First Round Playmakers
“With the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select, Percy Harvin, Wide Receiver, Florida.”
I was questioning this pick as I heard Goodell announce the selection. Leading up to Saturday, it appeared the Vikings looked like they were going to be picking between either Arizona offensive tackle Eben Britton, and Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin. However, as the draft unfolded. Ole Miss offensive tackle Michael Oher was left on the board still. Heading into the 2008-2009 NCAA Football season, Oher was considered the top pick in the NFL Draft this year, by many mock drafts. Oher did fall a little bit since then, but he was still projected to go anywhere between pick 7, and pick 18, so when Oher fell to 22, I was certain the Vikings would look to add what I thought was the perfect match, a RT when our glaring need last year was RT. The first thing I thought when Harvin was picked was, that we had blown another pick. However, as the day went on, Harvin seemed to be like a better and better pick. As most people know, Harvin failed a drug test, and has a questionable character, but when the Vikings traded for Jared Allen last year, he was one DUI away from a 8 game suspension. If Childress could see that Allen was truly over his alcohol problem, he should be able to figure out if Harvin was over his problems. The Vikings have also had some pretty good first round picks the past few years in Adrian Peterson and Chad Greenway, so I believe that Harvin will prove to be a good addition as well. Childress also stated two years ago that he is strongly against taking wide receivers in round one, probably due to a certain 7th overall pick in 2005, Troy Williamson, so I did not think Childress would go after Harvin. However, the Vikings surprised me again, and went with not only a guy with red flags, but also a wide receiver. Harvin is a proven playmaker, the guy is insanely fast and agile, and should prove to be a great addition to the Vikings for years to come. As long as Harvin gets the ball, and if he does not Berrian or Peterson will, he will be a very effective weapon in this offense. Childress even compared Harvin situation to the Peterson situation not two years ago, when Peterson fell to seventh. Vikings Vice President Rick Spielman said the Vikings thought Harvin should have been drafted in the top ten picks, and that the Vikings were ecstatic to see Harvin still available at number 22. An NFL Network analyst said that he thought there was no better match than Percy Harvin and the Minnesota Vikings on their post draft coverage. Another analyist also put this pick as the most intriguing pick in the draft, not necissarily bad, or good, but definitly intriguing. Harvin looks very similar to Reggie Bush of the Saints, think if any team would have put Bush and Peterson on the field a few years ago, or even this year. Harvin should definitely make the Vikings a more attractive team this season, and hopefully that helps with the Stadium and ticket purchases. Adrian Peterson even said, “That’s who [Percy Harvin] I was hoping we were going to get.” Obviously we will not know how this plays out for at least a year or two, especially with Harvin who has a few red flags, but if the team can keep Harvin under control off the field, than this looks like a very promising pick.
My Draft Grade: B+
Phantastic Phil
“With the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select, Phil Loadholt, Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma.”
It appears the Vikings had a least a few people scouting the National Championship game last year, as they use both their top two picks on players from that game. Phil Loadholt is massive, even for a tackle. Loadholt measures in at about 6’8”, and 332 pounds. WOW. Loadholt should be more than capable of at least challenging for the starting right tackle position in 2009. The few concerns that kept Loadholt from being a first round pick, were his inability to stop fast pass rushers, and the fact that he would be moving from left tackle to right tackle. Loadholt would be a first round pick if he were able to do a better job against fast pass rushers, but he does a very good job of dominating the line in run situations, and against the average speed defensive ends. Loadholt was a good pick as the Vikings clearly needed to address the right side of the line. Once Oher was skipped for Percy Harvin, and Eben Britton slipped out of the first round, I thought the Vikings were going to trade up, and possibly get both the guys they may have taken with the 22nd pick, however Britton came off the board with the 7th pick of the second round. After that Loadholt was widely considered the next best Tackle available, so the hope was Minnesota would get him, and as it turns out they did land him. Loadholt is not as much of a risk as Harvin is, but it still will not be an immediate grade for Loadholt either.
My Draft Grade: B-
Harvin’s grade actually benefited from the selection of Loadholt in the second round, as he could make an immediate impact, and also the fact that wide receivers began to fall like a misplayed Jenga game right after the Vikings pick. Within the next 15 picks, three more wide receivers fell off the board. The only thing that could have been better looking at the draft in hindsight would be if the Vikings could have gotten Britton without having to give up too much.
As for tomorrow, the Vikings do not have a 4th or 6th round pick, but they still have 4 picks tomorrow. The earliest pick is number 86 overall, or the 22nd pick of the day tomorrow, and their latest pick is 231, and the 22nd pick of the 7th round. The Vikings will likely address the cornerback situation, and likely the defensive tackle position. Don’t be surprised if they also look to add depth at line backer as well, and after that it is anybody’s guess what they will do with that extra pick. Hopefully we are pleasantly surprised tomorrow too.
