It’s time to review the draft a little. I’m sure all of you have heard we drafted Christian Ponder with the 12th pick. Some people are saying it was a reach at the 12th pick, some people are saying there was better value at other positions when we drafted; don’t believe it.
 
Here’s what I think. First of all – quarterback was the biggest need for the Vikings; I’m saying this even though I really like Joe Webb. It’s possible the Vikings were trying to trade down a couple of spots to get more draft picks and still get Christian – this I don’t know. What I do know is: Christian Ponder is a real good quarterback and is probably the closest to a pro style quarterback there was in this year’s draft. For me personally – I was surprised Cam Newton was chosen number one – I feel better having Christian than I would have, had we gotten Cam Newton. And I’m not just saying this now – I’ve been telling folks I really didn’t understand the Cam Newton story line for some time now (I actually think Joe Webb is ahead of Cam in a lot of ways).
 
So here’s what I’ve found out about Christian – he comes from a pro style offense at Florida State. He looks off the defense with his eyes, has good pocket awareness and throws into tight windows with accuracy. I truly believe when you wrap him around the supporting cast that the Vikings have – he’ll be the talk of the draft class (with regards to quarterback) next season. I think we did well – time will tell.
 
The Vikes showed they approached this draft with the same style as in previous years – the change to Leslie didn’t impact their strategy. My example to this is our second round pick; Kyle Rudolph, tight end. Kyle was clearly the best person on the board when the Vikings picked. My feeling here is the Vikings actually got second, first round pick. Kyle’s value will be sky high in 2012 – I think Visanthe’s and Jimmy’s deals end in 2012. Kyle’s addition, when paired with Visanthe opens up a lot of options for the Vikes. Typically when you see two tight ends in the game you’re thinking run the ball – with Kyle’s size and hands along with Visanthe’s size and hands, this becomes a throwing opportunity. When you can convince a defense that you’re willing to throw out of running sets it puts added stress on the defense. When you add stress to the defense; Adrian breaks his big gainers. This was an excellent pick.
 
We then chose a defensive tackle, Christian Ballard and a cornerback, Brandon Burton. Both of these guys were good picks, but I want to talk about our pick after that – Demarcus Love, O-Line. Demarcus was a sixth round pick and I’m thinking he may be our best gauge for this year’s draft. Don’t expect to see him play next season; unless injuries put him in the lineup. I’m thinking he could become an asset at backup and possibly a starting guard some day. If he develops he could play at right tackle or right guard.
  
Aside: Unless we get an offensive lineman when free agency opens – expect the Vikes to target a high draft choice next year for the O-line. I’d like to find the next Randall McDaniel (although Hutch is close – real close). Steve Hutchinson should have won our offensive player of the year award – more than once, anyway I can’t help lobbing for the guy I voted for.
All in all I think we had a good draft and our team got better. I also think our division got better, the Packers and Lions in particular. We’ll be playing in the toughest division again this year and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Super Bowl champs come from the Norse again next year.
 
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