Post-draft roundup

As I mentioned, I'm not familiar with college football, so the draft isn't the big feature of the off-season for me, but I'm probably almost alone in that. The reaction of Minnesota Vikings fans?

"i'm so upset with the first 3 picks,i can't take it."

"Welcome to the Childress era. And you guys shit on Tice and called him stupid. See where that got us?"

"Well, after day 1, I would give them no better than a C-. I am hanging my head in shame looking at what we ended up getting for Moss and Culpepper. What a disgrace."

"C at best...The QB they took in round two SI said was a practice squad player at best? What are the Vikings thinking????

You'd have to say that the fans are almost never happy with the draft picks the team makes. I was surprised that the team didn't move up in the first round to attempt to get their "quarterback of the future" from one of the top three (Leinart, Young, and Cutler), but they did select a QB at the end of the second round. The Vikings selected the following players in the draft:

• First Round No. 17: Chad Greenway, Linebacker, Iowa

Greenway was one of the more commonly projected picks for the Vikings in the first round. And linebacker is a position that needs to be upgraded from last season.

• Second Round No. 16 (48th overall): Cedric Griffin, Defensive Back, Texas

Griffin is able to play both cornerback and safety, which is a good thing as the Vikings lost Corey Chavous and Brian Williams to free agency this year.

• Second Round No. 19 (51st overall — acquired in the Culpepper trade from Miami): Ryan Cook, Offensive Lineman, New Mexico

Cook was considered a bit of a "reach" by most commentators, although if Matt Birk's health doesn't improve this season, having another backup center will be a good insurance policy.

• Second Round No. 32 (64th overall): Tarvaris Jackson, Quarterback, Alabama State

The Vikings traded their two third-round picks to Pittsburgh to select Jackson, but the concensus seemed to be that he'd still have been on the board by the time the second of their third-round selections came up. He is considered a "project", and will probably not contribute until next year at the earliest.

• Fourth Round No. 30 (127th overall): Ray Edwards, Defensive End, Purdue

Edwards may be another project player, as he was not thought to be particularly motivated during his time at Purdue. Pro Football Weekly's draft book said: "Plays soft. Scouts do not like his motor, production or personality."

• Fifth Round No. 17 (149th overall): Greg Blue, Safety, Georgia

Blue's stock slipped from being a third- or fourth-round projection due to a poor showing at the combine (according to reports at the Star Tribune). He may be converted to linebacker eventually, but is expected to be a special team player for the near future.

• The Vikings traded their lower-round picks including a draft-day trade for Philadelphia's Artis Hicks, who is expected to move into the starting offensive line.

As soon as the formal draft was over, the Vikings got extremely busy in signing free agents (college players who were draft-eligible, but who were not drafted), signing seventeen players.

The professional sports writers were somewhat less condemnatory:

Within the next few weeks, draft choices will be scrutinized much more objectively. On draft day, the most negative thing anyone says about a selection is that "he has potential," while early picks "will fit right in." The latter rounds are filled with "steals."

Plus, there's always some talking head on TV who insists that the 197th overall pick was high on his board.

The truth is that if top pick Chad Greenway quickly becomes a starting linebacker, and one other draftee makes an impact, it will have been a terrific draft for the Vikings. If your team can get two players, you should turn a cartwheel.