Both Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress and Vice President of Player Personnel Rick Spielman refer to draft choices as the “currency of the NFL.” This is an appropriate analogy because it accurately assesses the importance of draft choices as it relates to the success of a franchise.
In recent offseasons, the Vikings have acquired veterans via trade (Jared Allen) and free agency (Antoine Winfield, Darren Sharper, Steve Hutchinson) that have filled important spots on the roster. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the Vikings have seen success in the draft as well (Chad Greenway, Cedric Griffin, Adrian Peterson). The Vikings have selected 14 players in the 2006 and 2007 drafts; of those 14 players, 11 have made the team and ten have been starters.
What’s the result? The result is a team that went from 6-10 in 2006 to 8-8 in 2007, and now has a favorable to chance to improve upon last year’s record and continue the ascension.
Now, before you start to look for Super Bowl tickets, remember that games are won on the field, not on paper. Yes, the Vikings have acquired talent like Peterson, receiver Bernard Berrian and an entire defense full of playmakers. But it’s hard to win in the NFL and each season stands on its own merit.
Proof of that can be found with teams like the New Orleans Saints. They went from 3-13 in 2005 to 10-6 in 2006. They were darlings of the NFC and a trendy pick to appear in the Super Bowl following the 2007 regular season. But things didn’t work out for them and the Saints recorded a 7-9 mark after what looked to be a promising outlook.
We’re not picking on the Saints here - similar scenarios have unfolded for other teams as well, and that’s what the Vikings will look to avoid during the 2008 season.
Going back to the Vikings recent success in the draft and the impact that has on the team, one will notice the lack of “immediate impact” players the Vikings acquired last weekend. Unless one of the Vikings five draft picks presents a serious surprise, there are no Adrian Peterson’s in this year’s Vikings draft class.
Simply put, there were just not as many holes on the team during this year’s draft as there has been in the past.
“The theme was a little bit different this year than it was last year because there weren’t as many needs as we had going into the draft,” Spielman said.
With that being said, are the Vikings set? No, there is still work to be done. Spielman will be the first to tell you that the job of building a roster never ends. Part of that roster-building process will begin this weekend, when the Vikings take a look at 50+ undrafted rookie free agents to see who is worthy of a roster spot heading into training camp in late July.
The Vikings current situation is one that won’t have them relying on one of those rookie free agents to make an immediate impact for their team in 2008. And that is a perfect illustration of much of an impact the draft has on a franchise.