Rick Spielman had no choice but to wait patiently during the opening night of the 2017 NFL Draft. 

The Vikings GM entered the evening without a first-round pick and not slated to go on the clock until the 48th spot.

Spielman didn't wait all the way until then once he saw Dalvin Cook was falling lower than where the Vikings had the talented running back. Minnesota darted up the board to 41st to select the holder of multiple Florida State records.

Spielman again moved up in the third round to nap center Pat Elflein at the 70th overall spot.

The aggressiveness in both instances landed two players that the Vikings believe will have significant impact for years to come.

Although a multitude of mock drafts were predicting the Vikings would go offensive line on Thursday with the 30th overall pick or even trade down only to go with an offensive lineman early in the second round tonight, Minnesota opted for cornerback Mike Hughes out of Central Florida.

Spielman said the Vikings were surprised to land Hughes **at the 30th spot**, and he looks forward to Hughes developing under Head Coach Mike Zimmer, who mentioned the possibility of a **unique plan**.

The Vikings are scheduled to make picks 62 in the second round and 94 in the third round.

Andrew Kramer of the Star Tribune, however, believes Spielman has **enough resources to maneuver “if necessary”** on the second day of the draft.

Krammer wrote:

*The Vikings have seven picks left, including five Saturday, between a fifth-rounder (167th overall), three sixth-rounders (204th, 213th and 218th) and a seventh-rounder (225th). *

*That's enough draft capital to move up for a targeted player. *

"We'll see how the board starts to fall in the beginning," Spielman said during a press conference after selecting Hughes.

Spielman said that "there's a lot of quality depth in the offensive line" this year.

CBS Sports Doles Out Initial Grade of Hughes 

CBS Sports didn't wait long to issue a grade of the Vikings selecting Hughes.

Minnesota's drafting of the junior received a **B from Pete Prisco**:

Hughes has outstanding cover skills, and we know how much Mike Zimmer likes his corners. It's a quality pick.

The recap also included a scouting report by Chris Trapasso, who wrote that Hughes is a "super-charged plant-and-drive specialist with serious bounce and aggressive ball skills. Smaller framed which hurts him against blockers and bigger wideouts. Dynamic return ability showcases his physical ability."

Jamey Eisenberg added a take on the potential impact in fantasy football, writing:

*The Vikings add another key piece to their defense, and Hughes will be one of their top three corners with Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes. Hughes won't make much of an impact for Fantasy owners in IDP leagues, but he does make the Vikings DST better. Look for the Vikings DST to be among the first units off the board, and Hughes makes the secondary more formidable this year. *