The Minnesota Vikings have one of the strongest rosters in the National Football League. That notwithstanding, there are still a lot of question marks about multiple players on the roster.
Of all the questions that currently exist, starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the biggest one. Will he end up being the guy? This isn't the story about McCarthy, but rather the roster surrounding him.
The Vikings need to see multiple players break out in a major way if they want to win the Super Bowl for the first time, and these are the most likely candidates.
RB Jordan Mason
The running game is going to be a huge factor in the Vikings' success this season. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has bolstered the offensive line to a point where the Vikings may end up with a top 3-5 offensive line in the National Football League.
Outside of just having the offensive line fixed, they needed to fortify the running back position behind Aaron Jones. Cam Akers was fine, but not special, and Ty Chandler has yet to take that step forward to be a guy in the backfield. That's where Mason comes into play.
The Vikings got a really good look at Mason in their week two matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, where he ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. What he did was thrive in multiple facets against the Vikings' defense with great footwork and vision, plus the ability to break tackles. Those are all things that the Vikings need to thrive in the running game, and he will complement Jones very well.
EDGE Dallas Turner
The narrative surrounding Turner last year was that of a failure. He played just 310 snaps on the season and notched just 3.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss. Why wasn't he more productive as a rookie despite showing some high-level play?
Simple: Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel were too good to take off the field.
You could see the growth from Turner over the course of the season, including his interception against the Seattle Seahawks, where he earned it rather than it being thrown right at him.
With Pat Jones II and Jihad Ward both having moved on, Turner is the third edge on the roster. He's going to continue to grow, and a full offseason in the weight room is going to make a major difference.
DT Levi Drake Rodriguez
This is the biggest out there guess on the list. Rodriguez is a seventh-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft who was labeled as "Prospect X" by Kalyn Kahler. Last season for Rodriguez was mostly a redshirt season, but it's quite the jump to go from the FCS level to the NFL.
With a full offseason, Rodriguez has had time to get his body in the right shape and refine his technique. Pair that with the ability to play anywhere from 0T-4i, and you have a very intriguing player with a motor that runs incredibly hot.
CB Isaiah Rodgers
Rodgers might be the one that I am higher on than most. He's smaller than most cornerbacks at 5'10 and 176 lbs, but there is still a lot to like.
Despite his size, Rodgers has a lot of really interesting traits that defensive coordinator Brian Flores can maximize. One of those is patience. Rodgers doesn't get himself in bad positions, and that patience allows him not to overcommit on routes. He stays in the hip pocket, which puts him in a great spot to attack the football.
The Vikings signed him to a very team-friendly deal and expect him to be the starter opposite of Byron Murphy Jr.
