Well, the 2010 NFL Draft is a wrap, and the Minnesota Vikings have some new faces to get used to. there were a couple of surprises, some things that transpired were expected, and every team in the NFC North looks different than they did on Wednesday night. How did the Vikings do overall? Let's take a look, shall we? But first off, hat's off to Gonzo for putting up some info of each draft pick the Vikings selected, almost as soon as their name was turned in. Way to moderate the board and keep us up on current events as they happened, Gonzo. Now that the shameless butt kissing is over with, let's get on with the review.
Our Minnesota Vikings made a couple of moves that left people scratching their heads, myself included. Their first baffling move came at the end of the first round, when they traded their #30 pick with division foe Detroit for the #34 pick, a swap of fourth round picks, and an additional 7th round pick. The Lions used that #30 pick to draft RB Jahvid Best, who can come back to haunt the Vikings if he can stay healthy. If the guy they wanted wasn't there, I don't have a problem with trading down, but not with a divsion rival. The Lions were able to address another need, and the Vikings were able to move up 28 spots in the fourth round, a part of the draft they have done very well in the last several years. With the #34 pick, the Vikings, who take a firm stand on drafting the best player available, regardless of position, drafted DB Chris Cook. I don't claim to be an evaluator of talent, but was Cook truly the best player available? Time will tell, especially when players like Sergio Kindle, Taylor Mays, Jimmy Clausen, and Nate Allen were still on the board. That said, the VIkings take a back seat to no one in evaluation of personnel the last several years, acquiring some serious talent in the early rounds of the draft, so I will cut them some slack on this one. Over here in our little corner of the Internet, there became a clamoring for Jimmy Clausen, but the Vikings passed. To me, that means that they know Favre is going to come back for at least one, maybe two years, or if Favre only comes back for one they have full faith and confidence in Tarvaris Jackson. But that's another post for another day.
But the Vikings weren't finished wheeling and dealing. They traded their original second round pick and their third round pick to the Houston Texans for their second round pick, and drafted Stanford wunderkind Toby Gerhart, Heisman Trophy Runner-Up. I love the pick, as the Vikings have a need at RB with the departure of Chester Taylor, and I don't really think it was a whole lot to give up. My opinion is if the VIkings were coming off a 4-12 season, they would need all the high round picks they could get, and using those picks to infuse the roster with talent would make a lot of sense. But they were 12-4, played in the NFC Championship, and for all intents and purposes there really aren't a lot of roster spots up for grabs. I have no problem moving up and getting a guy they wanted, and hopefully Gerhart will prove himself from day one.
With the rest of their picks, the Vikings added depth at several positions. Their fourth round picks were DE Everson Griffen an OL Chris Degeare. Griffin looks to provide depth at DE, a position of strength for the Vikings, and Degeare will look to compete for the backup job that was opened when Artis Hicks left for Washington.
The one day three pick that stands out for me is LB Nate Triplett, from the Univ. of Minnesota. I LOVE the way that kid plays the game, and was one of the few standouts on a bad Minnesota Gopher defense. I think he can be a force on special teams, and hopefully compete for a starting job in a couple of seasons.
This draft didn't have the sizzle of 2007 with the Adrian Peterson pick or excitement of 2008 with the Jared Allen trade, but the Vikings had to address DB and running back. They accomplished what they set out to do, but was it at the expense of making Detroit a rising power in the division?
Only time will tell.