NFC North Breakout Candidates 2015

Chicago Bears

Shea McClellin, ILB: I'm taking a shot in the dark here. McClellin is switching positions for the third time in four years, and I think this one will work out for him. He has not lived up to his 1st round status as of yet, but last year he was exponentially better than his first two seasons. He played well against the run, and that is what they will need him for in 2015. The Bears run defense was atrocious last season, and they have little depth at inside linebacker once again. McClellin will most likely be relied on to play a big role for these Bears, and I think he can step up. I'm not expecting Shea McClellin to become a star, but I think he can be a good player and an everyday starter, which is breaking out compared to what he has been these past few years.

Green Bay Packers

Davante Adams, WR: All of these don't have to be bold picks right? Even though Davante Adams is the obvious choice, he is the right one. It seems as though he is almost destined to breakout in 2015, as he is in an incredible position on Green Bay's offense. Adams had an up and down season last year, with some incredible highs (Patriots game) and also some lows (Last 4 games of the season, combined 4 catches). Adams has incredible talent, especially after the catch, and it seems as though he gained Rodgers trust throughout the season. Adams will be an outside WR opposite Nelson, and will be treated as the 3rd option behind Nelson and Cobb. He has the talent to be a top wide receiver in the NFL, and will be treated as the 3rd receiver on this team by opposing defenses. Just based off of that, he's in for a big year. Oh yeah, and he has Aaron Rodgers throwing to him who is a pretty good QB. Explosive offense, explosive player, it just fits. I'm predicting 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns for the young star in 2015.

Minnesota Vikings

Teddy Bridgewater, QB: Once again, I couldn't pick just one player. What screams volumes about how good Mike Zimmer is and how successful the 2014 draft was, these players were his two first round picks that he drafted with Rick Spielman. Bridgewater had a very good rookie season, and he will only get better. Last seasons supporting cast was downright bad. He had a struggling offensive line, Matt Asiata as his running back, and inconsistencies at wide receiver. In 2015, he has Adrian Freaking Peterson back. No matter what your personal opinions about All Day are, he is one of the best running backs in the NFL, and will make a huge difference for Bridgwater. They also replaced Greg Jennings with Mike Wallace, which should be an upgrade. They also have 4 rookie offensive lineman to add depth to an O-line that was very inconsistent in 2014. Just speaking of Bridgewater, he has the touch, vision, anticipation and pocket presence to be a very good QB in the NFL, and next season he will take a huge step forward. I'm predicting 4,000 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions which is a great season.

Anthony Barr, OLB: I might have a bit of a man crush on Anthony Barr. He is an extremely talented player, and he needed more press after his solid rookie season. Credit Mike Zimmer, because Barr was supposed to be very raw coming out of college, but he played very well in year one. He is now playing in a very, very good, young defense, and now will be playing alongside his former UCLA teammate Eric Kendricks. I believe that the Minnesota's defense can be lead by Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr. AB is in a position to utilize his strengths at weak side linebacker in the 4-3 defense, and he will most likely be asked to rush the passer more, and play more in the opponents backfield too. I'm expecting 8 sacks from Barr, 12 tackles for loss, 100 total tackles, a few forced fumbles, and also an interception or two. He is Minnesota's not-so-secret weapon on defense, and will do a little bit of everything for them.

Detroit Lions

Travis Swanson, C: Swanson struggled in his rookie season after being thrust into a starting role due to injury. Is he still my favourite center from the 2014 draft? Yup. Do I think he's going to have a good career? Hell yes. Swanson is a very talented player, and he will get a shot to be the starting center. Often times a player will make a huge jump after their rookie season (especially at a position like center where the player needs to know how to read a D-line and help their QB), and Swanson is talented and smart enough to do just that. The Lions have beefed up their offensive line, which will take some pressure off of Swanson too. Swanson started 50 games in college, is very durable, and probably needed a year to put on some muscle and get used to the NFL. Swanson will establish himself as a very good NFL center next season on a Detroit Lions line that will bounce back from a rough season in 2014.

Adrian Peterson STILL Wants Out of Minnesota

In a report that should surprise nobody, Adrian Peterson still wants to leave Minnesota. I really thought that this drama was going to end at the NFL draft, but I guess I was wrong. Adrian and his agent are playing hardball with the Vikings even though they have little to no leverage. All Day is going to hold out of OTA's, and potentially lose $250K if he misses over 90% of them. What are you doing Adrian? Is there a chance Minnesota trades Peterson? Of course, there's always a chance. Is it likely? Hell no. Minnesota holds all the leverage here. If Peterson wants to not play, then he just saves the Vikings over $12 million. Maybe they could get a 2nd round pick for him, or maybe they could get a small asset, but that's it. Peterson isn't in a position of power because very few teams want to pay a running back $12+ million per year.

This is how I can see this playing out...

1. Adrian Peterson returns to OTA's and stops this bullshit because he isn't going to get traded.
99.999% likelihood of happening.

2. Adrian Peterson retires because the Vikings aren't going to trade him.
0.0005% likelihood of happening.

3. Adrian Peterson gets traded.
0.0005% likelihood of happening.

I'm not going to say the last two situations are definitely not going to happen because it's the NFL, but come on now. They aren't going to happen. Adrian Peterson gets $12.75 million guaranteed if he shows up to the first game. He is playing for the Vikings this season, and he should go into it with a better attitude than he currently is showing because this Vikings team will be good.

Offseason Outlook 2015: Minnesota Vikings

Offense

The Vikings may have struck gold in the 2014 NFL draft. Teddy Bridgewater stepped into a struggling offense, and he looked the part. The O-line was atrocious last season, but Bridgewater stayed cool under pressure, and even without All Day he led a solid offense. This season, expect Teddy's development to continue even more. Minnesota has added quite a few weapons this offseason, but none will have a bigger impact than the return of Adrian Peterson. All Day is one of the best running backs in the NFL, and he will be fresh as he's coming off a year off from football. Last year, Matt Asiata had 9 rushing touchdowns. Matt Freaking Asiata. In this Norv Turner offense, Adrian Peterson could have one of the best years of his career. On top of that, Peterson has only had a passing offense like this one year in his career with Brett Favre. In that year, he rushed for 18 touchdowns. Expect something similar this year. Out wide, the Vikings swapped Greg Jennings for Mike Wallace. I don't normally like Wallace, but I think he could be a great fit in this offense. His speed can be utilized better in Turner's offense, and Bridgewater needs a guy who can stretch the field. Wallace and Tannehill weren't good with downfield passes, but I don't think it was entirely Wallace's fault. I think that they just didn't sync up and it is a situation that can be solved with a change of scenery. Opposite Wallace, Charles Johnson will see the bulk of the work. He's a solid wide receiver, and Minnesota's coaching staff apparently loves him too. The most polarizing receiver on this team is Cordarrelle Patterson. Anybody who played fantasy football last year knows the struggle with him, but he should be expected to have a better year than 2014. At tight end, the Vikings have Kyle Rudolph. He is coming off of his second straight season in which he got hurt, but I still like his ceiling. Norv Turner is notorious for getting the most out of his TE's (Antonio Gates, Jordan Cameron) and Kyle Rudolph is a big, athletic pass catcher that will be a great red zone target for Bridgewater. The real issues with this offense com at the line. Matt Kalil really struggled last season, but the Vikings are rolling with him again this year and they should. He is still a very talented player, but they smartly invested a lot of picks in their O-line as a backup plan. Beside Kalil, David Yankey will be taking over the left guard spot this season. In college, he was a very good guard, except he needed to work on his footwork and hand placement, he also isn't the best athlete at guard, but he could be solid. At center, the Vikings have John Sullivan who is one of the better centers in the NFL. He is a great pass blocker, solid against the run, and a very smart player at the line too. On the right side of the line, the Vikings have two very good players. Brandon Fusco and Phil Loadholt, at guard and tackle respectively, are both strong offensive lineman. Loadholt especially is a terror in the run game, and he just runs through people. This offense has a chance to take the biggest step forward in 2015. The growth of Teddy Bridgwater, and the return of Adrian Peterson are enough to make me lean that way. Both of those players will benefit from the other, so much so that I think this can be a top 10 offense. Bridgewater will end up being the best quarterback from the 2014 draft class, and Adrian Peterson could end up being one of the best running backs of all time. Deadly combination.

Defense

Mike Zimmer can transform a defense pretty quickly. This is such a young defense, but it was top 10 last year, and it is pretty much guaranteed to get better, barring any huge injuries. On the defensive line, this D has a strong front four. Everson Griffin is the star of the defensive line. He is coming off of a huge 12 sack season, and that was only his first season playing starter snaps. He should be even better in 2015, as the rest of the defense continues to develop. Opposite him, Brian Robison is a solid defensive end. Not spectacular, but he's reliable. The Vikings have two really strong defensive tackles in the middle. Linval Joseph and Sharrif Floyd are both very good. Sharrif Floyd especially could develop into a star. He was terrific against both the run and the pass last season, and if he develops a larger repertoire of pass rush moves, he could be a top 5 defensive tackle as early as next season. At linebacker, the Vikings have built a very solid group. Anthony Barr is the star of the linebackers, and by next year he is going to be a star in the NFL. He was supposed to be very raw coming into the NFL, but Mike Zimmer turned him into an immediate impact player. Alongside the recently drafted Eric Kendricks, he will be freed up to rush the passer more, which is where he could really shine. The other linebacker spot will be either Chad Greenway, Audie Cole, or Gerald Hodges. All three of those players are solid options, and that leaves the Vikings with good depth at linebacker too. In the secondary, the Vikings have a lot of young talent. It starts with Harrison Smith, who is my other pick for the most underrated defender in the NFL (My other pick is Johnathan Hankins, DT for the Giants). Smith is already a top 3 safety in the NFL, and he is the backbone of this defense. His versatility allows Zimmer to bring more pressure through blitzes. Adjacent to Smith, Robert Blanton quietly had a very good season, and is developing into a good safety himself. At cornerback, the Vikings have two young studs in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes. Rhodes has already established himself as a good cornerback, and Zimmer will coach up Waynes into a great CB too. They also have Captain Munnerlyn, Terrence Newman, and Josh Robinson all as terrific depth at the position. Munnerlyn will probably be the slot cornerback, as he is established at the position and really good there too. This is going to be a top 5 defense next year. That is how good I think this defense will be. Most of my faith has to do with how good of a coach I think Mike Zimmer is, and how much young, established talent they already have, and have added. Harrison Smith, Everson Griffin, Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes and Anthony Barr are all terrific players, and the backbone of this defense. It's crazy because they are all also really young too, and they could all get even better.

Look out Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings are coming. I don't think they are coming to take the throne from the reigning NFC North champions in 2015, but I do think that this Vikings team will be playoff bound in 2015. Before I started this article, I didn't think this team would be as good as it was on paper. From the tape I analyzed of the 2014 Vikings and their players, and on top of that the additions they made through the draft, I was dead wrong. This team reminds me of Seattle three years ago, except with a more established QB. They have one hell of a defense, two young talented cornerbacks, an elite safety, and they can bring the pressure up front too. They have a young talented QB that people said was too small to hold up at the position (With Russell Wilson it was height, Bridgewater it is bulk), not a ton of depth at WR, a great running back, and an even better coach. I think a playoff berth for the Vikings this season is just the start of what they're building. In a few years, we'll look back at a Vikings team that is one of the best in the NFL, and say that 2015 was the start of something special.