Minnesota Vikings 2009 NFL Draft Picks
Vikes Choose Florida Wide Receiver Harvin First
The Minnesota Vikings looked to beef up their receiving corps with a first round draft pick (#22 overall) of University of Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin on Saturday. Harvin was an all-purpose yardage man for the Gators, with over 1,900 receiving yards and 1,800 rushing yards in 36 games at Florida.
Percy Harvin Holds Florida Gators Yards-Per-Rush Career Record
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Harvin does not come without “off-field baggage,” however. The Vikings, who have a history of taking on troubled players, must feel that a failed pre-draft marijuana test will be more than compensated for by Harvin’s stunning on-field explosiveness. His 9.55 yards-per-rush average in college crushed the previous school career record (6.4 yards) by more than 3 yards.
For his part, Harvin has been honest with the Vikings organization regarding his past, and states that his troubles are behind him, attributed to “growing up.” If he can pick up where he left off at Florida, where he had a school record 32 touchdown receptions and was a major contributor to two national championships, Minnesota may just have another stellar draftee, alongside 2007’s Adrian Peterson.
Second Pick Phil Loadholt of Oklahoma a Behemoth Lineman
Speaking of beefing up, for their second pick (#54 overall) the Vikings chose 6 foot 8 inch, 332 pound offensive lineman Phil Loadholt from the University of Oklahoma. Loadholt dealt 16 touchdown-resulting blocks for the Sooners in the 2008 season alone. During ESPN’s televised coverage of the draft, one of the commentators referred to Loadholt as “having the wingspan of a pterodactyl.”
In his senior year, Loadholt, a junior college transfer after 2 years at Garden City Community College, received All-Big 12 honors from both the AP and Coaches. He has a good chance of taking over the right tackle position in his first season with the Vikings.
Third Round Pick Asher Allen, Georgia Bulldogs Cornerback
In the third round of the NFL draft Saturday Minnesota picked a cornerback, Asher Allen from the University of Georgia. Although he played just two seasons for the Bulldogs, deciding to forego his senior season for a shot at the NFL, Allen’s 47 kickoff returns for 1,110 yards ranks him third all-time at Georgia. As a strong-side cornerback for the Bulldogs, he was a Jim Thorpe Award semi-finalist.
Due primarily to the Sage Rosenfels deal with the Texans, the Vikings did not have fourth or sixth round picks this year, but rounding out their draft acquisitions were: (#4/5th round/#150 overall) linebacker Jasper Brinkley from the U of South Carolina and (#5/7th round/#233 overall) and Jamarca Sanford, a strong safety from the U of Mississippi.
For more information on the Minnesota Vikings 2009 draft, visit the Vikings website, or the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the sources for this article.
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