One player who has gone under-the-radar in conversations surrounding the best defensive players in the league has been Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks. Maybe we're starting to see that shift a bit. Sam Monson over at Pro Football Focus ranked Kendricks as his third-best linebacker heading into the 2021 season. Here's what Monson wrote about Kendricks: Showing there is more than one way to get it done, Eric Kendricks played a more conventional college position than (Fred) Warner but has been the other superstar linebacker in coverage over the past couple of years. Including the playoffs, Kendricks has 17 pass breakups and the...<doc-sep>The Minnesota Vikings released their first unofficial depth chart on Tuesday evening ahead of the preseason game against the Denver Broncos this weekend, which gives fans their first taste of what the team will look like in waves when they hit the field on Saturday night. Often times, these depth charts do not wind up being all that accurate with coaches not wanting to give everything away as an advantage, but there are a few takeaways here. Here is what we will be keeping an eye on when the Vikings hit the field in Denver on Saturday night. Wide Receiver Battle There is nothing too unpredictable here for anyone that has been following the offseason so far. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs make up the top two spots as the 1a and 1b of the wide receiver room and Laquon Treadwell is right behind Thielen and has been working as the No. 3 in training camp. Kendall Wright is still sitting in the No. 4 slot, but has not taken many snaps with the first team. Look for a guy like Brandon Zylstra, who is waiting and lurking right behind him, to potentially surpass him in the coming weeks. Interior Offensive Line Nick Easton is all but officially done for the season and Pat Elflein (still on the PUP list) and Mike Remmers, who appears is being prepared as the team's right guard after playing most of last year at tackle, are banged up right now as well. This is where Danny Isidora has a chance to prove he can crack the starting lineup and perhaps be a piece that kicks Remmers back over to tackle. Whomever is the better player between him and Rashod Hill, who is listed as the starter now at right tackle, should wind up starting when the opener rolls around. Keep an eye on rookie Brian O'Neill, as well. He is one snap away from being the starting right tackle, at least according to the chart below. No. 3 RB and TE The battle for the third running back and tight end spots will be one of the more intriguing storylines of the preseason and the depth chart gives us a taste of where things could be at there. Mack Brown is currently ahead of undrafted rookies Roc Thomas and Mike Boone, in that order, but Boone has provided the most buzz of the three since he was brought into the team. It has been said here before, but the running backs may make the second half of these preseason games worth watching alone. At tight end, Blake Bell and rookie Tyler Conklin are listed right next to each other as options for that third spot. Conklin could have more upside, but Bell has experience and those two should be interesting to watch, as well. Defensive Line Depth There is not a whole lot of drama on the defense with many of those spots already filled in with Sharpie, but the second wave of defenders still has a fair amount of jostling around for position. Stephen Weatherly and Tashawn Bower are listed as neck and neck behind Everson Griffen and rookie Ade Aruna is behind Danielle Hunter and Brian Robison. Those names may not jump off the page, but the Vikings have said they want to cut back on snaps for guys like Griffen, so there is an opportunity to jump into the rotation. There is not much of a surprise at how things look at defensive tackle, but Ifeadi Odenigbo is listed as the backup to Sheldon Richardson ahead of rookie Jalyn Holmes. Jaleel Johnson is currently the backup at nose tackle behind Linval Joseph. Cornerback Rotation Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes predictably take the top two spots at cornerback, but things behind them are far from set in stone. Mackensie Alexander has been getting first-team work in the slot, but Terence Newman and Marcus Sherels are still listed high on the depth chart over rookies Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, who have been two of the stars in camp. Their chance to prove they belong comes this weekend and nobody will be surprised if they wind up higher on later depth charts that emerge. Special Teams Roles Things are pretty cut and dry here. We know that Kai Forbath and rookie Daniel Carlson are battling it out for the starting kicker job and Forbath has the early nod as the veteran. Special teams coordinator Mike Preifer did say that Hughes was expected to be the starting kick returner, but Sherels is listed there and punt returner. This can point to these depth charts being a bit misleading, but it is a notable mention anyways. Here is a look at the full depth chart that was released by the team on Tuesday night: OFFENSE Wide Receiver 19 Adam Thielen 11 Laquon Treadwell 13 Stacy Coley 12 Tavarres King / 18 Korey Robertson / 9 Jake Wieneke Left Tackle 71 Riley Reiff 76 Aviante Collins 78 Dieugot Joseph Left Guard 62 Nick Easton (out injured, to be placed on IR) 79 Tom Compton 64 Josh Andrews 68 Cedrick Lang Center 65 Pat Elflein 67 Cornelius Edison 59 J.P. Quinn Right Guard 74 Mike Remmers 63 Danny Isidora 73 Colby Gossett Right Tackle 69 Rashod Hill 75 Brian O'Neill 72 Storm Norton Tight End 82 Kyle Rudolph 89 David Morgan 81 Blake Bell / 83 Tyler Conklin 87 Josiah Price / 86 Tyler Hoppes Wide Receiver 14 Stefon Diggs 17 Kendall Wright 15 Brandon Zylstra 16 Cayleb Jones 85 Jeff Badet / 84 Chad Beebe Quarterback 8 Kirk Cousins 3 Trevor Siemian 1 Kyle Sloter 6 Peter Pujals Fullback 30 C.J. Ham 48 Johnny Stanton Halfback 33 Dalvin Cook 25 Latavius Murray 31 Mack Brown 32 Roc Thomas 44 Mike Boone DEFENSE Left End 99 Danielle Hunter 96 Brian Robison 61 Ade Aruna 78 Jonathan Wynn Defensive Tackle 93 Sheldon Richardson 95 Ifeadi Odenigbo 92 Jalyn Holmes Nose Tackle 98 Linval Joseph 94 Jaleel Johnson 60 David Parry 66 Curtis Cothran Right End 97 Everson Griffen 91 Stephen Weatherly / 90 Tashawn Bower Weak-side Linebacker 42 Ben Gedeon 50 Eric Wilson 43 Reshard Cliett 49 Mike Needham Middle Linebacker 54 Eric Kendricks 40 Kentrell Brothers 57 Devante Downs 45 Brett Taylor Strong-side Linebacker 55 Anthony Barr 56 Antwione Williams 58 Garret Dooley Left Cornerback 26 Trae Waynes 23 Terence Newman 21 Mike Hughes 24 Horace Richardson 46 Trevon Mathis Right Cornerback 29 Xavier Rhodes 20 Mackensie Alexander 35 Marcus Sherels 37 Holton Hill 36 Craig James Strong Safety 34 Andrew Sendejo 27 Jayron Kearse 38 Tray Matthews Free Safety 22 Harrison Smith 41 Anthony Harris 39 Jack Tocho SPECIAL TEAMS Punter 4 Ryan Quigley Kicker 2 Kai Forbath / 7 Daniel Carlson Long Snapper 47 Kevin McDermott Kick Returner 35 Marcus Sherels 21 Mike Hughes 13 Stacy Coley Punt Returner 35 Marcus Sherels 21 Mike Hughes 13 Stacy Coley<doc-sep>UPDATE: I now see that Brandon Zylstra might not play this evening because of an injury he suffered in practice on Wednesday. We’ll have to see how the Vikings roll with that. If he doesn’t play. . .well, I guess that means I only really have two players to watch, eh? -Chris We’re just a few hours away from the Minnesota Vikings making their 2018 preseason debut as they travel west to take on the Denver Broncos. With this being the first preseason game, we know that the starters for both teams will see very limited action. However, this is the first opportunity for those of us that haven’t been able to see Training Camp or anything up close to get a look at some of the guys that are fighting for spots towards the bottom of the 53-man roster. I know we’re all interested in seeing Kirk Cousins lead the Vikings’ offense or how Dalvin Cook looks after almost a year on the shelf. But the preseason, and particularly the first couple of games, aren’t really about guys like that. It’s about finding depth guys, and with that in mind I’ve got a few players that I’ll be keeping an eye on this evening. Brandon Zylstra, WR - While the first three spots on the depth chart for the Vikings are occupied by Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and the (apparently) resurgent Laquon Treadwell, the spots behind those three are wide open. Thus far, based on what I’ve seen on social media and in a few brief highlights, Zylstra seems to be garnering a lot more attention that any of the other receivers the Vikings currently have in camp. I don’t think it’s entirely because of the opportunity for another “local kid does good” story, though I’m sure that doesn’t hurt. Zylstra led the CFL in receiving last season, and appears to have a really solid chance of making the big roster. He probably won’t get to work much with Cousins, so it will be interesting to see how he operates with Trevor Siemian, Kyle Sloter, or Peter Pujals behind center. Aviante Collins, OL - Collins was on the team last season and saw some action as a sixth offensive lineman in “jumbo” sets. Word coming out of camp is that he’s gotten significantly better this season, and with the injury to Nick Easton, could potentially figure more heavily into the mix on the offensive line this season. Right now he’s being used primarily at tackle, but I’d really like to see him get a shot at guard. One of the knocks on him coming out of college was his arm length, and on the inside that issue could potentially be mitigated a bit. Will the Vikings give him a go there? With the issues they’ve had on the offensive line, I’m hoping that they haven’t ruled it out. Holton Hill, CB - Another potential undrafted steal for the Vikings, Hill has been drawing the praise of his teammates on both sides of the ball thus far in camp. The Vikings’ cornerback depth chart is already ridiculously talented, so Hill is certainly going to have his work cut out for him. Still, there hasn’t been any indication that Hill is letting the off-field habits that dropped him from a Day 2 draft prospect to the undrafted free agent ranks affect his play in Minnesota. If that continues to be the case, there’s no reason that Hill can’t find himself in the mix for a spot on the big roster. Those are three players that I’m going to be attempting to keep an extra close eye on during tonight’s preseason opener. Who are some of the players that you’re interested in seeing?<doc-sep>
Who else is on the offensive line? Checking out the Vikings’ backups Who else is on the offensive line? Checking out the Vikings’ backups by Mike Greitzer The Minnesota Vikings released their first unofficial depth chart of 2018 on Tuesday and their decisions were pretty predictable. There are moments that go on in each year for the Minnesota Vikings that signify the regular season is getting closer and closer. On Tuesday, the latest moment came when the Vikings released their first unofficial depth chart of 2018. With this depth chart, it’s easier to get an idea on who Minnesota plans to roll out on the field together in their preseason matchup against the Denver Broncos on Saturday. Except for the fact that most of the Vikings’ first-string offensive line is injured at this point in time (fun…). Below is how Minnesota’s first unofficial depth chart looks for now. Offense : Defense : Special Teams : On the offensive side of the ball for the Vikings, the only real surprise is Brandon Zylstra being listed as a third-string wide receiver. But at the same time, Zylstra has been receiving a bunch of praise from coaches and teammates this offseason, so his current standing is actually not that surprising for those who have been keeping up with his progress this year. On defense, the starting lineup is basically the same as last season except for the fact that Sheldon Richardson is now one of Minnesota’s two starting defensive tackles. Terence Newman over Mike Hughes on the cornerback depth chart is a little interesting considering how much people have been raving about Hughes at training camp this year. However, the rookie still has plenty of time to improve his standing on the depth chart before the regular season begins in September. Speaking of Hughes, he is also listed as the backup behind Marcus Sherels for both kick returner and punt returner. The rookie is expected to have a good chance to open the season as the Vikings’ kick returner and with a good preseason, he could possibly take over Sherels’ duties as the team’s punt returner as well. Do not expect Minnesota’s starting lineup to change much when the regular season begins. But their depth could definitely see some significant shuffling over the next month.