No one was more giddy during the Minnesota Vikings press conference than head coach Mike Zimmer when they discussed their first day of draft weekend.  The Vikings started their day by trading down one spot and then selecting outside linebacker Anthony Barr.  Much to the dismay of Vikings fans, who were hoping for Johnny Football, Zimmer passed on the electric quarterback and supported his decision of Barr with an ear-to-ear grin.  

Barr, who has some of the most explosive potential of any defensive prospect in the draft, is also considered a giant risk, given his limited time playing defense in college.  Still, Zimmer didn’t flinch at the notion of plugging him into a defense that ranked dead last in almost every passing category last year, and is excited to mold him into the teams pass-rushing specialist, given his ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks.    

Barr, who in just two years had over 40 tackles for loss, and 20 sacks, is expected to come in and start opposite of Chad Greenway as an outside linebacker.  However, when Zimmer was asked the same question he wasn’t so quick to shell out answers.  “I have this vision on how I want to use this guy and I don’t want to tell Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit.”  Just watching Zimmer talk about Barr and where he will fit into his defense, you could see the wheels turning inside his football-minded head.  

Barr is so big, strong, and athletic the notion of him playing anywhere and everywhere in the front-seven must be assumed, especially when you think about Zimmer and his exotic defenses.  At his most fundamental core though, Barr is a pass rusher, so wether he is standing up as a linebacker or playing with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end, expect Zimmer to have him in the best position to get after the quarterback.  

Of course he won’t be handed the job, but as the number-nine overall selection the Vikings will surely put him in the best position to succeed, and give him every opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation.  When that time comes expect Barr to call the strong-side linebacking position his “home”, with defensive end in sub-packages his “vacation destination”.       

In a black-and-white world, expect to see Barr lined up at linebacker on first and second down, and be moved to defensive-end on specific pass rushing situations.  But, in the colorful defensive-minded world Zimmer lives in, Barr will be moved all around the front-seven as a joker, using his freakish-athletic ability to chase down ball carriers and drop back in coverage.  As a first time head coach Zimmer will undoubtedly unveil new formations and sub-packages that the league has yet to see, utilizing Barr as his centerpiece and focal point, much like Von Miller to the Denver Broncos defense.    

Barr will go through growing pains his rookie year, but there was a reason Zimmer took a huge risk on him using the ninth-overall pick, as he certainly has big plans for him in the near and distant future in the Vikings defense.  Nobody was happier to use their first-pick on the defensive side of the ball than Zimmer, and now he’s ready to show the world why Barr was worth it.