Much like in 2011, the Minnesota Vikings grouped picks together in a portion of the draft they saw a lot of value for their roster. In 2011, they moved into the 6th round drafting 4 times targeting the offensive line and back end defensive help (OT DeMarcus Love, S Mistrial Raymond, OG Brandon Fusco, and OLB Ross Homan). This year, the Vikings grouped their picks together at the bottom of the fourth round/top of the fifth.
Vikings Target Weapons, the Future with Third Day Picks
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In 2012, they focused on weapons for their offense and some versatility in the future. The three offensive prospects add match up issues for the defense and its clear they want to have lots of options for their young QB. Turning 5th and late 7th round picks into a 2013 4th from the Lions will be nice next year and Blanton, while maybe taken a little early, can play CB, safety, and special teams in the Vikings Tampa 2.
The Vikings took two wide receivers from the same school that bring different strengths to the WR core. Jarius Wright is similar to Percy Harvin in height and speed while Greg Childs is a Height/Weight/Speed prospect recovering from injury. Childs is a bit of a gamble because of his injury, but he was very productive when healthy and can play outside the hash marks with consistency, unlike Harvin/Wright. TE/FB Rhett Ellison was also taken and he does add more versatility to the depth at TE as a motion TE, but there are a lot of bodies already at FB and TE. So it could be a fight for roster spots come training camp.
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