As I mentioned yesterday, the Vikings had 11 picks in the 2013 NFL draft to begin with, but that the number of picks might change frequently during the three day event. It changed even more than I expected, as after using their first pick on defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and their second pick on cornerback Xavier Rhodes, the Vikings traded back into the first round and selected wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
Of course, you don’t get the 29th pick in the draft for free: Minnesota sent their 2nd, 3rd, one of their two picks in the 4th, and the last of their 7th round picks to the New England Patriots. It sounds like a terrible rate of exchange, but according to the unofficial draft value chart the 29th pick is worth 640 points, while the bundle of picks the Vikings gave up is worth 649.5 points.
The Vikings moved up 23 spots from 52 overall to 29, and if you’re a fan of the NFL trade value chart, it was an even trade. The 29 pick is worth 640 points, and the Vikings gave up picks that are valued at about 600. Everyone is going on about four picks for one, but the Vikes still have a fourth round pick, and really, who gives a hoot about a 7th round throwaway pick?
So let’s calm down on the ‘Vikings got fleeced’ talk for a bit, because right now they added three starters in positions of need that will immediately pay dividends.
But Rick Spielman has officially become Crazy Uncle Rick The Riverboat Gambler, and by God, I love it. This 2013 first round will be the turning point for the Vikings: they’re either heading towards the elite of the NFL or into oblivion, but they aren’t treading water. Isn’t that right, Kenny Rogers?
This was first time #Vikings made three first-round picks since 1967, when they took Clint Jones, Gene Washington, Hall of Famer Alan Page.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 26, 2013
#Vikings were first team since St. Louis Rams in 2001 to have three first-round picks, via @espnstatsinfo
— Kevin Seifert (@espn_nfcnblog) April 26, 2013
So, on the first day of the draft, the Vikings addressed three of the their top four needs, but it will be tough to find a starting-quality middle linebacker in the 4th round (and I doubt they have enough picks left to trade up very far unless they start shopping next year’s draft picks, too). Yesterday, I identified what I considered to be the team’s top requirements and MLB was the one I thought most urgent. It’s going to be fascinating to see what they do in that area, given that their next pick isn’t until Saturday…
Although it’s a hoary cliché for teams to say that they didn’t expect a draft pick to still be available to them, in the case of University of Florida Gator Sharrif Floyd, this is no less than the truth: in the vast majority of rankings before the draft began Floyd was a top-5 pick. Viking Update has a full bio:
One of the best draft prospects in Florida football history, Floyd overcame extreme hardship early in his life to emerge as a dominating force for the Gators. You would think that a player who possesses excellent mechanics, a “search and destroy” attitude on the field and natural instincts that allowed him to terrorize opposing quarterbacks to have a long association with the game of football.
Called by the Florida staff a “student of the game” and a “coach on the field,” to have spent every waking moment watching football games. But, the player honestly admits that the first time he ever watched the game on television was during Indianapolis’ Super bowl victory after the 2007 season.
Tom Pelissero talks about FSU cornerback Xavier Rhodes:
At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Rhodes fits the bigger mold Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said has been an emphasis at cornerback in their Tampa-2 derivative zone scheme.
“I think he has the instincts to play zone,” Spielman said. “But he plays a lot of press and he’s a shutdown, press corner. He’s as big a corner as you can get and he can run and he has ball skills and he can run support. He fits all the things that we’re looking for in a corner for this scheme.”
[. . .]
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds at the combine, where he posted a vertical leap of 40½ inches and a 132-inch broad jump — both among the best for cornerbacks. He started 38 of 43 games for the Seminoles and tied for the team lead last season with three interceptions.
“He’s a guy who has great length,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said of Rhodes, who has 33¾-inch arms. “He has very good speed. He has some turnover ability as well, and he has competed at a high level against some very good competition in the ACC.”
In Minnesota, Rhodes joins a cornerback group that features another big cornerback, Chris Cook, as one starter outside. Rhodes also will predominantly work outside, Frazier said, meaning Josh Robinson still figures as the top slot option after Winfield signed with Seattle.
And here’s Tom Pelissero on Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson:
Patterson, 22, made an official visit to Winter Park for the Vikings’ Top 30 dinner. He also spoke with them on campus and at the NFL scouting combine.
He caught 46 passes for 778 yards and five touchdowns in his only season at Tennessee after transferring in from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
“My strength is with the ball in my hands,” Patterson said. “I can do whatever I want with it. I feel like I can go back to kick return. I feel I can throw it and run it. …
“I’m still working on my route-running. I’ve got a lot to improve on that, learn coverages and stuff. But I feel like now I’m with Coach George (Stewart). He’s a great coach, and me and him sat down for like an hour and talked, just got to know each other, and I feel like — I know he’s going to help me get where I need to be.”
Spielman also spoke highly of Patterson’s potential in the return game. He averaged 28 yards on 24 punt returns and 25.3 yards on four kick returns for the Volunteers, with one touchdown in each phase.
Here’s an ESPN pre-draft video on Cordarrelle Patterson:
