I’m neither happy nor unhappy with the results of the 2010 NFL draft, because (as I’ve said before) I don’t follow college football. I trust that the Vikings’ drafting team had their homework done, had their depth charts properly prepared, and got the best value one could reasonably hope for in a crapshoot like the NFL draft. The last few years have been very good, from a draft perspective, so I’m willing to believe that the same folks who managed to do so well in recent drafts did a similar job this time.

For those, like me, who didn’t tune in to watch the draft live, here are the Vikings’ draft choices for this year:

• 2nd Round (34th pick overall, from trade with Detroit): Chris Cook, Cornerback, Virginia. With starting cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin both suffering serious injuries last season, more depth at cornerback was an obvious need. Cook may not have been the player the Vikings originally hoped to draft, but he’ll be a welcome addition to one of the top defences in the NFC (more info from Judd Zulgad here).
• 2nd Round (51st pick, from trade with Houston): Toby Gerhart, Running Back, Stanford. The loss of backup running back Chester Taylor to division rival Chicago clearly motivated this pick. Gerhart will have the opportunity to replace Taylor as Adrian Peterson’s reliever and change-of-pace back (more info from Mark Craig here).
• 4th Round (100th pick): Everson Griffen, DE, USC. “Gives Vikings depth on left side, especially if Ray Edwards leaves as free agent following the 2010 season. Griffen has the ability but most prove he has the maturity to play at the NFL level. ” (Judd Zulgad)
• 5th Round (161st pick): Chris DeGeare, OL, Wake Forest. Viking Update says he “started all 12 games at left tackle in 2009. He led the offensive line in knockdown blocks three times and graded out at better than 90 percent in games against Miami and Florida State. DeGeare was a Freshman All-America during his rookie season in 2005 and was also a member of the ACC All-Freshman team by the Sporting News“.
• 5th Round (167th pick): Nate Triplett, LB, Minnesota. “One of the few former walk-ons to receive an invitation to this year’s combine, Nate Triplett’s career as a Gopher slowly built until he was given the chance to start every game as a senior. He took full advantage, making 105 tackles, five for loss, two interceptions and five pass breakups” (Scout.com).
• 6th Round (199th pick): Joe Webb, QB, UAB. Will probably be converted to WR. Sports Illustrated said: “Webb has been productive on the college level at a variety of positions for Alabama Birmingham. During the Senior Bowl he made a seamless transition back to receiver and looks like a natural at the position. Still rough around the edges, Webb must improve his route running and increase his speed, but he has all the skills to be a fourth wide out for an NFL team.”
• 7th Round (214th pick): Mickey Shuler, TE, Penn State. “Gives Vikings depth at this position and could be eventual replacement for veteran Jim Kleinsasser. First, however, he has to make the roster. Might spend year on practice squad. ” (Judd Zulgad)
• 7th Round (237th pick): Ryan D’Imperio, LB, Rutgers. Will probably be converted to FB. Sports Illustrated said: “D’Imperio is a two-down run defending linebacker best playing downhill. He possesses marginal upside for the next level but has a special teams mentality and can back up on the inside in a 3-4 alignment.”

After the end of the formal draft, the Vikings signed several free agents:

• QB R.J. Archer, William & Mary
• OG Thomas Austin, Clemson
• OT Matt Hanson, Midwestern State
• C Tommy Hernandez, UC-Davis
• WR Aaron Rhea, Stephen F. Austin
• SS Terrell Skinner, Maryland
• WR Ray Small, Ohio State
• WR Kelton Tindal, Newberry
• CB Angelo Williams, Ferris State
• OT Marlon Winn, Texas Tech

These guys may not end up sticking with the team, but there’s usually one or two of the free agent signings who make a strong showing through training camp and into the pre-season. I have no idea if any of them will make the regular season roster, but here’s hoping, guys.

Judd Zulgad rounds up the rather pathetic story of Vikings offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie’s Pro Bowl antics:

McKinnie was booted off the NFC roster after missing three of four practices, all but one meeting and even the team photo last week. After using his twitter account to document his partying ways, McKinnie also used twitter to say that he was in the process of pulling out of the game because of injury. However, that did little to help his NFC teammates. The fact is McKinnie was kicked off the roster and it was too late to replace him.

Craig was told that McKinnie became a “running joke” among players on the NFC roster — something that isn’t funny at all in reality. So how is McKinnie taking all of this? Well, it appeared that last night and early this morning he was back to using twitter to express himself.

Among McKinnie’s tweets:

— “What I realize is ppl like negative that’s what sells [at] the end of the day.”

That was followed by:

— “HATERS MAKE ME STRONGER SO THANX 4 THE FAVOR! I DON’T BREAK SUCKAS!”

— “That’s My Motto! So Feed me the hate! All yall doing is make me stronger! Don’t know what yall Talking bout! THanx 4 getting me followes!”

— “I’m thankful 4 every1 who voted 4 me from the bottom of my heart!”

— “I give the LORD PRAISE 4 giving me the strength 2 deal anything that come my way and 4 being by my side! ONLY GOD can JUDGE ME!”

Unlike defensive linemen, where hearing their names mentioned during a game usually means they did something good, hearing the name of your offensive tackle mentioned in a broadcast usually means they’re scraping your quarterback up off the turf. McKinnie’s name got mentioned a lot this year.

If his Pro Bowl behaviour is typical of his regular season behaviour, the Vikings would be well advised to look to replace him during the draft in April. Stars who have behaviour issues can be tolerated, but his star value isn’t anywhere near as high as he seems to think it is.