Every NFL Team's 2017 Draft Needs Based on Analytics
Minnesota Vikings
Top Needs: RB, OT, IOL, OLB
The Minnesota Vikings will be spending the entire 2017 NFL Draft (outside of the first round, where they traded their pick) rebuilding the offensive line that allowed the league’s fourth-highest Sack NEP and third-worst Rushing Success Rate. Left tackle Matt Kalil was no better at protecting the blind side than a turnstile this year, but he was hardly the only offender.
It’s impossible to say the offensive line was the only cause for failure; running backs Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon, and Matt Asiata themselves were atrocious, generating the third-fewest Total NEP per play. The Vikings need to establish a strong ground presence if they plan to continue their smashmouth ways.
On the defensive side of the ball, weak-side linebacker Chad Greenway is 34 years old and is likely on the verge of retirement. The Vikings were fifth-best in Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP per play, but reinforcements are never a bad thing.
