Mistral

Raymond

First-round pick Harrison Smith is penciled in at free safety after the Vikings traded up to get him, but Frazier’s comments leave the door open for fifth-round pick Robert Blanton to beat out veterans Mistral Raymond and Jamarca Sanford at strong safety. Blanton is converting from corner, but we wouldn’t downplay his chances of besting Sanford and Raymond after both had sub-par 2011 campaigns.

Johnson suffered the tough injury in Week 12. With Husain Abdullah also done for the year, Mistral Raymond will likely take over at free safety, leaving the Vikes with second- or third-teamers at three positions in the secondary. A bust as the No. 43 pick in the 2008 draft, Johnson will reach free agency in 2012.

Smith is ready to displace 2011 starter Jamarca Sanford, who is now rotating with Mistral Raymond on the opposite side. Raymond has the early edge in that battle, with fifth-rounder Robert Blanton also factoring in the mix. Smith has worked at both strong and free safety in the Vikes’ largely interchangeable two-deep scheme.

He appears to have the post-spring edge on Jamarca Sanford and rookie Robert Blanton. Raymond is limited in coverage, which will be problematic in Minnesota’s two-deep secondary scheme. While RCB Chris Cook’s return and rookie FS Harrison Smith’s addition upgraded the talent, we’ll still be targeting the Vikings’ 2012 pass defense for fantasy football matchup purposes.

Raymond partially dislocated his ankle while trying to tackle Frank Gore in the first half of Sunday’s win over the 49ers. With Raymond out, the Vikings will turn to Jamarca Sanford to start opposite Harrison Smith. Sanford started 15 games for Minnesota last season and recorded 75 total tackles.

It means Raymond has avoided a fracture or high-sprain, but coach Leslie Frazier still hinted that he will miss several weeks. That means the Vikings will be forced to go with an ineffective Jamarca Sanford opposite rookie Harrison Smith at safety. If Matthew Stafford (leg) is under center Sunday, the Vikings will be severely tested at the back-end.

Raymond has been limited to individual work the past two weeks. “We need to get him through an entire week of practice,” Frazier said. “We’re going to give him a little bit more this week and then we’ll make a decision later in the week.” It’s unclear if Raymond would immediately rejoin the starting lineup, but he’d be in for heavy snaps if active against the Seahawks.

Raymond is Minnesota’s starting strong safety. The Vikings figure to turn to Jamarca Sanford, whom Raymond narrowly beat out for the job in training camp. First-round pick Harrison Smith is the Vikings’ other safety starter.

Minnesota has had a different starter at strong safety each of the past three seasons, but Sanford is looking to put an end to the trend. He started 13 games last season and appears to have a stranglehold on the spot entering camp. Sanford re-upped with the Vikings on a two-year, $5 million deal in March, but he’s expected to face competition from Mistral Raymond and Robert Blanton.

After dislocating his ankle early on last season, Raymond lost his starting job to Jamarca Sanford. The two ended up sharing time late in the year and now Sanford is an unrestricted free agent. If he’s back, it will be as a core special teamer and depth behind Raymond.