The annual list of the NFL's Top 100 players debuted Wednesday night on NFL Network.
And while no Vikings were listed in the 90-100 range, NFL.com's Ike Taylor released his own list that featured three Vikings.
Taylor ranked linebacker Anthony Barr at No. 92, wide receiver Stefon Diggs was 94th and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater cracked the list at No. 96.
The trio of players each played a key role in Minnesota winning the NFC North in 2015 with an 11-5 record. Taylor wrote:
There's a reason why there are three guys in purple on this list. The Vikings are an up-and-coming team under head coach Mike Zimmer, whose defense was a big reason for Minnesota's success in 2015. Anthony Barr is slowly emerging as the leader of the Vikings' defensive unit.
View images of the Vikings new offensive line coach Tony Sparano.
Sparano wants certain characteristics on offensive line
The Vikings hired Tony Sparano as their offensive line coach in January, a little more than three months before the 2016 NFL Draft.
Sparano, the former head coach in Miami, brought plenty of ideas with him about what he looks for in offensive linemen.
Ben Goessling of ESPN.com wrote that Sparano's voice was likely heard when the Vikings selected lineman Western Michigan's Willie Beavers in the fourth round last week.
*The 54-year-old coach's influence was felt during the offseason when Sparano gave Vikings scouts three characteristics he wanted in his linemen. Perhaps not surprisingly, none of them is subtle. *
"It's size, it's strength, and what he calls 'the ability to dent people' when you hit them," general manager Rick Spielman said on Saturday.
*The Vikings took Western Michigan lineman Willie Beavers in the fourth round, Spielman said, because he has those traits. Guard Alex Boone, who was with Sparano in San Francisco last season and signed a four-year deal with the Vikings in March, certainly has them. And the Vikings have set up enough competition on their offensive line this spring that players who don't have the traits Sparano is looking for could be on their way out. *
Vikings land at No. 9 in NFL.com power rankings
Now that the 2016 NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror, NFL.com's Elliot Harrison released his post-draft power rankings.
Harrison slotted the Vikings at No. 9, a one spot jump from where Minnesota was earlier this offseason.
Harrison mentioned the sensational story of Minnesota wide receiver Moritz Boehringer in his dry humor blurb about the Vikings, saying the sixth-round pick's journey to American football has been remarkable.
*Imagine it's five years ago and you hop on YouTube ... Instead of watching "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" or "Rawhead Rex," you take in some 2011 Manchester United highlights. You live in, uhh, let's say Duluth, Minnesota. And you think, ' That Premier League soccer looks rad!' So you try out for a soccer club over in chi-chi Edina. Five years pass, and here you are, about to play for Manchester United. ****#MoritzBoehringer***
