Ha ha. Not a chance. Everyone knows grading drafts is uncool.
But in trying to describe the Vikings draft this weekend, I’m reminded of an early episode from Curb Your Enthusiam (which is odd, because I rarely watch the show) where Larry David is asked for his opinion on something or another, and clearly not impressed, replies, “I was non-plussed – is that the right word?”
And that’s sort of how I feel about the Vikings 2009 draft class right now. I’m non-plussed. The big downer for me was the Vikings passing on one of the elite offensive tackles in the draft (Michael Oher) and choosing a wide receiver (Percy Harvin) from a school that doesn’t produce good wide receivers, who might have a drug problem and who strikes me as a gimmick player that Brad Childress will not be able to find gimmicks for.
I like the selection of Philip Loadholt in the second round, but after that it’s hard to get too excited about what the Vikes did. Is my overall feeling of non-plussedness based on any intimate knowledge of the players? Of course not. It's more a reflection of my lack of confidence in Rick Spielman and Brad Childress to do the right thing.
If Bill Belichick or Bill Polian were running the Vikings draft, I’d feel a lot more confident about what they did. But when Childress and Spielman are involved - and remember Spielman worked for the Miami front office from 2000-2004 and was part of some bad Dolphin drafts – I worry. It’s irrational thinking on my part, because there’s no evidence yet that the Chilly/Spielman pairing has produced poor drafts. But why be a fan if you can’t be irrational now and then?
I hold out some hope though. In the Vikings 16 drafts during the seven-round era, the team has found at least two starters in 12 of them. And as I wrote last week, 68 per cent of those starters have come from the first and second rounds. So the probability is good that Harvin and Loadholt will make an impact. If Harvin can be the kind of feared offensive weapon many envision he will be, and Loadholt becomes a 10-year starter at right tackle, the 2009 draft will be a successful one.
But here are some actual draft grades
And in case you are wondering what other writers think about the Vikings draft, ESPN provided a synopsis today of various draft grades that shows I’m not the only one non-plussed by what the Vikings did.
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7 comments:
I'm glad we agree about Harvin. I think it was a mistake to pass on Oher, but the fact that Loadholt was there in round 2 eased the pain a little. I don't have an answer for who the Vikings should've taken in round 2 if they'd gotten Oher, but the Harvin/Loadholt combo doesn't look too terrible yet.
The biggest thing the draft tells me is that the Vikings are somewhere around 90% the Jackson will be the starter this year. Getting a versatile weapon on offense and sacrificing an excellent RT for a decent one (who is better at run blocking than pass protection) is the right thing to do with a mobile quarterback who tends to either get rid of the ball quickly or get rid of it badly. If Rosenfels were going to be the guy, I feel like they would've taken Oher.
Peter:
Give up this love for Jackson. I don't think he'll even reach the lofty heights reached by Kordell Stewart as a QB. And I'll be incredibly non-plussed if Jackson returns as the starter.
Edge gets cut...hmmm... Chester and a 2010 pick for Boldin. Interesting thought.
DC:
Once agian you have hit the nail on the head...you never know woth Chilly. 2005 turned out to be awful, 2006 was pretty good (3starters) I like the idea of Harvin's explosiveness, but I am big O-Line fan and I was upset that they passed on Oher. Loadholt is huge and will start, but what is that saying really? However, I like having the towers on the ends of the line, that might help Sullivan in the middle. I like what I am reading about Brinkley and if he is healthy the Vikings could have a really good LB corp this season. All in all I would say non-plussed is the perfect word for it.
I admit that I am a little excited about the Harvin pick. Mainly because of what Chris Carter said about him being the best athlete on the field whenever he watched a Florida game. Those were the same words I used when speaking of Jim Klinesauser when he played at NDSU. A decade later, Jim is still having a fine career. Considering these two final points The Gators play far superior competition, and Chris Carter should be a much better judge of talent that me. As long as he stays clean he should be great.. and if he doesn't it means the end of Childress, either way I'm happy!
NHV and Dave:
Harvin's obviously got some talent. I just wonder if it will carry over from college. One thing that bothers me about Harvin is that for a guy who is supposed to be a wide receiver, I don't hear anyone saying he is a great receiver. Hmmm. But I will be excited to see what he does in pre-season.
DC:
"Give up this love for Jackson." Oh, I have. I wasn't trying to make the case for Jackson, I was speculating that Minnesota chose Harvin over Oher because they already have Jackson penciled in as starter.
PS: funny word verification: 'ophagu'. oh yeah? well phagu too!
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