First day of the draft

Minnesota surprised most of the commentators by passing on wide receiver Mike Williams to take Troy Williamson (South Carolina) instead. The explanation on several Vikings fan sites is speed: Williamson is much faster than Williams, and therefore would be a better fit with the Vikings' vertical passing attack. As I mentioned in my last draft posting, I don't follow college ball, so I have to take what I read in the various mock drafts as my primary source of information on the drafted athletes.

With their second first-round pick, the Vikings took defensive end Erasmus James of Wisconsin. This is to address another need on the team: insufficient pressure on the quarterback from the DE position. James certainly seems to have the requisite qualities to perform well in the NFL, and he is reportedly completely recovered from a hip injury which cost him the entire 2003 season.

In the second round, Minnesota selected offensive lineman Marcus Johnson, who can play any position on the line except centre. Drafting Johnson implies that the team is no longer interested in re-signing David Dixon, which I think is a mistake: Dixon may not be an every-down player, but he's certainly got another year of football left.

By the time we get to the third round, I no longer have any name recognition left, so this is straight from the newswires. The third-round choice was Dustin Fox, a defensive back from Ohio State. This appears to be a pick for depth: the Vikings backfield is as good as it has been for over a decade after some great recruiting efforts during the free agency period. I expect Fox to contribute on special teams this year, but not to join the starting line-up (except in case of injury to a current starter).

The Vikings have four picks remaining in tomorrow's wrap-up of the college draft, barring trades with other teams.