33-year old Ryan Longwell will have to be effective in putting points on the board again in 2008.  The Vikings can’t afford to leave any points on the field this season if they want to win a lot of games.  Longwell played in all 16 games for the Vikings last season and he made 20 of 24 field goals (83.3%).  He also made 39 of 40 extra points last season for the Vikings.  Longwell has had a solid NFL career but he’s showed no signs of slowing down last season so the Vikings expect him to be solid in 2008.  Longwell has now played in 176 games in his NFL career and he has connected on 267 of 326 field goal (81.9%) attempts.  He has also converted on 442 of 448 extra points (98.7%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Minnesota Vikings don’t expect gaudy pass receiving numbers out of the tight end position.  What they do expect is a good blocking effort in the running game and they get that from this group.  28-year old Visanthe Shiancoe is a good blocker but he can also catch a pass once in a while.  He played in all 16 games for the Vikings last season and he caught 27 passes for 323 yards (12.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for him to catch maybe a few more passes this season for the Vikings.  Shiancoe has now played in 80 games in his NFL career and he has caught 62 passes for 576 yards (9.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

31-year old Jim Kleinsasser is a huge converted fullback at 6′3″, 272 pounds and blocking is his game.  He played in all 16 games for the Vikings last season and he caught 4 passes for 43 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Don’t look for him to catch too many passes this season either as that’s not what he’s paid for.  Kleinsasser has now played in 117 games in his NFL career and he has caught 158 passes for 1374 yards (8.7 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 43 times for 147 yards (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run but his running days appear over.

24-year old Garrett Mills is more of a receiver than blocker but he’s clearly #3 in line at tight end so he likely won’t get much playing time.  Mills played in 1 game for the Vikings last season and he caught 2 passes for 26 yards (13.0 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

The Vikings look better for the 2008 season at WR because of the signing of speed burner Bernard Berrian.  The signing of Berrian helps the Vikings’ offense and hurts the Bears as they lost the best receiver on their team.  Berrian is on the small side at 6′1″, 185 but he more than makes up for that with his outstanding speed.  Berrian played all in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 71 passes for 951 yards (13.4 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Berrian is used to catching bad passes as he played with Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton so he should be used to what he’ll see from Vikings’ QBs this season.  Berrian has now played in 58 games in his NFL career and he has caught 150 passes for 2,197 yards (14.6 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  Berrian has also carried the football 12 times for 64 yards (5.3 ypc) in his career.

The Vikings expect Sidney Rice to take a step forward in his second season with them.  Rice is a big guy at 6′4″, 202 pounds and he’s not scared to throw his body around.  Rice played in 13 games as a rookie last season and he caught 31 passes for 396 yards (12.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for his numbers to improve if the Vikings get better QB play in 2008.

28-year old Robert Ferguson probably has a slight lead on Bobby Wade for the #3 job in 2008.  Ferguson is 6′1″, 209 pounds and he’s not scared to go over the middle.  He has had injury problems in the past because of his courage and the Vikings hope he can stay in one piece this season.  Ferguson played in 15 games for the Vikings last season and he caught 32 passes for 391 yards (12.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He could improve on those numbers this season as he is further removed from his severe neck injury of a couple of seasons ago.  Ferguson has now played in 74 games in his NFL career and he has caught 148 passes for 1,968 yards (13.3 avg) with 13 TD grabs.

27-year old Bobby Wade was probably the best receiver on the Vikings last season so he could easily move right back up the depth chart.  Wade played in all 16 games for the Vikings last season and he caught 54 passes for 647 yards (12.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Wade to have another decent year for the Vikings in 2008.  Wade has now played in 74 games in his NFL career and he has caught 155 passes for 1,846 yards (11.9 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 19 times for 82 yards (4.3 ypc) in his career.

22-year old Aundrae Allison is very fast but he appears buried on the depth chart.  He played in 11 games as a rookie last season for the Vikings and he caught 8 passes for 122 yards (15.3 avg).  He also carried the ball 2 times for 3 yards (1.5 ypc) last season.  Don’t look for big numbers from Allison unless some players ahead of him on the depth chart get injured.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

Losing Tony Richardson will likely hurt the Vikings a little bit but Thomas Tapeh was signed to replace him and he is a solid player.  Tapeh played in 16 games (8 starts) for the Eagles last season and he carried the ball 5 times for 18 yards (3.6 ypc).  He also caught 8 passes for 50 yards (6.3 avg) last season.  Look for Tapeh to get a few carries and catch a few passes this season as a reward for his blocking.  Tapeh has now played in 39 games (16 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 22 times for 69 yards (3.1 ypc).  He also has caught 26 passes for 150 yards (5.8 avg) with 1 TD grab in his NFL career.

6′4″, 258 pound fullback Jeff Dugan is a solid blocker and he’s a decent receiver.  Dugan played in 16 games (3 starts) last season for the Vikings and he carried the ball 2 times for 7 yards (3.5 ypc).  He also caught 7 passes for 57 yards (8.1 avg) last year.  Dugan will be a solid backup for the Vikings again this season.  Dugan has now played in 38 games (12 starts) for the Vikings this season and he has carried the ball 2 times for 7 yards (3.5 ypc).  He has also caught 15 passes for 97 yards (6.5 avg) with 1 TD grab in his career.

Naufahu Tahi is the #3 fullback on the Vikings but he could move up the depth chart if he plays well in training camp and the pre season.  Tahi is 6′0″, 254 pounds and he’s a decent blocker.  Tahi played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Vikings and he carried the ball 6 times for 15 yards (2.5 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 7 yards last year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C+

The Vikings have the best running back corps in the NFL without a doubt.  It all starts with last year’s rookie sensation, Adrian Peterson.  Peterson can score from anywhere on the field with his awesome combination of speed and power.  He played in 14 games (9 starts) for the Vikings last season and he carried the ball 238 times for 1,341 yards (5.6 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He also has caught 19 passes for 268 yards (14.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for his numbers to improve if he can stay healthy which might always be an issue for him.

Chester Taylor is one of the best backup running backs in the NFL.  He would likely start for about 15-20 teams in the NFL.  Taylor played in 14 games (8 starts) for the Vikings last season and he carried the ball 157 times for 844 yards (5.4 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also has caught 29 passes for 281 yards (9.7 avg).  Look for Taylor to add to his solid career numbers in 2008.  Taylor has now played in 91 games (31 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 833 times for 3,659 yards (4.4 ypc) with 17 TD runs.  He has also caught 176 passes for 1,306 yards (7.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

Maurice Hicks will take over Mewelde Moore’s old job as the #3 RB of the Vikings.  Hicks played in 16 games (0 starts) for the 49ers last season and he carried the ball 21 times for 117 yards (5.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 14 passes for 86 yards (6.1 avg).  Look for Hicks to get some scrap carries behind Peterson and Taylor.  Hicks has now played in 55 games (5 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 205 times for 869 yards (4.2 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also has caught 55 passes for 424 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A+