EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -Whether it’s injuries or questionable behavior in the past, each of the five players taken by the Minnesota Vikings in this year’s NFL draft comes with risk.
The choices of wide receiver Percy Harvin, offensive tackle Phil Loadholt, cornerback Asher Allen, linebacker Jasper Brinkley and safety Jamarca Sanford could prove quite valuable to the Vikings considering their shortage of picks in 2009 and late slots in each round. That’s if this latest rookie crop behaves, plays up to potential, and stays healthy.
But these were gambles the organization decided to take when there’s urgency to win.
“We have to strike when the iron is hot, and I think now is the time to do it,” owner Zygi Wilf said Saturday, after Harvin was selected.
Harvin was hampered by a variety of injuries, most notably a problem with his heel, and he reportedly failed a drug test at the scouting combine in February.
is knee so badly as a junior he was in a cast and a wheelchair for two months, and Sanford was arrested twice for petty crimes.
Vice president for player personnel Rick Spielman said of Sanford: “There are some minor things there, but it’s nothing that – after we did our due diligence – we felt was any concern at all.” He gave similar responses to questions about the others throughout the weekend.
The Vikings spoke with just about anyone they could think of to research the background and character of the prospects. Their process was so exhaustive that Florida coach Urban Meyer, speaking of their pursuit of Harvin, called them as thorough as any team in the NFL.
Harvin, like Loadholt and Allen, conveniently filled a need that could be met with a high draft choice. Except for quarterback, there isn’t another position waiting for an upgrade.
Wilf’s push for a new stadium hasn’t gotten much political support, and coach Brad Childress begins the second-to-last year of his contract with a frustrated and restless fan base. The Vikings narrowly avoided a local TV blackout of their first-round playoff game in January, and selling tickets in a recession could be difficult if the team can’t solve its quarterback woes.
giveaway of picks would have put the Vikings in precarious position for the future.
Various trades over the last two seasons left the Vikings with only 10 of an allotted 14 choices in 2008 and 2009, and Spielman was determined to protect the 2010 haul.
“We had plenty of opportunities to dip into next year’s, and I totally would not do that,” Spielman said Sunday.
Acquiring quarterback Sage Rosenfels for a fourth-round pick to compete with Tarvaris Jackson wasn’t an all-in move, but due to mediocre draft positions and a dearth of available free agents since Childress took over in 2006 their options were again limited.
So the defending NFC North champions did what they thought they could without disrupting the rest of their foundation, and used the first two rounds of the draft to make their offense stronger with Harvin and Loadholt. In the third round, they added depth to the defense.
This season will tell a lot about the Vikings and how well they’ve managed the risks necessary to put together a championship-chasing team.
“I’m where I needed to be,” Harvin said. “I’m playing with the great Adrian Peterson. I’m just going to be another piece to the puzzle.”
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