Power Rankings: Top Post-Draft Defenses (27-32)

Sep 22, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson (50) celebrates a sack with defensive end Jared Allen (69) during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Browns defeated the Vikings 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Vikings 5-10-1
Last Season’s Rankings: #31 Overall Defense (397.6 total yards per game allowed) #31 Passing Defense (287.2 passing yards per game allowed) #16 Rushing Defense (110.4 rushing yards per game allowed)

From Minnesota’s standpoint the loss of Allen is pretty huge. Other than Adrian Peterson, Allen was the Vikings only star power. Now all they have is Peterson. In all honestly, I have no idea how Minnesota can benefit from Allen signing with the Bears. In fact it does more hurt than help. Thus far in the off-season they have acquired former Giant DT Linval Joseph and Bear DE Corey Wootton through free agency. Good thing that their draft was pretty good, or else they would’ve been in trouble. In terms of stopping the run, the Vikings got a steal with former Oregon State pass-rusher in Scott Crichton. As one of the premiere defensive ends in the PAC-12, Crichton made his presence felt early on in his Oregon State career, recording 74 total tackles (48 solo, 26 assisted), 14.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks as a true freshman. In his sophomore season, Crichton looked even more impressive, sacking opposing QBs 9.0 times and tackling ball carriers in the backfield 17.5 times in 2012. In 2013, while Crichton’s sack total did go down to 7.5 sacks, he increased his tackles for loss total in his junior season to 19.0 tackles for loss which ranked T-11th in the country. Over Crichton’s career as a Beaver, he has recorded 10 forced fumbles along with 9 passes defended, amazing considering that Crichton spent most of his time at the defensive end position. Although Crichton doesn’t have the defensive stats that LB Trent Murphy, Anthony Barr or DE Aaron Donald have, he is still as viable an option as any to be drafted in the first round by somebody needing defensive talent. I think in the 6’3″, 265-pound Crichton the Vikings can find a reliable pass rusher who has the ability to get past blockers with his dazzling array of strength and expert use of his hands. His bull-rush technique has been proven to be relatively successful, however it is his inability to quit on plays that has made Crichton one of this year’s most underrated defensive lineman. Currently DE Brian Robinson (37 tackles, nine sacks, four tackles for loss and three passes defended) and Everson Griffen (27 tackles, 5.5 sacks and three tackles for loss) are starting above Crichton, however with some luck and hard work, Crichton will be making an impact. If the defensive line or Crichton can’t get the job done, there’s always new OLB Anthony Barr out of UCLA to help.

The year is 2011, Anthony Barr is used primarily as a running back in the UCLA offense. Flash forward another year and that same dynamic running back has arguably one of the best seasons in college football at the LB position, recording 82 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. The very next season, while not as productive, Barr was still able to put up outstanding numbers, recording 66 total tackles, 20 of them for loss, 10.0 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. Even though Barr wasn’t as dominating statistically in his senior season as his junior season, he was still one of the country’s brightest stars. Where Barr stands out from most of the pack is his unbelievable combination of athleticism and ability. At 6’4″, 245-lbs, Barr is a lean and mean line backer who knows how to play. According to multiple scouts, Barr is great at using his strength and speed to his advantage, using his long arms and quick feet to avoid blockers and bring down running backs. In some cases Barr’s inability to effectively use his hands and shred blocks has hurt him, however with a bit of polishing in his game, Barr could be a huge play-maker for this Buffalo Bills defense. The California kid played all of his years in high school and his first two seasons at UCLA as a running back, look for that past speed (4.48 40-yard dash time) and ball carrier vision to prove to be extremely important in terms of stopping the run. With the numbers that Barr has put up despite hardly playing a snap at the line backer position shows his versatility and ability to adjust on the fly.

With Barr will be the combination of ILB Jasper Brinkley (27 tackles and five tackles for loss with Cardinals in 2013), ILB Audie Cole (45 tackles and two tackles for loss) and OLB Chad Greenway (134 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, four passes defended and three interceptions). I think that 2014 sees definitely a better Minnesota Vikings team in terms of tackling and defending passes, however I’m not so sure they will do a better job getting to the passer. With that in mind, look for a better performance against the pass, but not necessarily against the run.

This off-season the Vikings needed to focus on one thing and one thing only: their pass defense (and defense in general really). This season the Vikings pass defense proved to be as porous as Spongebob, allowing opposing offenses to pass for a horrendous 287.4 yards per game (2nd-worst in the league) along with 37 passing touchdowns (worst in the league). In 2013 alone the Vikings pass defense allowed opposing offenses to burn them for 21+ yards 16 times this season. If the Vikings are going to lessen their points per game allowed total (allowed 30 points per game, worst in the NFL), they they are definitely going to need their secondary to step it up. Key for the Vikings in the 2014 season is to keep the ball in front of them, don’t let teams beat them deep. They need to force teams to go inside and throw the ball over the middle. The Vikings need a reminder of the good old days of shutdown corners. What they were able to do was go out and sign former Carolina Panther CB Captain Munnerlyn (74 tackles, 12 passes defended and two interceptions). Joining Munnerlyn will be a collection of CB Xavier Rhodes (48 tackles and 10 passes defended), SS Jamarca Sanford (75 tackles and one pass defended) and FS Harrison Smith (58 tackles, three passes defended and two interceptions in eight games). Now while Munnerlyn was a great addition, I believe that the Vikings pass defense isn’t stronger than it was last season. Sure they have Munnerlyn, but unless Anthony Barr pulls some theatrics, I expect another cellar-dweller season from the Vikings in 2014.