After months of posturing, strong public comments and question from fans, it appears as if running back Adrian Peterson will remain with the Minnesota Vikings. The question now becomes: for how long?
Peterson will make a base salary of $12.75 million this season and count north of $15 million against the salary cap. That's a whole lot money (most in the league for a running back) to pay a 30-year-old disgruntled athlete. Should the Vikings eventually concede to a trade, a quality replacement for AP could be found in the 2016 NFL Draft.
WalterFootball.com projects Minnesota to select Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot with the No. 19 overall pick next year. Now projections this far out almost never end up being accurate, but the Vikings are a very solid team and can expect a leap from second-year QB Teddy Bridgewater. If they do end up in the back half of round one then a running back become more reasonable. Two were selected in the first-round this year, after all.
"There were rumors that Adrian Peterson was going to be traded, but those have died down. Perhaps they'll resurface next offseason. If so, the front office may consider using an early draft choice on a replacement.
"Ezekiel Elliot is a first-round prospect despite the fact that the running back position has been devalued. Elliot, who was amazing in Ohio State's championship run, has drawn comparisons to Fred Taylor."
Minnesota did get more than 1,100 yards combined from Jerick Mckinnon and Matt Asiata last year, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Vikes bypass a back early on next year. But neither runner has the upside of Elliot and head coach Mike Zimmer wants to pair Bridgewater with a talented backfield mate. With a strong defense and some solid pass-catchers in place, running back could be an option in the 2016 NFL Draft.
