Here is the rundown so far:
FOURTH ROUND
#118 Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas: Often compared to Percy Harvin from a skill set standpoint, Wright offers some much needed speed to this offense and could end up being quite the playmaker. Expect to see him contribute most on special teams as a return man through his rookie season.
#128 Rhett Ellison, FB/TE, USC: Matt Kalil’s teammate at USC could end up trying to fill Jim Kleinsasser’s shoes as a versatile blocker, rounding out the depth chart at tight end. This could spell trouble for the many various fullbacks on this roster already.
#134 Greg Childs, WR, Arkansas: Apparently Rick Spielman was impressed with Arkansas’ receivers this year. Childs represents a very solid value here and could look to compete for a starting gig from the get-go. A real Height-Weight-Speed prospect that could end up dominating.
FIFTH ROUND
#139 Robert Blanton, CB/S, Notre Dame: Probably off the roster right away unless he transitions successfully to safety. Blanton, a teammate of Harrison Smith, is not going to blow anyone away physically but he has some experience and leadership abilities. I think this was a reach and he will struggle to find a roster spot as a special teams guy.
SIXTH ROUND
#175 Blair Walsh, K, Georgia: With Greg Zuerlin going just a few picks ahead of them, this pick smells like panic to me. Walsh had a horrible senior campaign and while I was a fan of finding a replacement for Ryan Longwell, I don’t have any confidence that Walsh can be that guy. A huge reach.
SEVENTH ROUND
#210: Audie Cole, LB, North Carolina Sate: The Vikings got a lot of value here, as Cole could have gone much higher than this. He is a talented linebacker that, even from the seventh round, could provide competition with Jasper Brinkley. He has better range.
#219: Trevor Guyton, DE, Cal: It doesn’t seem like Guyton has a super high ceiling, but he could prove to be a solid depth player. A sure tackler with some burst off the line.
View Comments
now im kinda thinking speilman is blowing the later rounds....come on another fb in the 4th round....a cb conversion to safety in the 5th and a crappy kicker in the 6th id have rather switched zurien for the 5th round pick hed have had more of a chance although i like our kicker now
PA says Blanton might end up starting with Smith...
where di our second 5th round pick go to?
Traded it to Lions for their 4th next year.
Gave the draft a D grade for the reasons WTF noted. Started fine with Cleveland trade but then progressively worsened. There didn't seem to be any strategy. Some bad luck when Fisher scooped Trumaine Johnson then Greg Zeurlien.
Spielman sat back while Ted Thompson used late picks to move up for key defensive targets. Can't make any sense of today''s choices. No LBs, no RBs (one less after next week), no 4th round Defensive Ends. Thankfully, we got Kalil.
Then there's Spielman's mad attempt to bleach the roster with move ups for Notre Dame types. A very ugly person to put in charge. Complete Al Davis-like craziness.
Yeah Lost it was a little frustrating a few times and Ricky could have done a little better but overall I'm happy especially when you compare this draft with recent ones. They did draft a LB but not till 7th round
Let's be honest, the chance of hitting on the 4th round picks and later is pretty low! My only beef is he didn't move back into the 2nd and get Randle or T Johnson. I wish he used up some of those later picks, that pretty much never pan out and traded up in the 2nd to pick up a really solid player. He does seem to have an obsession with FB's though!
Not moving up for WR Trumaine Johnson or Kicker Greg Zeurlien was a little disappointing .
The two 7th round pick were not bad picks...
Over all it was a good draft... Time will tell.
I think people are being over critical of the later picks. I guarantee almost all of us (me included) have never watched film on any player available past the first 2 rounds. Scout teams are paid big dollars to evaluate players, and just because a few "gurus" don't have each player rated super highly does not mean they are not better scheme fits than the players we passed up. We executed the first 3 rounds very well, which matters most, and after that we need to trust the scouts.
Brendan - if you were a scout and put the work in to prepare for Viking draft how would you feel about Spielman's Notre Dame connection? This guy's ego must be completely out of control. Today it degenerates into garage sale approach. No strategy or logic to choices.
Purple Charlie makes good point that 7th round choices were solid. But it was a tough day for scouts who had given solid direction to be ignored by Spielman's execution. (Of which I'm fully in favor)
I have no clue where you're getting your information, but I have a feeling you're completely off basis. I can guarantee you that the only reason the Vikings drafted any of these players is because their scouts gave them high grades. Speilman is not going to just draft a player because he goes to a certain school. Obviously it worked out this draft, but that was only cause these players were a top his board while we were on the clock.
Sorry, I mean't CB Trumaine Johnson.
And Brendan is right, We haven't watched film on these guys and we are not Pro Scouts.
I might be wrong but i thought the Vikings had him in for a visit before the draft, They must have seen something they didn't like. Or they didn't expect the Rams would pick him...
Hey, Anybody else as excited as I am about Greg Childs? 4.4 forty, 40 1/2 inch vert, 19 reps at 225, jeezus, I am thinking this guy is our new Sidney Rice, only with speed
DJ,
Now that he is fully healed, think he will be back on track.
Looking forward to him in training camp!