Stanford RB Toby Gerhart, who was picked by the Vikings with the 51st overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, held a conference call with the media following the selection. Here is the transcript of that:
Q: How much of an idea did you have that the Vikings would be interested in you?
A: Not a whole lot. I met with them at the Combine. I had a nice interview with them, a team interview for 15 minutes. I had a talk with Coach Childress and we went over some stuff on the board and watched a little film, but that was the extent of which I heard from them. I hadn’t heard from them until I got the call today. I’m extremely excited and ready to get up there and help contribute to the team.
Q: What did they tell you about the role they would like you to play here?
A: I haven’t had a chance to really talk about it with them yet. I come in joining a great team, a powerful offense and a great defense, a team that was really close to getting to the Super Bowl. I’m not exactly sure what my role will be, but it’s there to complement the best running back in the league, 
Q: What do you think about being in the same backfield as Adrian Peterson?
A: It’s amazing. I remember when I first started college, Adrian Peterson was the man in college and I remember saying, “I want to emulate my game after him. I want to be as good as he is.” And now having an opportunity to go there to play with him, learn under him and complement him is really a huge honor and a dream come true. I’m really excited to work with him.
Q: Is it accurate that Eric Bieniemy recruited you out of high school and were you going to go play for him at UCLA?
A: Yeah, that was the funniest thing when I saw him at the Combine; it was awesome. He recruited me out of high school. He was at UCLA. Two days before signing day he leaves to go to the Vikings, and that was a major factor in why I didn’t go to UCLA. They didn’t have a running backs coach, and I really had a good relationship with him. And now it’s kind of ironic that four years later I get a chance to finally work with him. I’m excited. I talked to him on the phone briefly and he’s excited, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Q: Were you leaning toward UCLA prior to that?
A: Yeah, I kind of was a little bit. That was the running joke at the Combine. He was like, “I have to know, were you going to go to UCLA if I didn’t leave?” I said, “Yeah, there was a good chance I was,” and he said, “Oh, I don’t want to hear that.” We were laughing about it. He’s a great coach, and I’m looking forward to working with him.
Q: You were a highly regarded baseball prospect in high school. Was there any thought in your mind at that time of going baseball instead of football?
A: Yeah, out of high school, there was that chance that I could. I had a good senior year in high school, but I always put my price tag as a first round guy for baseball because I never wanted to give up playing football. Even when I played baseball, I played baseball for three years at Stanford, each and every year I said take me in the first round of the baseball draft or I’m going to come back and play football. I think I always out-priced myself just because my passion was football. I love football, and it’s a dream come true to finally play in the NFL.
Q: You haven’t heard from
A: No, I haven’t (laughing). I got a text from
Q: How much were you used in pass protection, and what’s your comfort level with that and with catching the ball?
A: I’m really comfortable with pass protection. I think that was one of my strong points in college, understanding defenses, understanding safety rotations, body language of blitzers and just blitz packages and identifying it and picking it up. I feel comfortable that I can pick up an offense like that in terms of pass protecting. Of course I have to fine-tune my technique a little bit; it’s going to be harder at the next level. In terms of pass catching, I didn’t get an opportunity to catch a lot of balls. I played all three downs, all four downs, but the running back wasn’t integrated into the pass game. We were always protecting and then getting out as a late release. But I feel like I have really good hands. I think I showed that at my pro day, and I think I can catch the ball extremely well.
Q: And this offense is similar to Stanford’s?
A: Yeah, we ran a pro-style offense. I think a lot of things will be similar. I’m sure the terminology will be different, but I’m a smart guy and I’m dedicated to the game, a student of the game, and I believe I’ll be able to pick it up quickly and be thrown right in there.
Q: Your dad was in training camp with the Vikings at one point, right?
A: Yeah, he played in the USFL. The USFL folded, and he was advised to hold out potentially because the USFL might win the suit. They ended up not winning, and he went into training camp really late for the Vikings and ended up getting cut on one of the last cuts out there.
Q: You wear a knee brace. Do you see that coming off in the pros or are you more comfortable wearing it?
A: I think it’s going to be a decision between me and the medical staff. I don’t think I need to wear it anymore. It was more of a precautionary thing this last year. We’ll talk about it. I know I’m definitely comfortable wearing it right now. It doesn’t even cross my mind. I think it’s more of a comfort level than anything, so I’ll discuss it with the medical staff and see what they think and we’ll make a decision at that point.
Q: The Stanford media guide has you with zero fumbles. Is that accurate?
A: No, that’s not accurate. I think I had six fumbles over the last two years.
Q: People have compared you to Tommy Vardell or John Riggins. Do you find those comparisons accurate or fair?
A: I think at times. John Riggins was one of the greatest running backs, Redskins player of all time, so any time you’re compared to a Hall of Famer, that’s definitely a compliment. I think my running style is different than Tommy Vardell. I think he was bigger than I am. He was more just downhill, bulldozing people. I think I have a little more wiggle than he did, and I think I can be more all-purpose.
