Vikings draft choices

As I said before the draft, I don't follow college football so I really don't have any insight into whether the Vikings' draft choices were good, bad, or mediocre. Jim Souhan, on the other hand, has a nightmare scenario:

Since draft day 2007, the Vikings have acquired Adrian Peterson, Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin, three players faster than rumor and more elusive than the truth. Now we have to hope Brad Childress isn't lying awake at night, wondering, "How am I going to get the ball to Tahi?"

Tahi is the Vikings' blocking fullback. His first name is Naufahu, which means "1-yard reception" in Tonga.

On the first offensive play of the 2009 season, Childress will have the option of handing or throwing the ball to Peterson or Harvin, of lining Harvin up in the Wildcat formation, of throwing deep to Berrian, of creating a formation that includes Peterson, Harvin and Chester Taylor. What we fear is the always scintillating swing pass to Tahi, who gains the same number of yards whether he catches the ball or not.

Okay, all joking aside, the Vikings took the following players in the 2009 draft:

• Percy Harvin (WR/RB), 22nd pick
• Phil Loadholt (OT), 54th pick
• Asher Allen (CB), 86th pick
• Jasper Brinkley (LB), 150th pick
• Jamarca Sanford (S), 231st pick

This addresses most of the published "needs" for the team except QB, but the Vikings traded for Sage Rosenfels before the draft, which strongly implied that they would not be looking to draft another QB. We'll have to wait and see if the rookies are able to contribute anything to the team this season (it's impossible to assess a draft class for the first couple of years anyway).

Update: Viking Age reports on the ten (so far) undrafted free agents the team has signed since the draft ended:

UCLA's Khalil Bell is really the only semi-recognizable name there, except Andy Kemp if you're a Big Ten person. Phil Loadholt's Oklahoma teammate Jon Cooper is also on there. A couple of these guys may end up on the practice squad. One may pop onto the radar in training camp for three seconds, touching off a round of "why doesn’t that idiot Childress give this guy a shot?" hysteria.

Everyone likes an underdog, and the under-est underdogs are UFA rookies. The number of players who actually make the team is tiny . . . even squeaking into the practice squad counts as a major moral victory.

Update the second, 28 April: Scout.com rounds up the various pundits' opinions on how the Vikings drafted. Most seem to be hinging on whether first round pick Percy Harvin can stay out of trouble. Draft grades range from C to B, with one outlier A- from The Sporting News. I think those are probably pretty accurate: if Harvin manages to stay on the straight-and-narrow, the team will benefit hugely . . . if he continues to have off-the-field issues, Minnesota will probably be hiring a new head coach next year.