With the preseason concluding this weekend, the time has come for sports writers all across the nation to submit their final projections for who will make their various NFL teams that they cover. This is an exercise that I have found myself participating in for the past several years, and this time I thought it would be a good idea to share my own predictions for who will make the final cut of the Minnesota Vikings roster.

This year’s roster is an interesting one, with the team in a transitional period between Kirk Cousins and the injured J.J. McCarthy. Never the less, there have been plenty of players that have stood out, both in positive and negative ways, throughout the preseason and training camp. Here are, to the best of my ability, the 53 players I believe will end up on the Vikings roster come Week 1.

QUARTERBACKS

Sam Darnold

Nick Mullens

Jaren Hall

IR — J.J. McCarthy

No real surprises here. The only question is if the Vikings will chose to keep a third quarterback on the team. I think Jaren Hall has shown enough that the Vikings will want to avoid exposing him to wavers and sneak him onto the practice squad.

RUNNING BACKS

Aaron Jones

Ty Chandler

Kene Nwangwu

C.J. Ham

Again, not much room for disagreement here. Nwangwu was going to make the roster regardless due to being a dynamic kick returner, but he also flashed more as a runner this preseason than he has in previous years. Myles Gaskin misses the final cut here after a solid, but not excellent, preseason run.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jalen Nailor

Brandon Powell

Trishton Jackson

After a phenomenal camp and preseason, Nailor has solidified himself as the No. 3 receiver on the team. Powell will return punts, and Trishton Jackson has shined in the offseason as well, including a touchdown in each of the first two preseason games. I have Trent Sherfield being cut here, despite signing a two-year deal in free agency. He has had some noticeable drops at times and his touchdown against the Raiders came off of a broken defense. Not enough to push someone else off the roster.

TIGHT END

Josh Oliver

Johnny Mundt

Robert Tonyan

Nick Muse

International Path — Sammis Reyes

IR — T.J. Hockenson

One of these will have to go when Hockenson is healthy sometime in the middle of the season, but that decision will have to wait until then. Despite being injured for the preseason, Tonyan has done enough in camp to justify his roster spot. Reyes is a free 54th man on the roster, coming from the international program, and will not count against the 53-man roster. And N’Keal Harry is bad. Stop clinging to him. Let him go.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Christian Darrisaw

Brian O’Neill

Garret Bradburry

Ed Ingram

Blake Brandel

Dalton Risner

Dan Feeney

David Quessenberry

Walter Rouse

I think the Vikings will keep nine here. If they don’t, Risner might be a surprise cut after missing much of the offseason with an injury. He’s the 53 man I kept on the roster after much debate, but I might decide on another player on another day. Seventh-round draft pick Michael Jurgens gets cut here after a rather disastrous game against Cleveland where he posted an elusive 0.0 PFF grade and was on the ground more often than any lineman should be.

EDGE

Johnathan Greenard

Andrew Van Ginkel

Dallas Turner

Patrick Jones II

Jihad Ward

Sadly, there is two much roster pressure here for either of the two exciting undrafted players — Gabriel Murphy and Bo Richter — To make the roster here. Murphy has been injured throughout camp, and you can’t make the club in the tub. Jihad Ward, while he hasn’t made the same splash plays that Richter has, also hasn’t had any mental lapses that lead to big plays like Richter has. When it comes to third-stringers, that’s what an NFL team values more. Save a spot on the practice squad for both Richter and Murphy.

INTERIOR D-LINE

Harrison Phillips

Jonathan Bullard

Jerry Tillery

Levi Drake Rodriguez

Jonah Williams

The choice here is between Jaquelin Roy and Williams. I have a hard time evaluating D-line in camp where you can’t tackle anyone, and neither player has had much time on the field in preseason. That being said, Williams has been playing above Roy for most of camp and the preseason, so I’m going with him.

Also, remember the name of Levi Drake Rodruguez. He has been doing a ton of the dirty work at defensive tackle, and doing it so effectively that he ends up getting some of the production as well, registering a sack and a pass deflection in two preseason games. The seventh-round draft pick out of Texas A&M – Commerce has more than solidified himself a spot in the rotation.

LINEBACKER

Ivan Pace Jr.

Blake Cashman

Brian Asamoah

Kamu Grugier-Hill

The depth here doesn’t inspire confidence, but Asamoah and Grugier-Hill have both been more consistent than Dallas Gant. Gant likely makes the practice squad, but don’t look for him to upset this group on the roster.

CORNERBACK

Byron Murphy Jr.

Stephon Gilmore

Shaq Griffin

Akayleb Evans

Fabian Moreau

Dwight McGlothern

IR — Mekhi Blackmon, Najee Thompson

By far the group with the most turmoil in the offseason, cornerback will be a concern this year. Murphy Jr. and Gilmore were solid last year, but beyond that, it’s all question marks. Thompson, a special team ace, will start the season on the injured list, and Blackmon tore his ACL in camp.

Moreau has had some bright spots in camp and seems like more or less of a lock to make the roster, and Evans has been good for a fourth-round draft pick. That leaves McGlothern, a UDFA who has shined in the preseason with an interception that he nearly returned for a touchdown. McGlothern was my pick early in the offseason as a surprise to make the roster, and I’m sticking with that prediction. Otherwise, the Vikings may sick with just five in this group. Shout out to Duke Shelley. I’ll always remember you.

SAFETY

Harrison Smith

Camryn Bynum

Josh Metellus

Theo Jackson

Lewis Cine

This would be the group I would add to if I were to cut Dalton Risner. Jay Ward is cut in this version instead after being a significan contributor to special teams last season. Ward can also play cornerback, though mostly in disastrous fashion. However, I think Lewis Cine has done enough (barely) to make Jay Ward unnecessary in the secondary. Cine had a breakout game in Week 2 of the preseason, collecting 10 tackles, an interception and a sack in the game. He would also be more expensive to cut than to keep, due to being a first-round draft pick that is still owed money next year.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Andrew DePaola

Will Reichard

Ryan Wright

I’m allowed to open myself up to be hurt again. Reichard has been great this offseason, hitting some big field goals in camp and preseason at a consistent rate. Vikings and kickers have a long history of disagreeing with each other, but I think Reichard, the all-time leading scorer in college football, can be the one to turn it around.