For all the Viking fans out there, yours truly feels your pain. This columnist recently heard a quote that he can't get out of his head: "You aren't a Vikings fan if you aren't looking forward to the draft in mid-October."  That is what it seems like year after year for the Skol Brothers, and it's just gotten worse this year with the Adrian Peterson debacle.  Many topics will be covered in this article, including but not limited to, a possible AP trade, the NFL Draft, and other offseason moves.  Let's start right out with the man at the center of the "Shouldn't Be So" controversy.

Adrian Peterson has caused quite a ruckus this off-season with the alleged child "abuse" claims. The Vikings have been rumored to not want AP back on the field for some time, if ever again.  This got thoughts and scenarios rolling all over the web.  There were two scenarios that we came up with that would make a lot of sense.  Here they are:

Trade Scenario One:  Vikings trade Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson to Dallas for DeMarco Murray, Terrence Williams and a 2015 1st round pick.

This may seem like too much to give away in Dallas' case, but we may be looking at a reverse Herschel Walker trade if this happens.  Cordarrelle hasn't been very effective for Minnesota over the past two seasons, so dangling him out as trade bait might get a little heavier reaction than not.  Adrian, when he's on the field, is one of the most dominant offensive players the NFL has seen in the past 10-15 years, so there's no denying his value.  Adrian grew up in Texas, and was rumored to have said he wanted to end his career at home.  This is a win-win scenario for both teams, the Vikings get a big playmaker at WR as well as a top 5 RB plus a 1st round pick in next years draft.  Dallas also wins by getting a future Hall-of-Fame RB as well as a receiver/kick returner who, when he has the ball, can make all the moves to evade unlucky tacklers.  There's no reason to think this trade won't happen, but  time will tell.

Trade Scenario Two:  Vikings trade Adrian Peterson to Atlanta for Julio Jones and a 2nd round pick.

This is the more unlikely of the two scenarios, but there are several reasons why it should happen.  Minnesota is lacking a big playmaking WR, and that's what Julio Jones can provide.  Atlanta is also in dire need of a run game.  Steven Jackson is getting older and less effective, so adding AP would give this offense a kick. Atlanta could use their 1st or 3rd round pick on a WR to replace Julio (This draft class is loaded at WR once again), and they still have Roddy White who, when healthy and without Julio on the field, is one of the better WR's in the league.  Harry Douglas is also a good complementary receiver coming out of the slot that could use an increase in volume.  Adrian would also open up receiver's lanes by making defenders respect him by putting 8-9 guys in the box.  All would look well in Atlanta and Minnesota if this deal happens.

So, it looks like the first scenario is more likely, and a trade may not happen at all, but these are just two of the more sensible ideas.

Alright, with AP out of the way, let's look forward to April and the draft.  If the season ended today, the Vikings would be somewhere between the 10th and 14 picks.  Who the Vikings take depends on their draft position.  Here's where they should go based on pick:

10 - Landon Collins, Safety/Alabama

11 - Amari Cooper, WR/Alabama

12 - Leonard Floyd, DE(LB)/Georgia

13 - Brandon Scherff, OT/Iowa

14 - Melvin Gordon, RB/Wisconsin

Now, Cooper and Floyd might be a bit of a surprise, but they include two needs the Vikings have.  Amari Cooper provides big play potential outside, which the Vikings are desperate for.  Leonard Floyd provides even more strength and depth to the D-Line which has been impressive thus far.  The other picks (Collins, Scherff, Gordon) all imply the greatest needs the Vikings have.  Matt Kalil hasn't been good this year at LT, so maybe they draft Scherff and move Kalil to RT to see how he performs there.  They could also draft Landon Collins, who is one of the premiere DB's in the nation and would make for a very good safety duo with Harrison Smith (who has 4 interceptions this year which is 2nd in the NFC).  Finally, Melvin Gordon's name pops up.  Yes, they do have AP still, but if one of the trades happen, they'll be more inclined than ever to take a RB in the first round, that is if they don't look at Marshawn Lynch in the offseason, but that's coming a little later.  Melvin Gordon is one of, if not the best RB in the nation (no thanks to Ameer Abdullah) and he would fit in very nicely as a pounding RB with good mobility and elusiveness in space.  All of these picks would be very smart, if the Vikings want to get better, that is.

Before the draft, the Vikings will have had several months to assess needs and make some moves in the offseason.  One of the biggest names out there that could potentially be available is Seattle Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch.  Lynch was drafted only 4 picks after Adrian Peterson in 2007, so the Vikings must have scouted him if they were in fact looking to take a RB in the 1st round.  They know how punishing of a runner BeastMode is, but that does come with injury concerns.  Lynch would be a great asset in Minnesota, but looking at how Rick Spielmen evaluates players, we doubt this signing will happen.  Other names to look at follow:

Michael Roos, OT

Doug Costless, OT

Dez Bryant, WR

Jimmy Graham, TE

Brandon Spikes, LB

Chris Harris, CB

Devin McCourty, S

Brian Orakpo, LB

Dez Bryant and Jimmy Graham are very unlikely to wind up costless agents, but rumors are that the Cowboys are hesitant to sign Dez Bryant due to his trouble off the field and his attitude.  He may in fact end up on the open market, so the Vikings might as well take a gander at how much he'd cost, at least.  Guys like Brandon Spikes and Chris Harris on defense are more realistic than Brian Orakpo or Ndamukong Suh, although Suh, if he doesn't go back to Detroit, might like the idea of staying in the NFC North to terrorize Rodgers, Cutler and finally get his chance at Matt Stafford. Yours truly highly doubts that Suh, Bryant, Graham and Orakpo will leave their current teams, but you never know.

That's what we're looking at in Vikings fandom. Their season is basically over, so why not look ahead? They do have a good future ahead of them, but they just need to make the right moves.

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