCauley saw his playing time slashed last year and will face an uphill battle to make the team over new draftee Asher Allen and solid contributors Charles Gordon, Benny Sapp, and Karl Paymah.
Benny Sapp: Sapp faces a similar situation as McCauley. He may be caught in a numbers game if the coaching staff opts to go with a younger crowd. Charles Gordon's versatility on returns makes him a more attractive option over Sapp and McCauley.
Aundrae Allison: Allison was considered a steal in the fifth round two years ago and has been a training camp all-star, but has failed to live up to the hype in the regular season. Allison has struggled to get seperation and lost his kick returning job after mixed results.
Garrett Mills: Garrett Mills is a versatile player, but can't seem to stay heatlhy. He is a nice addition to the offense when he's able to play, but ultimately the coaching staff could grow tired of his oft-injured ankle.
David Herron: Herron failed to take advantage of the opportunity he was presented with when E.J. Henderson went down. He is an average special teams player, and doesn't have much potential as a starter. Jasper Brinkley being drafted could spell the end to Herron's career as a Viking.
Jamarca Sanford: Sanford doesn't have much for competition at the back-up safety spots, but both Eric Frampton and Husain Abdullah excel on special teams. Sanford will need to impress on that area during the pre-season to surpass them. Neither Frampton or Abdullah, nor Sanford have much potential to be anything other than special teams players in their career.
Glenn Holt: Holt was signed this off-season to be the teams kick-returner, but the recent draftings of Percy Harvin and Asher Allen may have hurt his chances of keeping that job. It'll be interesting to see how much time Harvin sees as a returner. If Aundrae Allison is cut, Holt would be the likely candidate to take his roster spot, unless a younger undrafted player emerges from the shadows.
Noteable UDFA:
Ian Johnson: Johnson surprisingly went undrafted after enjoying a very successful college career at Boise State. Without much competiton behind Peterson and Taylor, Johnson has a real chance to make the team over last year's UDFA RB Albert Young. The coaches like Young's versatility, but could likely keep him on the practice squad another year. I think Johnson has more long term potential than Young.
Jon Cooper: I picked Cooper to sneak on the roster as a back-up center. Cooper was the anchor of Oklahoma's offensive line, and obviously a former teammate of Adrian Peterson and OT Phil Loadholt. Cooper was the Big 12's offensive lineman of the year, but may be undersized in the NFL. Without much depth at center, he stands a realistic chance of making the team.
Nick Walker: Walker is a huge TE at 6'5, 250 lbs. He is a good blocker and has decent hands, but lacks speed and overall athleticism. If he can perform consistently through training camp and the pre-sesaon, he could sneak on the roster, but is most likely a candidate for the practice squad.
Nick Moore: Moore is the younger brother of stud Saints' WR Lance Moore. Moore won't make the team, but could earn a spot on the practice squad.
Friday, May 1, 2009
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3 comments:
David Herron played really hard last year. I was impressed by his heart and motivation. I wouldn't count him out. Nor would I count out Otis Grigsby, who plays hard, too.
Taylor Mehlhaff could make the team as a kickoff specialist. Longwell wants to keep his kick-off duties. There will be an evaluation.
Maurice Hicks wouldn't be a surprise cut during camp, considering his play last year. He needs to have a great camp.
Maurice Hicks has already been released. I'm not a fan of keeping two kickers, but it is a possibility. Herron and Grigsby should both be in the mix for a roster spot, but the numbers game could get them.
Some ambitious predictions with the notable cuts, especially McCauley, Sapp, Allison, and Mills.
I'd rather they give McCauley and Allison some more time, although they've already had plenty. There's potential there, hopefully they can realize it.
I'm kind or hoping Sapp gets cut. He has not only made mistakes, he has sometimes been straight-up stupid. His occasional big play might save him though.
I'd be surprised if Mills got cut, but I suppose it is definitely possible.
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