Blair Walsh

Walsh bounced back from a poor 2014 by scoring the fifth-most points among kickers last season despite Minnesota scoring the 17th-most points overall. His 39 field-goal attempts ranked second in the league, though his conversion rate was only 13th. If there's another nit to pick, it's that he missed four extra points, leaving him in the bottom five of accuracy for PATs. Walsh accounted for 37.9 percent of the team's total points, which was the highest mark of any playoff team (the Broncos were closely behind at 35.2 percent), and they've gotten at least 30 percent of their points from their kicker in each of the last three seasons, which could forecast another solid season of usage.

On the plus side, Walsh was seventh in field-goal attempts last season as the Vikings scored on only 53.8 percent of their 2.4 red-zone trips per game. On the negative side, he connected on a career-low 74.3 percent, second-lowest in the league. He even missed three from less than 40 yards (one in the 20-29 range). Walsh made a name for himself during his 2012 rookie season by hitting all 10 of his 50-yarders, but he's 7-of-14 from that distance the last two years. The Vikings added deep threat Mike Wallace this offseason, and with Adrian Peterson returning, as of press time, Walsh could have significantly more scoring opportunities. Improved accuracy will help too.

Walsh might not have delivered on the sky-high expectations placed on him after he nailed 10 field goals from over 50 yards as a rookie, but he acquitted himself quite well in his second NFL season. He only missed four field goals on 30 attempts – with three of the failures coming from beyond 50 yards – and tacked on 43 PATs to finish 15th in kicker scoring. Walsh’s long-range bona fides would seem to give him more upside than many of those ranked near him, but he’ll face the tough adjustment of playing outdoors at home for the next two seasons, as the Vikings await the opening of their new dome. Ten of Walsh’s 12 career makes from 50-plus yards have occurred at indoor venues.

Walsh supplied the best rookie kicking campaign in NFL history in 2012, showing deft accuracy (92.1 percent) and unprecedented leg strength with an NFL-record 10 field goals of 50-plus yards en route to a Pro Bowl nod. While it remains to be seen how he'll fare once the Vikings relocate outdoors in 2014, for now, he should thrive under the shelter of the Metrodome, providing plenty of opportunities for more long field goals. The only mark against Walsh’s outlook is an offense that's average at best, especially when opposing defenses find ways to contain Adrian Peterson. The Vikings afforded Walsh only 36 PATs last season, 16th in the league, but many of those setbacks turned into field-goal opportunities as Walsh ranked third with 38 field-goal attempts. And, thanks to his big leg, if the offense can advance to the opponent’s 40-yard line, there's a good chance Walsh will come away with three points.

Walsh replaces the veteran Ryan Longwell, who was cut by the Vikings to save cap room. Drafted in the sixth round out of Georgia, Walsh was erratic for the Bulldogs in 2011, missing 14 of 35 attempts. The Vikings hope Walsh can demonstrate the form he showed in his previous two seasons, as he hit 40 of 45 attempts. Walsh has a big leg, having made a 56-yarder last year, but he’ll likely be pushed by a veteran free agent in training camp and could get cut if he proves too inaccurate.