2008 Vikings Draft

This draft was a quiet one for the Vikings, because despite entering with eight picks (four on each day) they traded way most of their early picks. Here's what they got:

Trade - DE Jared Allen

The Vikings traded their first round pick and two third round picks to the Chefs for former Idaho State Bengal and 4 year NFL veteran Jared Allen, who has accumulated 43 sacks and 2 DUIs in his career so far, including 15.5 sacks last season alone (and no DUIs). The nonexistent pass rush really was the Achilles Heel of last year's Vikings defense who found getting to the QB late in games to be more difficult than dubbing Nicholas Cage movies into Cantonese, so Allen could make a huge impact on the right end. If Ray Edwards can slide over to left end the Vikings could remain tough against the run while seriously improving their pass defense.

This trade has been controversial given Allen's alcohol abuse and the high price the Vikings paid, but given the poor development of all the mid-1st round defensive ends the Vikings have taken the last few years, trading up or trading for a veteran was a must. The other glaring position of need for the Vikings has been at receiver where the team hasn't had anybody who could beat single coverage since trading away Randy Moss in 2005. Since no receivers were drafted in the 1st round, the receiving class was obviously too thin to use a first round pick there.

2nd round - FS Tyrell Johnson

With Darren Sharper not getting any younger and Dwight Smith parking his car in the middle of 4th St to partake of the Good Herb, the Vikings secondary certainly needed depth, and a replacement for Smith. Johnson was a strong presence in college who could crash the line of scrimmage, and also set conference records for interception return yardage. He's tough and speedy, and could potentially work out at either safety spot or cornerback. Plus in college he was a Red Wolf, how Minnesota is that? The Vikings swapped a 4th rounder for a 5th rounder to move up in the 2nd round and get Johnson.

Rounds 5, 6, & 7

They say an NFL team is built with 2nd-4th round draft picks, and the Vikings traded away two 3rd rounders and a 4th rounder to secure Allen and Johnson, so this is definitely a light draft. Starting in the 5th round, teams start to gamble, and while a 5th rounder is expected to survive training camp (even if he may never pan out) a 6th round draft pick generally has some glaring shortcomings and may never make the team, although many 6th rounders go on to become superstar players. A 7th rounder is a warm body for drills in training camp. All that being said, John Randle and Robrt Griffith were both undersized defenders who got invites to Vikings training camps after going undrafted and later went to the Pro Bowl, so a smart team that knows where to dig can find some buried pirate treasure in later rounds.

5th Round - DT Letroy Guion & QB John David Booty

So of course with their first 5th round pick the Vikings picked up a QB named Booty ("Hey professor, what's another word for pirate treasure?") who while not exactly eye-popping, could develop into solid back-up. He is an accurate passer suited to the short crossing routes favored in the West Coast Offense that Brad Childress claims he's running (even if he does constantly have receivers stopping and coming back for the ball). On the other hand if he rises above the practice squad or #3 QB in the next couple of years, the Vikings have some serious problems.

Defensive tackle (those are the guys who play in the middle) Letroy Guion didn't start too many games at Florida State, but he was productive in a good program with a tough schedule. Weighing in at over 300 lbs (that's ~138 kilos for those of you who've been living in Europe too long) he's not too quick but reportedly changes direction quickly enough to find routes into the backfield, and given the Vikings need for pass rushers, I'm willing to give a shot to a guy who got 12.5 sacks off the bench for the Seminoles last year. Hopefully he could be depth at under tackle or come in on passing downs.

6th Round - C John Sullivan & WR Jaymar Johnson

I have no idea what Notre Dame center John Sullivan has going for him other than he supposedly has the smarts to play center if not the build. The Vikings current center was a late round pick with a Harvard degree, so maybe smarts are underrated for the guys who have to know the playbook well enough to call out blocking assignments at the line of scrimmage, and every play begins with the O-line forming a wall or opening up a lane. On the other hand Birk an pull out from the middle of the line and come charging around the end to surprise the fuck out of a linebacker on a screen or a sweep. Nevertheless, I'll be interested to know what Sullivan brings to the table other than an intimate familiarity with Touchdown Jesus.

Jaymar Johnson will require a lot of work on the practice field and in the weight room, because in the pros he can't just outrun everybody like he did at Jackson State. The Vikings desperately need receivers, so opportunities will certainly arise as a return man or 4th wide-out on a roster that features such luminaries as Bobby Wade, Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, and Aundrae Allison ahead of him. (Actually I have high hopes for Rice and Allison in their second year).

And that's the 2008 Vikings draft, which accomplished the following goals:

1. Developing a pass rush - Jared Allen could be a game changer
2. Keeping the secondary from crumbling - Tyrell Johnson could be a strong addition
3. Depth on the D-line, O-line, at receiver, and QB

The glaring problems that remain:

1. Quarterback
The quarterback situation is still a mess, and Booty isn't going to change that. The Tardis needs to get a lot better and the team needs to get a veteran in the #2 slot who can help him learn. I can only hope Hopefully Gus Frerotte is that guy.

2. Wide Receiver
Somebody's got to step up and give Jackson a target on the sidelines, crossing the middle, or downfield, because as much we all like finding a tight end and going deep, TE Visanthe Shiancoe and the backs shouldn't be the only passing options. Adding Jaymar Johnson won't help that, but hopefully Berrian will have a break-out year, more likely the continued development of Sidney Rice could help a lot and the speed of Aundrae Allison could add another option.

Overall, I'm optimistic. I like the Tardis and I have some hopes that a steadier hand behind him will make a difference as will the presence of some targets to throw to, and everybody will have learned a bit from last year. For the receivers, I'm definitely going long on Rice futures (as soon as anybody from the rice pit at the CME gets back from their six martini lunch and takes my call) and a single reliable option would be 1000% more than the Tardis had last year. Add that to a tremendous running game and a defense without the glaring deficiency against the pass late in games, and the Vikings should be back in the play-offs, hopefully as a division winner.