It's been a while since I've posted anything - at least since April Fools Day (Cutler to Vikings - oh please!).  So this first day of May, 2009 - I've decided to put together a small compilation of highlight reels to welcome our "new class" of rookies and draft picks.

I've always been more of a visual guy - video to watch; data to relate stats to, so this should (hopefully) be interesting enough to sit down and crack a cold one (or two) to.

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"The Vikings targeted speed on their board and they definitely got it with wide receiver Troy Williamson, who wowed Minnesota enough that the Vikings passed on Mike Williams. Defensive end Erasmus James gives them much-needed help up front, guard-tackle Marcus Johnson will solidify the offensive line and running back Ciatrick Fason has the potential to be a terrific steal in the fourth round. Dustin Fox is a good cornerback and defensive tackle C.J. Mosley is a motivated overachiever.”

That was Mel Kiper's assessment of the Minnesota Vikings' 2005 Draft the day after said draft had taken place.  Kiper and his hair gave the Vikings a B+ "grade" for their draft.

As any Viking fan knows, Minnesota's 2005 draft class is on the short list of worst drafts in NFL history.  To review. . .

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Alright, folks, we're about 30 minutes away from Day Two of the 2009 NFL Draft, and there's still plenty of talent to be had.  As it stands right now, your Minnesota Vikings have a third-round selection, a fifth-round selection, and two seventh-round selections.

I may not be here straight away, as my long-neglected yard is going to get the mowing it needs before it gets too hot outside, but rest assured, I'll be here.

Until then, feel free to discuss Day Two right here!

"I'm no football expert, but I know what I hate. . .and I don't hate this."
-C. Montgomery Burns, American entrepreneur (sort of)

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the first day of the NFL draft has come and gone in pretty much record time.  The first round only lasted three hours and forty-two minutes, the fastest since the league went to 32 teams by a long shot.  Our Beloved Purple did quite well for themselves, if you ask me.  The Cleveland Browns were thwarted in their quest to acquire every pick in the sixth round of the draft, the Broncos had five selections in the first two rounds and somehow found a way to not take Rey Maualuga with any of them, and Al Davis. . .well, he's still Al Davis, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

In the interest of equal time, since we already had a story with a picture of Minnesota's first round pick in it, you'll see to your right a picture of Minnesota's second round draft pick, Oklahoma offensive tackle Philip Loadholt.  As you can see, Loadholt is rather large, standing in at 6'8" and tipping the scales at 335 pounds.  Most importantly, he has a very good chance of pushing Ryan Cook out of the starting lineup, which is something that I think we're all looking forward to.  I know I am.

Drafting a tackle to play tackle.  Crazy, isn't it?

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Continue discussing the 2009 NFL Draft here as we move on to Round 2!

Seven minutes between picks now rather than ten.  This draft is just flying by.

Welcome ladies and gentlemen! Eric here, live from my buddy's palacial Fargo apartment. Although the flood scare has come and gone, he lives close enough to the river where it's still only about 50 yards from his place. Pretty surreal. I'm sitting here with my group of friends eagerly awaiting the draft. (Note: One of them is a Packers fan, so I'll only call him an "acquaintance".) I'll be here throughout the first round posting my thoughts and observations about everything I see in the next few hours. Be sure to check back and refresh this post every 15-30 minutes to keep up with my latest ramblings.

2:48: We're almost ready to rock! Of course the #1 pick is already decided thanks to the Detroit Lions grossly overpaying Matt Stafford last night. Over forty-one million dollars guaranteed for someone who's never played a down...only in the NFL. If this isn't a case for an NBA-style rookie salary cap, I don't know what is.

Great end-of-game here between Denver and New Orleans as a preview on ESPN...I'm still amazed that NBA coaches get paid so much to draw up plays that are only slightly more organized than 3rd grade gym class. Carmelo's desperate heave of a shot probably wasn't what George Karl drew up.

2:52: Wow that half-court shot was close! New Orleans is still alive. Now bring on what we came here for! Time for upsides, overhypes, Berman, Kiper, McShay, and of course, boos from Jets fans!

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Alright, folks. . .the first pick will officially go to the podium here in about half an hour or so.  Yes, we all know who it's going to be, but this will mean that the draft is officially underway.

Discuss all of the action here.  I might be a bit distracted. . .Mrs. Gonzo has taken our new puppy to the emergency animal hospital down the road.  I should probably be there, but I'm here instead.  So, I'm waiting for word from her and watching the draft.  I'll keep up as best I can. . .and maybe throw in puppy updates as well.

But we'll discuss the first round here.  We'll start a new thread for Round 2.

Just a quickie for this evening, ladies and gentlemen.  I just wanted to point everybody towards the latest installment of the Shutdown Corner podcast, which consists of a 90-minute breakdown of the first round of our SBNation Mock Draft.

This is the post-Cutler trade version, so the Broncos have two picks in this draft and the Bears aren't selecting at all.  Each of the SBNation football bloggers called their picks in to the Shutdown Corner hotline and left messages with a brief explanation of our picks.  The folks over at SC then broke the picks down and analyzed them.  The entire process is pretty interesting, and it flows a lot like the actual draft itself will on Saturday.

So, go over and check out the Podcast, and we'll be back tomorrow with more substantial draft analysis and prognostication.  We hope to see you back here then, folks.  Until then, enjoy the rest of your Monday night!