The Vikings had one of the best first rounds, without question. Adrian Peterson never should have fallen to the 7th overall selection. I believe he is the best running back to come out of the draft since LaDanian Tomlinson. Sidney Rice is a decent second round pick. They certainly needed an upgrade a receiver, but I'm not sold on Rice being a future star. He's a boom or bust type prospect. Same goes for Marcus McCauley. After entering the season as one of the most overhyped prospects, he had a disaster of a senior year. Brian Robison is a fairly safe pick. They needed another defensive end, if for no other reason than to provide some depth for their injury prone starters. I think Allison actually has a very good chance to be the better receiver than Sidney Rice. He has great speed and could be a mid round steal. Rufus Alexander also had great value late in the draft. He is a big, physical linebacker who, I believe, unfairly fell down the draft boards. At the very worst, he should be a solid backup. I like the pick of Tyler Thigpen. To be honest, I don't think there is much difference between him and Tarvaris Jackson. If he is given time to develop, I can certainly envision a scenario where he become a decent starting quarterback in the league. Chandler Williams is a speed demon and he should be given the punt return duties immediately. Overall this was a very solid draft. They took a few risks, but Adrian Peterson is as close to a sure thing as it comes at the running back position. He alone, makes this a successful draft for the Vikings.
Grade: A-