I wish I could be positive about the class as a whole but it was not nearly as good as some of the drafts that have happened since and I want to be objective
Well let's begin, shall we?
Sharrif Floyd - B+
- He has been the best player for the Vikings from this group, which is fitting since he was the first of the three first round picks. He has also done enough to merit playing time from Zimmer and the picking up of his fifth year option which are two positive signs for him. His production has been lacking though. Less then 10 sacks in three years is not enough. He's also had some trouble playing all season. Missing 5 games in three years isn't outrageous but they're all in the last two years so hopefully it's not a trend that continues in the future. The Defensive line is a rotation so his stats may never be elite but hopefully he's able to increase both his sacks and his total tackles in the coming years. If it doesn't happen then a B+ may be too high but I think it's fitting for now.
Xavier Rhodes - B
- Rhodes is the second best player from this class. We all know about the lack of interceptions and I'm sugarcoating it, they're deplorable. What can't be ignored in that discussion is how good he is in coverage. In doing a quick search I wasn't able to find how many yards he allowed per game but did find that he allowed only 56 yards on five catches to Julio Jones, which is very noticeable. He also had a clutch interception against the Packers which should not be overlooked. He still has the potential to be a lockdown corner but the interception numbers may never be what we want. Maybe it is a result of scheme or of having brick hands or a mix of each plus others. Overall he does a fine job covering his man, if the interceptions increase then he would probably overtake the top spot in my consideration. Until then, it's a solid B for Xave.
Cordarelle Patterson - D-
- The positive is that he is one of the best kick returns in the league. He made the pro bowl doing so during his rookie year and was in the conversation to do so again this past year. But kick returns aren't worth first round picks. Four picks don't get traded for kick returners. I don't think it's a stretch to say that, that is the only reason he is still on this team. I want him gone. I celebrated when the Vikings didn't pick up his option. If he has a statistically fantastic year as a returner and receiver then that team would be in a great spot but I don't care. He deserves to have gone no higher then the fifth round and only gets a D because of his return ability.
Gerald Hodges - B
- As a fourth round pick, Hodges was brought in with a chance but no guarantees. He performed well enough through 2+ years to get traded for by San Francisco. His second year statistics boded well (1 interception & 51 tackles) but he became a victim of other roster moves on the team. A B grade may be high but a fourth round pick who contributes well is worth a high mark.
Jeff Locke - D
- I looked at every major statistic for him from this last year and there isn't a single one in which he fell into the top half of punters in the NFL. As I watched Bison games this year, he was the reason I wanted Ben LeCompte to get into the league. On a team that is getting stronger year by year, he has been one of the obvious weaknesses. If he can beat out his competition in camp this year then that would be a step in the right direction but until then, it seems to have been a bad pick.
Jeff Baca - F
- He's not even in the NFL anymore, nuff said.
Michael Mauti - C
- Coming from Penn State, with all the drama that had been there and all the injuries he had personally, it's hard to root against the guy. He's a back up but as a seventh round pick, that's not a criticism. The Vikings moved on from him before last year but he found his way onto another roster so he's good enough to be in the league, which is kind of all anyone can ask of a seventh round pick. He just wasn't good enough to stick on our squad which is why it's only a C grade.
Travis Bond - F
- No longer in the league
Everett Dawkins - F
- Not in the league
As I already said, it's not the best draft we've had but did yield two current starters so it wasn't a complete bust.
What say you?
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