Vikings Territory: Interesting Vikings Player Tapped For 2021 ‘Bust' Prediction

Press release from Vikings Territory:

July 24, 2021

The Minnesota Vikings don’t holster a lot of men on the 2021 roster set up for “bust” potential outside of rookies like Christian Darrisaw and Wyatt Davis (and there is no reason to associate them with bust terms — but they are rookies with high expectations).

Therefore, the options for bust territory are limited – and that’s a good thing. Garrett Bradbury faces a pendulous season, selected in the 1st Round of the 2019 Draft and now entering his third campaign. On the whole, the Vikings center has been surrounded by the feculent guard play to his left and right, causing his early career maturation to stand still and underwhelm. This season, though, Bradbury should have the best [young] duo to date next to him in Ezra Cleveland and Wyatt Davis. Minnesota will know what it has in Bradbury by the time February strikes on the 2022 calendar.

Bleacher Report predicts the Vikings bust as Irv Smith Jr.

To be fair, Sobleski parks this prediction at the “usage” door. He does not outwardly predict that Smith is the wrong man for the job.

Smith was TE1 for much of 2020 as Rudolph was injured during the final stretch of his Vikings career. So, in support of Zimmer, Smith remaining TE1 and not much changing from that, adds up. Most coaches, however, would set expectations for someone with Smith’s skillset even higher – not singing praises of a player in Conklin that was TE3 less than a year ago.

That’s fine by Smith Jr. If he need not share targets with a true-blue WR3, well, his target load will rise. He’s even built like a muscular wide receiver, so the Alabama alumnus might wind up as the defacto WR3. Of course, if Dede Westbrook signs with the team — he is in the Twin Cities talking about a contract — then this logic is dampened.

Throw him the ball.

This press release was produced by Vikings Territory. The views expressed here are the author’s own.