INDIANAPOLIS – The 2015 Vikings didn't put a wide receiver taller than 6-foot-2 on the roster. In three-wide sets, they often sandwiched 5-10 slot man Jarius Wright between a pair of 6-footers in Mike Wallace and Stefon Diggs. Their biggest receivers, Cordarrelle Patterson and Charles Johnson, couldn't create separation from the bench late in the season.
Yet, when you ask General Manager Rick Spielman or coach Mike Zimmer about their lack of size at that position, neither seems all that concerned. Sure, adding a big, physical and capable pass-catcher would be welcome. But height isn't everything, in their eyes.
"I'm never going to box us in [by saying,] 'We need a big receiver' or, 'We need a small receiver,' " Spielman said Wednesday. "In this draft, there are different flavors. There are some small receivers that can really fly and make big plays down the field and play bigger than their size. There are big receivers that maybe play small for their size."
The Vikings, who are eyeing up top draft prospects at this week's scouting combine, will be looking for playmakers of any shape and size this offseason after they ranked 31st in both passing yards and touchdown passes in 2015.
A big theme in Spielman and Zimmer's podium sessions in Indianapolis was that they want quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, a Pro Bowl pick after last season, to "let it loose." They aren't asking him to gun-sling it like Brett Favre or attempt more lefthanded passes like he did in the division-clinching victory at Green Bay in Week 17. But they do want him to take more chances.
To encourage Bridgewater to be more aggressive, it would behoove the Vikings to bring in someone who can make contested catches down the field, something that was a rarity last season.
Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery, a pending free agent, could fill that void, but the Bears are prepared to lock him down with a new deal or the franchise tag. And with the other free-agent options being underwhelming, the draft might be the way to go.
Unlike the previous two springs, which produced two of the best wide receiver classes in recent memory, the 2015 class is said to lack top-end talent at the position.