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The Vikings Possible Starting RB We’re All Forgetting About

By Nick Fritz

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Arguably the biggest offseason talker for the Minnesota Vikings is the running back position. At this point, we really have no clue who will be the starter. A lot of fans want to see the hand-offs go to Adrian Peterson, DeMarco Murray, Melvin Gordon or Todd Gurley. Those are all exciting names, but there’s also an exciting name right under our noses.

Jerick McKinnon. You know that #31 guy, the speedster who turned heads in training camp, in the preseason and in the regular season?

He was a quarterback at Georgia Southern, but the Vikings knew how much running ability they were getting when picking him 96th overall. At 5 foot 9, 208 pounds, the diminutive speedster quickly drew comparisons to a big-name back formerly coached by Norv Turner: Darren Sproles.

Word of his agility quickly spread throughout the fan base during training camp. He and Anthony Barr were the two players who really stood out to me in Mankato. It was his speed burst out of cuts that really caught me off guard.

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Though McKinnon only got 22 carries in the preseason, he didn’t disappoint, finishing with 108 yards, a 4.9 average and a long of 24. His best effort came in preseason week 3 against the Chiefs, when he rushed 6 times for 43 yards and caught 2 passes. It was easy to see the talent, but there was a lot of work to do. He seemed to get a little antsy waiting for his blocks to develop. In college, if the hole wasn’t there he could just bust it outside and use his speed to make something out of nothing. He quickly learned the NFL is much faster and patience is key.

Though Adrian Peterson was taken out of the equation after week 1, McKinnon didn’t get his first significant regular season role until week 4 against the Falcons. He didn’t disappoint. The Vikings put up their highest point total of the year (41) and Jerick was a big part of the reason why. He finished with 18 carries for 135 yards including a 55 yarder, the longest by a Vikings RB all season. Had Matt Asiata not been given all of the red zone carries, he likely would have scored some touchdowns, too.

McKinnon had only one other 100+ yard game and it was due to lack of carries in my opinion. He was never given the ball more than 19 times in any of his 6 starts. His final numbers were 113 carries for 538 yards after a back surgery cut his season 5 games short. That put him 6th in the league among running backs in yards per carry (4.8). He also caught 27 passes for another 135 yards. Not bad for a rookie.

Now that I’ve made him out to be the next Ladainian Tomlinson, let’s talk about a couple negatives.  No matter how good a running back is with the ball, if you can’t block, you can’t play. Though he got better as the season went on, his fundamentals need to improve in that area. Protecting Teddy Bridgewater is going to be very important if McKinnon wants a big role next year.

Next, he’s got to stay on the field. The injury bug seems to bite everyone at some point, but any time a rookie misses a significant amount of games it causes worry. He can be an unsung weapon for Teddy as long as his name stays off the injury report.

Based on what we saw this year, there is no reason to believe he can’t put up big numbers. At some point in his career, Jerick McKinnon will be a starter. Will it be in 2015? Likely not, but who knows? Unless it’s Adrian Peterson in the backfield, you’d better believe McKinnon will have as good a shot as anyone at the starting role.

Next: Offensive Grades and Breakdowns for Every Position

Oct 19, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon (31) runs with the ball during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

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