MINNEAPOLIS -- We're resuming our ranking of the Minnesota Vikings' roster, counting down from No. 53 to No. 1 before the start of training camp. Here are the previous installments:
June 30: Nos. 53-46
July 1: Nos. 45-41
July 2: Nos. 40-36
July 3: Nos. 35-31
Today, we'll look at players No. 30-26:
30. Marcus Sherels, PR/CB
Doubt him if you'd like; predicting who will bump the diminutive Sherels off the roster has become a rite of training camp by this point. But Sherels has been a sure-handed punt returner for the last four seasons, and he was ninth in the league in average return yards last season after finishing third in 2013. He also had a 46-yard kick return last year (just 5 yards short of Cordarrelle Patterson's longest) and is one of the Vikings' most technically-sound cornerbacks. Listed at 5-foot-10, Sherels probably isn't going to be in the Vikings' plans for extensive work in the secondary, and that might eventually cost him his spot if the team wants a player who can contribute to the roster several different ways. But Sherels has hung in there when he's been asked to play cornerback, and he's earned the trust of special teams coordinator Mike Priefer as a reliable return man who typically makes the right decision.
29. Gerald Hodges, LB
What Hodges will be in his third year remains to be seen; he looked like a forceful run defender on both the strong and weak sides last year, and astutely diagnosed the New York Jets' formation on the way to his interception return TD on Dec. 7. There were times, though, where Hodges didn't have a complete handle on his responsibilities in Mike Zimmer's defense, and a pair of comments from the coach -- that Chad Greenway is still the Vikings' best weak-side linebacker and that Eric Kendricks might eventually play the position -- would seem to suggest the Vikings don't see Hodges as the heir apparent to Greenway yet. Still, Hodges showed significant improvement last year, and could be the first player in line to start if injuries hit at either outside linebacker spot.
28. Shamar Stephen, DT
The Vikings quietly asserted during training camp last year that they'd found a steal in the seventh-round pick from Connecticut, and Stephen became a regular part of the Vikings' defensive tackle rotation last year. He started at the three-technique spot when Sharrif Floyd hurt his knee in November, and Stephen will probably see plenty of work in relief of Linval Joseph this year. He's a large man who showed he has the size to occupy blockers as a rookie, and should get better if he can play with more assertiveness and aggression in his second season.
27. Jerick McKinnon, RB
He'd probably be higher on this list if not for the return of Adrian Peterson, but McKinnon could still be a key piece of the offense in his second season. He's only 5-foot-9, but showed plenty of fight between the tackles last season, gaining 243 of his 538 rushing yards after contact. According to ESPN Stats and Information, McKinnon's average of 2.15 yards after contact tied him for seventh in the league with Arian Foster, and put him just ahead of Le'Veon Bell. The converted college quarterback also caught 27 passes last season, before injuring his back lifting weights. He's healthy now, and with Peterson getting most of the work, the Vikings could use McKinnon's speed (he ran a 4.41-second 40 at the 2014 NFL combine) to put defenses on their heels. If McKinnon does wind up handling a significant workload this season, the Vikings are confident he's up to the task.
26. Robert Blanton, S
What should we make of Blanton? Pro Football Focus rated him highly in his first year as a starter, but he lost his starting job to Andrew Sendejo after he returned from injury at the end of the season, and general manager Rick Spielman seemed to damn both Blanton and Sendejo with faint praise after the draft, when he said the Vikings "kind of know" what both of them are and went on to praise Antone Exum. Zimmer said the Vikings will decide the safety spot next to Harrison Smith in training camp, and Blanton will have to show he deserves to hang onto the job. He'll probably get the first crack at it, however, and though he had some issues in his first year as a starter -- particularly against Eddie Lacy in October and Brandon Marshall in November -- Blanton didn't miss many tackles as a whole, and was generally where he was supposed to be. Time will tell if he becomes Smith's running mate for another year.