2013 Wide Receiver Position

Grade: 9.5

The Wide Receiver position is by far the biggest need this offseason and that is why I gave it a 9.5 out of 10. We have plenty of questions regarding who will be on this roster from last year. Will Percy Harvin be traded? Will he get a new contract? Will he holdout? Will the Vikings bring back unrestricted free agent Devin Aromashodu? How about Jerome Simpson? Will they cut Michael Jenkins? Who will they draft? Who will they target in the free agent market? All these questions make my head spin; I can’t imagine how Rick Spielman feels.

I do know Christian Ponder can’t improve significantly without significantly improving this receiving corp. Why can’t our receivers get open or at least create separation? Our offense should be able to run a deadly play action with having every defenders eyes on Adrian Peterson. Our Wide Receivers lack speed, quickness, good hands, ability to change direction, route running skills and the ability to beat man to man coverage or find a hole in a zone defense. The only skill it seems our wide receivers have is that they know how to block. Shouldn’t every receiver know how to block? Is Jenkins that valuable as a run blocker?

Let’s talk about our guys from last year at this position!

Percy Harvin is a rare talent in this league and creates problems for defenses. Harvin is the most intriguing offseason story for the Minnesota Vikings this year. According to the media and other individuals close to the situation, Percy Harvin got into it with Leslie Frazier and possibly other Vikings personal over the quarterback situation last year. He only played 9 games in 2012 after having season ending knee surgery. He has one more year left on his rookie contract and many speculate he wants to get paid as an elite WR in the NFL and could even hold out. Should the Vikings lock him up long-term with big bucks? As much as I love Percy on the field and how he creates something out of nothing, he isn’t worth big bucks. If we could give him a 5 year deal worth $50 million and $20 million guaranteed, then done deal. But it sounds like he wants Fitzgerald type money $120 million with $50 guaranteed over 8 years. No thanks, with all the off the field issues and the physical player that he is. Should we trade him? Depends on what Spielman can get for him, if he can get a 1^st round pick, sure. Second round pick I don’t feel is worth it. Unless you can somehow get a second this year and a second next year or something. I would love to see Percy Harvin wearing purple next season, but I won’t be upset if he isn’t.

Guys we should let go

#1 Michael Jenkins- Cut him, he can’t create separation!

#2 Devin Aromashodu- Let him walk, he has not shown much in 4 years!

Guys we should think about keeping

#1 Jerome Simpson- If you can get him cheap, why not? He is athletic and may just need to be healthier to really show us what he is worth.

Guys who should be around in 2013

#1 Jarius Wright- Could be the next Percy Harvin, he has the speed and just might need some more experience to really show his skills.

#2 Stephen Burton- Hasn’t shown much, but is young and a pretty decent size target.

#3 Greg Childs- Hopefully this young 6 foot 3 inch receiver can get healthy and be a big surprise in 2013.

Who will the Vikings target at the Wide Receiver position in this years draft?

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Tennessee- Try tackling him! He reminds me of an Anquan Boldin, big guy who you can just throw the ball up to and will adjust.

Terrance Williams: WR Baylor- This guy is an outstanding deep threat and could fall to us at #23. Don’t be surprised if he isn’t there!

Keenan Allen, WR California- He could be the best WR out of this class; he has great size, speed and physical ability. He has battled injuries, beware. I think he might be the WR the Vikings will target at #23.

DeAndre Hopkins, WR Clemson- Great route runner who has big play potential. He always is hungry for the ball and the endzone.

Justin Hunter, WR Tennessee- Big deep threat, but has had injury issues.

Robert Woods, WR USC- Can be a huge threat if can stay healthy.

Marcus Davis, WR Virginia Tech- 6-4 and 232 is all you need to know, he could be a sneaky 3^rd-4^th round pick.

Free Agents to keep an eye on!

Dwayne Bowe- Can you image getting a guy like Bowe? Bowe and Harvin together would be nice!

Greg Jennings- Don’t be surprised if Jennings is a Viking before it’s all said and done. He is the #1 WR guy we are looking for, but has had injury issues in the past. He might cost us some money, but is very talented.

Victor Cruz- He is a restricted free agent! J The Vikings would fix a lot of problems if they added Cruz, ain’t gonna happen! We can all DREAM!

Mike Wallace- HELLO! Might cost a lot, but is a nice #1.

Brian Hartline- He can flat out catch! He won’t get you glaring touchdown numbers, but might be a nice addition.

Kevin Ogletree- He might be a great value for the money type guy.

Donnie Avery- He is only 28 years old and has shown flashes and may fit in nice here as a down the middle deep threat.

Ramses Barden- Why not? He is a 6-6 WR who hasn’t been given much opportunity behind the wealth of receivers in New York.

Steve Smith- Remember him back in the Giants days? He is only 27 years old!

Overall

Rick Spielman and Leslie Frazier have a lot of work to do regarding the Wide Receiver postion in 2013. It should be a very active offseason at this position, they cannot build a receiver corp just in the draft and must make moves that will help Christian Ponder develeop. Look for Zigi Wilf to spend some money at this position in free agency and let Spielman bring in the talent. Don't expect 2013 to be a 360 degree turnaround, it takes time to find the right pieces and the offense to gel.