What will the Vikings look like for the next three seasons?
A trio of ESPN.com writers gazed into their crystal balls and came up with future power rankings for the next three years.
The group of Louis Riddick, Mike Sando and Field Yates slotted the Vikings at No. 8 with an overall score of 77.1 points. Seattle took the top spot with a score of 88.6.
Rankings were determined based on five weighted categories: roster excluding the quarterback (30 percent), quarterback (20 percent), draft (15 percent), front office (15 percent) and coaching (20 percent).
Minnesota earned its highest grade in the coaching category with a score of 81.7 as the group is fond of Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer.
The result is a comprehensive rankings based on how well each team is positioned for the future.
Yates wrote:
It was a long time coming for Mike Zimmer to become an NFL head coach, but man, has he delivered in a hurry. Zimmer doesn't mince words, doesn't pamper his players and has high expectations for those who take the field for him. He already has established himself as one of the best defensive minds in football and is a real asset for Minnesota. It would not surprise me to see him sustain significant success with the Vikings during his tenure.
The group of writers also mentioned quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as a key piece for the Vikings, who went 11-5 last season and won the NFC North.
Diggs, Hunter listed as division's rising stars
Beat writers for the four NFC North teams have been answering a series of pressing offseason questions over the last few weeks.
The group recently tackled the topic of which player is the division’s biggest rising star.
A pair of Vikings were named as Chicago reporter Jeff Dickerson went with wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and Vikings reporter Ben Goessling picked defensive end Danielle Hunter. Both players were rookies in 2015.
Diggs led the Vikings in catches (52) and yards (720) as a rookie in 2015 while adding four touchdowns.
Dickerson wrote:
*Diggs is the No. 1 target in the Vikings' passing attack. After catching 52 passes for 720 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, Diggs is poised for a breakout year in 2016. With so much focus on Adrian Peterson, Diggs should emerge as Minnesota's second-most productive offensive weapon and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's go-to guy in passing situations. Diggs was a 2015 fifth-round draft pick, so there is no way he becomes complacent. He wants to someday sign a lucrative extension in Minnesota, and to accomplish that goal he has to produce. *
Goessling chose Hunter, a third-round pick in 2015. The 21-year-old had six sacks last season, which was second on the Vikings and second among all rookies across the league. Goessling said:
I'm going to stay at home and offer a name from the team I cover: defensive end Danielle Hunter. The Vikings took him in the third round a year ago, convinced that they could clean up his pass-rushing technique. He had six sacks as a rookie, and he should play more in his second season. He's 6-foot-5, ran a 4.57-second 40 coming out of college and is spending part of his offseason working out with Peterson at his gym in Houston. Lining up across from Everson Griffen, Hunter could turn into a terror for opposing offenses.
