Each season in the NFL is full of surprises, and every year someone seems to emerge from the depth chart and makes a huge impact on the team. The Vikings are a young team, and so have several players still looking to assert themselves in the national NFL conversation, but some of them won't have to try that much longer. Here are the major breakout candidates to look for on the Vikings this season.
WR Jarius Wright
Wright, a fourth round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, was inactive for the first nine games of the season last year until an injury to Percy Harvin moved him to the active roster. Rather than simply be content to finally dress for a game, Wright made his presence known right away when he caught a deep pass from Christian Ponder and later finished the drive by scoring a touchdown. All in all through just seven games Wright caught 22 balls for 310 yards and two touchdowns, and made big receptions when the Vikings needed him to in their match-up against the Packers. If you extrapolate Wright's numbers from his rookie year over 16 games, he would have had 50 receptions for 708 yards 4 touchdowns, which actually would have made him the Vikings' leading receiver last year (in terms of yards). Wright showed explosive speed and some rice route-running ability, but his skills as a receiver should only continue to build as he gains moire NFL experience (wide receivers are usually slow-starters in the NFL). Jarius Wright flashed his ability last year, but after a reportedly impressive offseason he's ready to show what he can do over 16 games.
DE Everson Griffen
A 4th round pick from 2010, Griffen is an athletic freak who the Vikings took a chance on even though there were reportedly some flaws in his character (he's been arrested during his tenure with the team). Griffen finally broke out of the depth chart last year after not seeing much playing time behind Jared Allen and Brian Robison last year, seeing much more snaps on passing downs and recording eight sacks in the process. Now that his production is starting to match his enormous potential don't be surprised if the Vikings start finding creative ways to get Griffen on the field so that he can do his thing. He may even get featured in a more regular rotation with Robison in order to show that he can keep up his explosive play consistently. Another big factor that could push Griffen to a breakout season is the fact that his rookie contract expires after this season, so he's out to prove to the Vikings or another NFL team that he's worth a hefty payday.
S Harrison Smith
The Vikings surprised some people in the 2012 draft when they traded up back into the first round in order to grab safety Harrison Smith from Notre Dame. This move was questioned by several draft pundits as they thought Smith's talents profiled better in the 2nd round and the Vikings could have waited to draft him there. Smith made those pundits feel silly last season as he locked up the starting job by week one and immediately became an enforcer in the back of the Vikings secondary. Smith's aggressive style of play led to some game-changing highlights, as he grabbed three interceptions as a rookie and returned two of them for touchdowns. Smith was also second on the team in tackles, displaying a great nose for the football. Smith should be a lot more comfortable in year two in Vikings' defensive coordinator Alan William's system, so expect him to be a disruptive force on the back end of the Vikings' defense yet again. Smith's comfort level should allow him to be even more aggressive this year, and if he can regain the ball-hawking prowess he displayed in college he could have no problem earning a trip to Hawaii next year for his first Pro Bowl.
Watch for these Vikings to become key figures during the 2013 season as this team fights for another playoff berth. Don't be surprised if someone off this list comes out of nowhere and surprises everybody, because that's just the beauty of the NFL: you never really know what's going to happen.
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