This entry is the next in a series that will be looking at what the consensus is amongst 15 mock drafts posted on main stream websites. The drafts being utilized are ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, The National Football Post, DraftScout’s Rob Rang, Chad Reuter, Michael Lombardi, Clark Judge, and Pete Prisco, NFL.com’s Pat Kirwan, Steve Wyche, Charles Davis, Jamie Dukes, Pro Football Weekly, SI.com’s Don Banks, and Scout.com. So with that being said let us look at what the consensus on the Minnesota Vikings is.
The general feeling around the league is the Vikings are a quality quarterback away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Therein lies the problem for the Vikes as this draft is very weak in terms of NFL ready quarterback talent. The general feeling is that Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez are the only two in this year’s draft that are ready to play in the NFL and they figure to be long gone by the time Minnesota is on the clock. So, the notion seems to be that the next best thing for them to do is go out and find a wide receiver to upgrade the passing game.
Florida’s Percy Harvin is the guy mentioned in most mock drafts going to Minnesota with five picks. Rutgers’ wideout Kenny Britt is named in two drafts with Jeremy Maclin and Darrius Heyward-Bey getting mentions as well.
Arizona tackle Eben Britton has actually shown up on 3 mock drafts for the Vikings and Mississippi’s Michael Oher is named on one.
Connecticut cornerback Darius Butler and Illinois defensive back Vontae Davis get a mention as well.
Bottom Line: The light seemed to go on for Tarvaris Jackson down the stretch for the Vikings so quarterback may not be as pressing a need as was the prevailing thought six months ago. The Vikings have one of the better offensive lines in the league and I am not sure they need to look at taking a tackle, if anything they would be looking to find someone to replace center Matt Birk.
Aside from Bernard Berrian there is very little to be excited about when looking at the Vikings receiving corps. It seems pretty unlikely that Heyward-Bey or Maclin will slide down to Minnesota at 22 so Harvin or Britt seem to be the best choices here. My gut tells me that with a guy like Berrian who stretches the field already on board they would opt for a guy like Britt who is more physically imposing than Harvin is.
Filed under: 2009 Mock Draft, 2009 NFL Draft, Draft Previews | Tagged: 2009 NFL Draft, 2009 NFL Mock Draft, Darius Butler, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Eben Britton, Jeremy Maclin, Kenny Britt, Michael Oher, Minnesota Vikings, Percy Harvin, Vontae Davis
