Christian Ballard continues versatility with Minnesota Vikings

INDIANAPOLIS - Former Iowa defensive lineman Christian Ballard was known for his position versatility with the Iowa Hawkeyes. It seems those skills have translated to the Minnesota Vikings.

Ballard enters his second season with the Vikings and he fits into the team's plans at both defensive tackle and defensive end.

"We think he can play the three-technique for us," Minnesota Coach Leslie Frazier said. "We also think he can swing outside and play some defensive end as well. He gives us position flexibility that you don't always see with defensive tackles.

"We're trying to determine if we want him to settle on letting him play one position or letting him continue to swing but he's done a very good job in the snaps that we gave him in both three-technique and the left end position."

At Iowa, Ballard started 21 games at defensive end and 18 at defensive tackle. He had 12 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss as a Hawkeye.

Ballard, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 283 pounds, played in all 16 games last year as a rookie. He started at nose tackle against Green Bay and Detroit - both road games. He recorded 13 tackles last season.

"We are excited about Christian's future," Frazier said. "He did a good job for us last season. In the reps that he did get he really showed flashes of some things that we think are going to be really positive for our defense."