FanPost

Grading the Vikings Draftees Chances of making the final Roster

After another slick draft by Rick Spielman, the Vikings have 9 more players on our roster, the same amount of rookies that made last years roster. What are the odds that they each make it? Let's delve into that. This will be based, of skill, need, and there competition to make the roster.

1- Sharrif Floyd- DT

Sharrif Floyd, is a top 5 talent, that fell all the way to 23. The Vikings wisely drafted the Best Player Available and in the process filled a need. This is likely Kevin Williams final year in purple, so drafting a top 5 talent as his replacement a year in advance, who is still very young, and has not yet reached his potential is a phenomenal move by the Front Office. Floyd's competition is very little, as late-round picks Letroy Guion, and Christian Ballard lead the charge. Chance of Making Roster: 100%

2- Xavier Rhodes- CB

Rhodes was another falling talent that we felt was too good to pass up on. After releasing our top CB Antoine Winfield, we badly needed a new CB. Adding a physical presence on the defense is a great move. The Vikings secondary is becoming a lot more physical with this 6'1'' CB out of FSU. A tandem of he and Harrison Smith should provide a hard hitting back-end for many years to come. His competition is not a concern as he is instantly one of our top 2 CB's after being drafted. Chance of Making Roster: 100%

3- Cordarelle Patterson- WR

Leading up to the draft, I was not a fan of Patterson at all. However after reviewing highlights, I am a big fan of this pick. Instantly he is the best Kick-Returner on the teams, and possibly one of the tops in the league. He has the potential to be an All-Pro receiver, and can develop under the wing of Greg Jennings. If we were willing to use a roster spot on average Kick-returner Marcus Sherels, then we will defenitly use one for a much better returner that can also provide something on offense. He has little competition as after Jennings and Wright, our WR core is mediocre at best. Chance of Making Roster: 100%

4- Gerald Hodges- LB

It was not ideal to wait this long to take a LB, but the talent available in the first round was too good to pass up. We finally address it with a good coverage LB from Penn State. Currently our MLB is Audie Cole, which is not acceptable. Other LB's include Marvin Mitchell, and Larry Dean. As long as Hodges can provide something on Special Teams, he should be able to make the roster. Chance of Making Roster: 75%

5- Jeff Locke- P

Picking a punter in the 5th round shows commitment. While Spielman said Kluwe would compete, no one with knowledge of the situation should believe anything that comes from the mouth of Rick Spielman. This pick would not have been made if we intended to keep Chris Kluwe. There was plenty of talent available including WR Ryan Swope, and CB Jordan Poyer. Chance of Making Roster: 100%

6- Jeff Baca- G

To make the punter feel comfortable, they brought in his teammate from UCLA, Jeff Baca. Guard is the weakest position on the O-Line, and the Vikings have had luck w/ Offensive Lineman in the 6th round, so it made sense to add a guard here. There is not much competition for backup on the O-line, so he should be able to make the roster. Chance of Making Roster: 65%

7- Michael Mauti- LB

Mauti is a great LB from Penn State, that had horrible injury luck at Penn State, tearing his ACL three times. He has first round talent, but with that many tears of a crucial ligament, dropped him all the way to the 7th round. With Eric Sugarman as athletic trainer, this pick is one of the best of the draft. Expect him to beat out the likes of Audie Cole. Chance of Making Roster: 80%

8- Travis Bond- G

While James Bond would have been a better pick, Travis Bond is a great run-blocker which the Vikings value immensely with Adrian Peterson on the roster. With the run-blocking ability his chances of making the roster improve to just over 50%. Chance of Making the Roster: 55%

9- Everett Dawkins- DT

The Vikings bring in a teammate of Rhodes' who happens to be one of the best players available. He will compete with Fred Evans, as well as Guion for a roster spot. Chance of Making the Roster: 45%

So the Vikings did a good job of picking players with a good chance of making the roster. How many do you think will make the roster?

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.