And It Was Gooooooood

I have to say, I'm ecstatic about the Vikings' draft. Every single pick addressed a need, they didn't reach for any players and their trades were perfectly timed. And after some of the more, how do you say, interesting drafts the Vikings have had in the past, it was a sorely needed change of events.

On offense, the addition of Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and Aundrae Allison will give Tarvaris Jackson some play makers to work with. Provided Peterson can avoid the injuries that plagued him at Oklahoma, he has the potential to fulfill his goals. Rice was the best wide receiver available to the Vikings at #41 and at #44, which was particularly nice since the Vikings got a fourth round pick for moving down (a pick they'd use later to move up to get Brian Robison). And Allison is FAST. And I like fast.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings addressed their two biggest needs on defense in the third and fourth rounds. Marcus McCauley was widely considered as most physically gifted corner in the draft. If properly coached, he has the potential to be a shut down corner. Thankfully, the Vikings just hired a top notch secondary coach. And even if he can't turn McCauley into a star, McCauley should still be able to add depth to the secondary as well as be a quality addition to the special teams.

Robison, whom the Vikings traded up for, gives the Purple an intriguing pass rush specialist prospect. And really, that's what the Vikings need most defensively--someone that can get to the quarterback in passing situations. He's got speed and athleticism, as well as a reputation as a hard worker. Which means that even if he doesn't turn into Lance Johnstone, he'll still be able to contribute on special teams. Don't be surprised to see him block a kick or two with his 40+ inch vertical.

In the later rounds, the Vikings got good value out of their picks, adding Rufus Alexander, a linebacker from Oklahoma who is tailor made for the Cover 2, Tyler Thigpen, a long shot quarterback out of Coastal Carolina (who honestly can't be any worse than Drew Henson) and Chandler Williams from Florida International, a small wide receiver that has a lot of potential as a return man.

Now, there are questions about the Vikings' top picks. Peterson has his injury problems, Rice is still pretty raw, having only played two seasons of college ball (he redshirted his first year), McCauley had a horrible 2006 after a top notch 2005 and Robison battled nagging injuries throughout his final year at Texas. The Vikings did take risks. Each of those risks, however, has enough of a reward attached to it, nor did the Vikings assume any extra risk by drafting a player higher than necessary. So while the Vikings' success will be tied to the success of their draft picks this upcoming season, the players they picked have more than enough potential to make sure the Purple have a successful year.