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The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2020 NFL season with a record of 7-9 and in third place in the NFC North. For their efforts, the Vikings will have the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, making it their highest first-round pick since 2015. Last offseason, Minnesota took wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
One of the biggest reasons why the Vikings just missed the playoffs was the lack of playmakers on defense. They lost Anthony Barr to a season-ending injury and traded Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens.
Then, on top of both those losses, the Vikes rolled out a very young secondary at the cornerback spot. With all that being said, one could infer that Minnesota may go defensive with their first round pick to either upgrade their LB spot or defensive line. There’s no need to upgrade the offense, which has playmakers all over the field.
2021 opponents
The Vikings will face their NFC North divisional opponents six times, half at home and half on the road. In addition, they draw matchups against all for teams from the AFC North and NFC West. The NFL is expected to add a 17th game to the regular season schedule that will feature an inter-conference matchup with a similarly placed team. The Vikings would face the AFC West.
Home: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys
Away: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers