Newest weapon for J.J. McCarthy is exact opposite of everyone on roster with trump card Vikings currently don't have

Tai Felton gives Vikings' offense much needed element 

The Vikings took wide receiver Tai Felton with the 102nd overall pick after trading down from 97th overall. It was quite an interesting selection for the Vikings, as he was a slight reach at 129th overall on Arif Hasan's Consensus Board. He's also another slender receiver in the Vikings' wide receiver room. 

It was also a really interesting player to add to the Vikings' roster. Why so? Felton is a burner with excellent explosive metrics.

You can see the speed on tape. He can fly down the field and threaten defensive backs with ease. His jumps are also elite, which also translates to his on-field speed. 

When you have that kind of speed, the one thing that you need to have is the ability to threaten the defense vertically. Felton pairs that ability with excellent ball tracking. Reason being is deep passes are the most inaccurate. Having the ability to make those adjustments is important. Felton does a really good job in locating and finding the football, along with catching it at its highest point.

It's been reported by multiple sources that wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell was the driving force behind the selection of Felton. One thing that he was really good at during his time in the National Football League was adding nuance into his route running. McCardell had a nasty rocker step to help him create separation. It's something that Felton has done really well.

The other element with his route running that has been really impressive is how he goes about his releases. He varies his releases well and knows how to get into his routes from different positions. However, it's with his route releases that begin to showcase the issues with Felton.

The number one biggest issue with Felton is physicality. He is a slight player and when you are smaller, that often means there is a lack of play strength. That shows up far too often. If you put a hand on him with a jam at the line of scrimmage or within the construct of the route, he gets off his path way too quickly. That's something that has been an issue for both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, both of whom have play strength issues.

The other thing that's concerning when it comes to Felton is how he moves. There is no doubt that he is a linear athlete. You can tell that he has a track background with how he runs. Having a track background isn't a bad thing for a football player. In fact, it's normally a good thing.

However, there are times that it becomes a bigger issue because track athletes are straight line runners, or linear athletes. That's what Felton is and it becomes somewhat of an issue.

If you ask Felton to run straight or something like a slant or post, he is just fine. Felton is also really quick with his footwork. That pairs with his varied release package.  A clip from rookie minicamp shared by The Athletic's Alec Lewis showcased just that.

When it comes to not moving in a straight line, he's more than fine. Felton stretches the field really well. However, there are some issues when he tries to run breaking routes, something that is pivotal in Kevin O'Connell's offense.

Watching Felton run in and out-breaking routes can be difficult. He's an upright runner (again, track background) who isn't very fluid. His hips and ankles are very stiff. It's something that reminds me of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz before he gets his joints oiled up. 

In this offense, that's somewhat of an issue. How good can he be from a multi-dimensional standpoint with the Vikings if there isn't a lot of fluidity with his movements? Can they extract that from him with training and work with McCardell, or will Felton be mainly a field stretcher and manufactured touch guy? 

It's easy to see that Felton is explosive and could be a really talented player for the Vikings on offense, especially to stretch the field. However, the issues are why Felton was drafted in the third round. 

What will come of Felton is going to be really interesting, but the Vikings believe in him. And with how much respect that McCardell has garnered across the league, the Vikings have earned the benefit of the doubt.