Here we are, the Monday after the draft. It’s both exciting and slighly depressing all at the same time. We now know who the possible new players on the Vikings are, and we also have five months until anything meaningful happens in the NFL. Luckily, we have Madden 2010 to tide us over until the season starts, but I digress.

With the 22nd pick in the draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Percy Harvin out of the University of Florida. Initially, I was actually quite disappointed, mainly because stud offensive tackle Michael Oher out of Mississippi was still on the board.

I mean, why would Minnesota take a WR/HB hybrid of a player or a sure-thing tackle? Not only that, but they are on opposite ends of the spectrum character wise, with Harvin on the seedier side and Oher on the more angelic side. And wouldn’t an angel go better with Purple Jesus? I also have a soft spot for Oher after reading Michael Lewis’ book, The Blind Side.It detailed the evolution of the left tackle position as well as Oher’s life. A great read.

Off topic, yet again. As I was saying, a good word to describe me was perplexed. Slightly disappointed even. Not so much in the fact Minnesota drafted Harvin, but that they passed on Oher. I’ve seen some of Harvin, both in the National Championship game and random highlights here and there, so I know the kid is good. What about his past?

As everyone knows, Harvin tested positive for marijuana at the Combine. While I don’t condone it or support it, it’s not the fact that he was smoking marijuana that was the problem; it was the fact that he was not smart enough to avoid getting caught doing it. A positive test can cost a player millions of dollars; if he can’t stop himself long enough to try out for the NFL, how could he stop doing it while actually playing? What does that speak to his intelligence? So many questions.

Yet here we are, and you know what? I’m excited.Harvin, despite his past, will be a great player for the Vikings. Brad Childress went down to Florida on Wednesday, three days before the draft, and basically hung out with Harvin and his family for the whole day. The coaches have, by all reports, checked him out extensively. Childress, as we all know, has been a stickler on character; however, he must see something that he likes. Some sort of change. If Childress thinks Harvin is reformed, I’m all for it. There’s been a few guys who’ve had checkered pasts, and they’ve turned out okay.

See: Moss, Randy. Carter, Cris. Allen, Jared.

Those are a few recent examples, and I’m sure there are many more good ones.

Let’s not count out his ability to make plays. Harvin excels in open space. If the Vikings can get him the ball on a quick slant, a receiver screen, a sweep, a kick return, anything like that, he can be explosive. He is, much like Adrian Peterson and Bernard Berrian, a potential boom or bust type of player. He can get you two yards, or he can turn that two yards into 75 and a touchdown. Peterson is the epitome of the long run and Berrian had the highest yards-per-catch average in the NFL last year. The Vikings’ offense is based on creating those big score opportunities.

Just look at our potential starting lineup for the skill positions:

RB – Peterson
TE – Shiancoe
WR1 – Berrian
WR2 – Rice
WR3 – Harvin

That’s pretty scary for opposing defenses, isn’t it? Go ahead, put eight or nine in the box against Peterson. Maybe Berrian will torch you deep. Maybe it’ll be a loft to Rice. Perhaps a quick pass to Harvin who immediately turns it from a three yard gain into a 15, 25, 50 yard play. How about a pass up the seam to Shiancoe for 15 yards, because your linebacker is too slow to catch him? Or Peterson will just break through your defense and take it 80 yards to paydirt. Pick your poison. Don’t think you can get into a shootout, either; the defense is still pretty stout.

Did I mention we got a pretty big guy in the secondround for our offensive line? Phil Loadholt. They said it couldn’t be done, but he is, by most accounts, BIGGER THAN BRYANT MCKINNIE. What? Is that possible? Oh yes, it is. Our offensive line just got bigger, stronger, and better. Loadholt is a corn fed Oklahoma guy who is 6′8, and anywhere from 335 to 343 depending on where you look. That’s a big boy. A mauler. He will decimate any ends en route to blocking for the best running back in the NFL. Getting Loadholt made me feel much, much better about passing on Oher.

In the end, I’m very happy with the way the Vikings’ draft went. Could Harvin be a bust? Sure, he could. But so could Stafford, Sanchez, Maclin, or anyone else taken in the first round. Even Oher could be a bust. The Vikings took a risk on a big play guy, and the more I think about it, the happier I am. Opposing defenses can’t focus on one or two guys now; they have to think about everyone.

That is superb news for whoever is throwing the ball.

T-minus: five months. Get ready. It’s going to be a wild year.