The Minnesota Vikings franchise has reversed roles in recent seasons. For a while, the team’s success was buoyed by their defense, with the offense unable to step up when they were needed most. But, the last few seasons, it has been the offense that has gotten on track while the defense has lagged.
Kirk Cousins has been playing some good football as the Vikings surrounded him with one of the best skill position trios in the NFL with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen at wide receiver and Dalvin Cook at running back.
Jefferson has turned into a star, while Thielen is as steady as they come for a No. 2 wide receiver. Cook is among the best running backs in the NFL and is a true dual-threat now coming out of the backfield.
But, it wouldn’t hurt Minnesota to start adding some more weapons beyond those three players. They haven’t had a consistent No. 3 option at wide receiver until K.J. Osborn began to come on in the second half of the 2021 season.
One NFL scout believes the Vikings could look to add some more weaponry to their arsenal in the 2022 NFL Draft. The scout believes a wide receiver should be under consideration in the second round.
“Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are an amazing one-two much, but the Vikings have been missing that No. 3 weapon. There is a guy in the second round that could be just that for them. Minnesota needs to take a long look at Kentucky’s Wan’Dale Robinson.”
Wan’Dale Robinson transferred to Kentucky from Nebraska for the 2021 season and he broke out in a major way. He split time at running back and wide receiver with the Cornhuskers, but with Kentucky, he was deployed as a wide receiver full-time and the results were magnificent.
Robinson caught a school-record 104 passes, compiling 1,334 yards, also a school record, with seven touchdowns. That earned him Second-Team All-SEC honors, as he also carried the ball seven times for 111 yards.
Shoehorning Robinson into a specific role, such as making him only a slot receiver, would mitigate the best asset that he has, which is his versatility. You can line him up virtually anywhere on the field given his experience playing running back and he will find success.
While not as physically imposing in stature as Deebo Samuel, the way that the San Francisco 49ers deployed him last season provides a blueprint for how to use Robinson, who averaged 11 yards per carry in high school en route to 6,795 yards in his career.
Knowing he can fill in at running back in a pinch while being the third or fourth wide receiver on the team should appeal to the Vikings. Robinson could eventually grow into a bigger role with Thielen entering his age-32 season and there being a potential out in his contract following the 2023 season.
