Vikings 53-man Roster Prediction: Offense sees first UDFA make it under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, WR has a surprise addition

Running Back: 4

IN:Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason , Zavier Scott, C.J. Ham (FB)
OUT: Tre Stewart, Ty Chandler, Xazavian Valladay

This is the room where I could see a potential veteran addition to the group. They wanted Chandler to end up being the RB3, but he's still struggling to see holes open up on the line, which has allowed Scott to surpass him. With how much the Vikings are seemingly going to be focusing on the running game, they may want a veteran they can rely on vs. a young, unproven first-year player in Scott.

Wide Receiver: 5

IN:Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison (suspended list), Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton , Lucky Jackson, Myles Price
OUT: Jeshaun Jones, Tim Jones, Dontae Fleming, Robert Lewis, Silas Bolden, Thayer Thomas

This is the hardest group to predict of all of them. Addison won't be placed on the suspended list until the day after final cuts, which will make things a little more complicated. However, once things get shaken out, I think five are kept. Jackson has seemingly locked up the four spot, and Price has shown enough to be the WR5 to pair with his return ability. Do not be surprised if Jeshaun Jones makes the roster over Price solely due to his ability on offense.

Tight End: 3

IN: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver , Nick Vannett
OUT: Gavin Bartholomew (PUP), Bryson Nesbit, Giovanni Ricci, Ben Yurosek

What will the Vikings do with that TE3 s pot, and could they keep a fourth? Yurosek has been the best of the bunch throughout the preseason, but are they going to want a UDFA to get the 10ish snaps that O'Connell has asked his TE3 to play? That's why I believe Vannett is going to get that spot and they continue to pour resources into Yurosek.

Offensive Tackle: 4

IN:Christian Darrisaw , Brian O'Neill, Justin Skule, Walter Rouse
OUT: Logan Brown, Leroy Watson, Zack Bailey

Is Rouse going to be the swing tackle? That's the only question I have with this group. Both Watson and Brown have struggled this preseason, and Bailey was signed to eat snaps in the final preseason game. I do believe Brown will be on the practice squa d because there is potential there.

Interior Offensive Line: 5

IN:Will Fries , Ryan Kelly,  Donovan Jackson , Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens
OUT: Henry Byrd, Joe Huber, Michael Gonzalez, Vershon Lee

The only player who has a chance to make the active roster from the players who are out is Huber. He played incredibly well in the first game with a solid one in the second. If he makes it, Huber wouldn't necessarily replace anyone, but rather be the 10th offensive lineman.

Defensive Tackle: 7

IN:Jonathan Allen , Javon Hargrave, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jalen Redmond , Elijah Williams, Taki Taimani
OUT: Jonathan Harris, Travis Bell

Just like last year, the defensive line has been the best group of them all. Taimani and Redmond were the standouts and made the roster with no fanfare before the season began. That guy this year is Williams, who has been so good across the board, even getting in and winning against the first-team

Edge Rusher: 5

IN:Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner , Gabe Murphy, Bo Richter
OUT: Tyler Batty , Chaz Chambliss, Cam Gill

I don't expect to see any surprises with the edge rusher group. We know that they believe the edge rushers have three starters in the group with Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Turner. However, it's their depth with Murphy and Richter as solid depth players. They may choose to bring in another edge rusher so Richter isn't a relied upon depth player.

Inside Linebacker: 4

IN:Blake Cashman , Ivan Pace Jr., Eric Wilson, Kobe King
OUT: Austin Keys, Dorian Mausi

Four is going to be the number with this group, but I fully expect to see Keys on the practice squad. He just looks like a solid linebacker in all phases and looks to be worth developing. King's development has also been good to watch, and he could be developed to be a future starter.

Cornerback: 6

IN:Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers , Mekhi Blackmon, Jeff Okudah, Dwight McGlothern, Zemaiah Vaughn
OUT: Keenan Garber, Ambry Thomas, Reddy Steward

How the Vikings stack their cornerback group is going to be interesting. W e know the top three cornerbacks are locked in, but after that, it's somewhat of a question. Blackmon feels like a lock, but he's been very up-and-down during training camp and has arguably been outplayed by both McGlothern and Vaughn. With the youth of the latter two, I expect the Vikings to keep all three and roster six cornerbacks.

Safety: 4

IN: Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward
OUT: Mishael Powell, Gervarrius Owens, Kahlef Hailassie, Tavierre Thomas

This may be the first year the Vikings end up keeping only four safeties on the roster with Brian Flores as the defensive coordinator. Don't be surprised to see two of these guys on the practice squad to allow the Vikings to have some flexibility with their gameday rosters.

Specialists: 3

IN: Will Reichard (K), Oscar Chapman (P), Andrew DePaola (LS)
OUT: Ryan Wright (P)

Chapman has been slowly sneaking up on Wright, and he finally overtakes him. Financially, the Vikings will save around $200k by making the change, and hopefully Chapman elevates the position to a more stable, league-average place. The bad hold could be an issue for Chapman, but I think he had the better preseason overall.