Vikings Draft

Going into the 2006 draft with 5 day one picks, this looked like it was going to be an exciting day. So far, by most accounts it was a little confusing and disappointing, and the guy who ran it was fired almost immediately afterwards. The consensus by the draft experts was that the Vikings drafted players earlier than they were projected, which means they left highly rated players on the board, but nobody really knows how things would have shaken out. We definitely needed a quarterback, linebackers, offensive linemen, a runningback, and here's what we got:

First Round:
Chad Greenway, Iowa linebacker
Solid but unexciting choice, he's a talented guy that fills the biggest need, bolstering pretty dismal play at linebacker the last few years.

Second Round:
Cedric Griffin, Texas cornerback
Supposedly this guy's good, and I can't remember who the Vikings are losing in the defensive backfield. Anybody who prevents returning to the horrid late 90s Twilight Zone defense is alright.

Ryan Cook, New Mexico center
Cook can play any position on the offensive line, projects to right tackle, and hopefully is enough of a beast to improve the running game, especially inside. This may have been a reach, but it doesn't seem as clear cut as say using a first round pick on Dimitrius Underwood.

Tardis Jackson, Alabama State quarterback
That's right, we traded both our third round picks to move up... but it was worth it because we got the TARDIS! The only downside on this guy is he's raw and needs to significantly improve his technique for the pros, possibly a project for several years. On the plus side, he's strong, a scrambler, accurate all over the field, can travel in time, and unlike recent Vikings franchise QBs, looks away from his intended targets. And apparently the groaning noise when he throws is made by dragging a board across piano strings.

Fourth Round:
Ray Edwards, Purdue defensive end
Apparently this guy has the talent, the size, and the speed to be making big plays, but he strangely lacks the motivation to do so. I would think the 4th round is a bit early for such a headcase, but if the guy likes the pros better than he does Purdue, we'll see what happens.

Fifth Round:
Greg Blue, Georgia safety
According to reports, this guy's a really great safety, and can play either strong or free safety, until it comes time to make a tackle, when he completely falls apart and screws up. In other words, he'll fit right in with the Vikings secondary.

Our first two picks are solid but not exciting, and our last three will live and die with the coaching staff, because they need a lot of work. This could really go either way, but it's better than all the times we took receivers whose speed was supposed to compensate for the fact that they couldn't run routes or catch. Which brings up the far more relevant question, how will last year's class improve the team now that they've had a year in the pros?

Troy Williamson is still a receiver who can't catch (at #7 overall), but Erasmus James should contribute at defensive end, and Marcus Johnson better help the offensive line. God only knows what happened to Dustin Fox, who I think got injured, and Ciatrick Fason didn't accomplish much as a short yardage back, but maybe a better line will help, but maybe he can start to block on passing plays this year. So basically last year's class helping improve the team comes down to how good Erasmus James turns out to be.

From 2004, a seasoned Kenechi Udeze (and the previously mentioned Erasmus James) could make for a much better defensive line, and maybe opposing QBs won't get the full 8 minutes to throw. Dontarrious Thomas and Darrion Scott add depth but there's not much expectation of drastic improvement, rounding out the first day picks. Apparently we traded Nat Dorsey for a center, so no help there. Mewelde Moore could make this his year to clean the cobwebs out of his head and dramatically improve the running game, since he clearly has the talent, but somehow I doubt it.

From 2003, Kevin Williams is still a force, but EJ Henderson seems unlikely to develop into the middle linebacker the team desperately needs. Nate Burleson is gone, Onterrio Smith is playing in Canada, and beyond that it's just special teams depth.

So looking back a few years, not a lot of young talent poised to have their big year, other than maybe an improved defensive line, and maybe having Greenway and actual linebacker coaches will improve a lot of the young, physically talented linebackers who haven't panned out so far, so maybe the defense will improve. The offensive line may also be better for another year together, making a more consistent offense. But really only the first round picks have been productive (mostly). So there may actually be a case for the Vikings not drafting well, I don't know, I'm just a goof in a helga hat.

And I know it says Tarvaris Jackson on his driver's license, but to me he's the Tardis, damnit.