Today is the first day of a Minnesota Vikings look at the upcoming NFL Draft, which begins with the first round on April 30.
Rick Spielman's reputation as a draft-day mover has been built on three consecutive drafts in which he's moved the Minnesota Vikings into the first round. Spielman's status as the trade orchestrator for Minnesota really took effect in 2010.
"Trader Rick" was active in 2010.
Still the team's vice president of player personnel at the time, Spielman made a pair of moves early in the draft. Instead of moving into the first round like he's done in the past three drafts, Spielman used 2010 to trade back.
Not seeing anything to his liking, Spielman traded out of the first round and stayed within the division by giving the Detroit Lions the 30th-overall selection. Detroit ended up with Jahvid Best, the explosive running back out of California who never made a big impact because of concussions.
In exchange for the 30th pick and the Vikings' fourth-round selection (No. 128), Minnesota ended up with the second pick of the second round, the second pick of the fourth round and an extra seventh-round selection. Spielman eventually drafted cornerback Chris Cook, defensive end Everson Griffen and tight end Mickey Shuler in those spots.
After drafting Cook, Spielman went to work again and traded with the Houston Texans. Spielman sent the 62nd pick and a third-round selection to Houston for the 51st pick and the right to draft running back Toby Gerhart in the second round.
Spielman's aggressive moves in 2010 ultimately didn't transform the Vikings much. Cook could never develop into the shutdown cornerback Minnesota hoped and Gerhart spent much of his time with the Vikings as a little-used backup to Adrian Peterson.
But the 2010 draft was a washout for many teams. After the first round (and before Minnesota's first possible pick) the elite talent had all but dried up. After the first round, only 15 players in the draft have made a Pro Bowl. The draft will go down as an important one for tight ends, as Rob Gronkowski was a second-round pick and Jimmy Graham was selected in the third round.
Griffen, by virtue of the Detroit trade, has a chance to help Spielman's 2010 draft pay off. Curiously, Minnesota's current roster features two players who were second-round picks in 2010 and not drafted by the Vikings: nose tackle Linval Joseph and safety Taylor Mays.
Here's a look at how Spielman and Minnesota fared in 2010:
Round 2, No. 34 overall:
CB Chris Cook -- What could have been with Cook? He had the size and all the measurables one would want in a top cornerback. He even seemed to have the mindset of a shutdown cornerback, enjoying his matchups with top receivers like Detroit's Calvin Johnson and playing his best in such games.
Spielman might have gotten the player he wanted all along after the trade with Detroit. The Vikings were desperate for help at cornerback and Florida State's Patrick Robinson was the only one selected between Best and Cook. Robinson fell short of expectations, as well, and Best failing to develop certainly helps the trade look better from Minnesota's point of view.
But injuries kept Cook from ever realizing his potential with the Vikings. There was also the messy off-field situation in which he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend and asked to stay away from the team the final two-plus months of the 2011 season, eventually being acquitted of the charges.
Cook returned to try and find his form in Minnesota, but it would never be. He only played 10 games in 2012 and 12 games in 2013 before leaving for San Francisco as a free agent last year. Cook finished his time with the Vikings, playing in 34 games over four years without ever getting an interception.
Grade 5 years later: D
Round 2, No. 51 overall:
RB Toby Gerhart -- Selecting Gerhart, even then, was a curious move for Minnesota. True, Gerhart was coming off an exceptional college career at Stanford and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Yet, the Vikings had all-everything back Peterson, who was a three-time Pro Bowl pick by 2010 and had run for at least 1,341 yards in each of his first three seasons.
Peterson wasn't much of a passing-down back, limited in blocking and catching. But to spend a second-round draft pick -- and trading up to do so, giving up a third-round pick -- for a backup and passing-down back was a waste. As Minnesota's roster aged, Spielman could be charged with using key selections on luxury picks that didn't make a big impact, like Gerhart.
Gerhart was a steady backup for Peterson and even accepted his role as a little-used player and didn't balk about playing time despite his impressive college credentials. Gerhart even showed well for himself in his limited chances in playing for Peterson. But in four years with the Vikings, Gerhart ended up with 276 carries and 77 catches.
Gerhart averaged 4.7 yards per carry with Minnesota, rushing for a total of 1,305 yards and five touchdowns. He had 600 receiving yards and three touchdowns before cashing in as a free agent with Jacksonville last season. He was hampered by injuries and struggled in his new environment, rushing for 326 yards last season and replaced by Denard Robinson as the lead back.
While the 2010 draft didn't offer many alternatives, other second round picks after Gerhart included Pittsburgh linebacker Jason Worilds, Cincinnati defensive end Carlos Dunlap, Dallas linebacker Sean Lee, Green Bay defensive end Mike Neal, Detroit receiver Golden Tate and New England linebacker Brandon Spikes.
Grade 5 years later: D
Round 4, No. 100 overall:
DE Everson Griffen -- Left without a third-round pick because of the Gerhart trade (Houston sent the third-round pick later to Kansas City, which drafted tight end Tony Moeaki ) Minnesota waited almost 50 picks before getting back on the clock. When the Vikings were up with the second pick of the second round, which originally belonged to Detroit, they selected Griffen.
The early returns on Griffen weren't positive.
He had a couple of off-field issues and maturity played a role in his limited impact early. Griffen was also behind a group of defensive ends like Jared Allen, Ray Edwards and Brian Robison. Finally in 2012, Griffen started to develop. He was used in varied roles, including being tried at linebacker and he broke through with eight sacks as a situational player.
Always a special teams standout, Griffen became Allen's understudy before officially taking over for Allen last year. Signed to a new contract, Griffen became a full-time player last year and became the team's top pass-rushing end with a team-high 12 sacks.
With the new contract, Griffen is one of the defensive leaders for Minnesota. His progression has made the 2010 pick look better, and the grade could improve as Griffen continues in a starting role.
Grade 5 years later: B
Round 5, No. 161 overall:
OL Chris DeGeare -- DeGeare was a mammoth offensive line prospect from Wake Forest. At 6-foot-4 and 335 pounds, he was a development pick. But DeGeare played in eight games and actually started five in his rookie season. He would only last one more year with the Vikings and never played in another game in the NFL.
DeGeare has spent time on the Tennessee Titans' practice squad and with the New York Giants.
Hitting on third-day picks is tough, but only getting one season out of a fifth-rounder has to go down as a disappointment.
Grade 5 years later: D-minus
Round 5, No. 167 overall:
LB Nate Triplett -- Speaking of disappointments. Triplett qualifies as one of the few outright draft busts Spielman has had in his time with Minnesota. Triplett was from the University of Minnesota and one figured Spielman and the scouts knew Triplett well from playing in the same stadium as the Vikings. But Triplett is one of two Big Ten linebackers never to make it with Minnesota (Ohio State's Ross Homan was a sixth-round pick a year later).
Triplett was released by the Vikings after training camp of his rookie season, never playing in a game with the team after being a compensatory selection. Triplett ended up playing limited snaps in eight NFL games for Indianapolis, the last coming in 2011.
Grade 5 years later: F
Round 6, No. 199 overall:
QB Joe Webb -- Again, hitting on late-round picks is no easy task. Webb, while not a starter, is still kicking around the NFL six years later. A dual-threat quarterback in college, Minnesota drafted Webb out of Alabama-Birmingham and wanted to turn the 6-foot-4 speedster into a receiver. Then coach Brad Childress saw Webb throw a few passes and decided he'd stay at quarterback.
For the next three seasons, Webb would switch between quarterback and receiver and never fully develop in either spot. But Webb had some talent and showed some glimpses in the right circumstances. He had 109 yards rushing in a game as a quarterback in 2011, and threw two touchdown passes while coming on in relief of Christian Ponder in a win at Washington two weeks later.
Webb is enough of a changeup-type quarterback to give opposing defenses fits if he comes off the bench for an injured starter. He ended up with a 66.6 quarterback rating with the Vikings, hitting on 57.9 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and five interceptions. Webb added 273 rushing yards on 41 attempts (a 6.7-yard average) in 33 games with Minnesota.
Webb saw action in seven games last season as a part-time receiver and kickoff returner, and backup to quarterback Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers. Webb was given a one-year contract extension by Carolina.
Grade 5 years later: C-plus
Round 7, No. 214 overall:
TE Mickey Shuler -- In a draft full of tight ends, the Vikings tried to hit on one late. Shuler was a big target out of Penn State and the son of former All-Pro tight end Mickey Shuler of the New York Jets. Minnesota was intrigued enough by Shuler to try him a couple of times.
Shuler made the team initially as a rookie, but was released during the season after not seeing any game action. He ended up playing in six games and starting two for Miami as a rookie in 2010. He had two catches for 44 yards as a rookie, still his only NFL catches.
The Vikings brought Shuler back in 2011, but he didn't play in a game and was later released. He's spent time with Oakland, Atlanta and Jacksonville. He played in three games with the Jaguars last season and is currently on the Falcons' roster.
Grade 5 years later: D-plus
Round 7, No. 237 overall:
LB Ryan D'Imperio -- A college linebacker at Rutgers, Minnesota decided to turn D'Imperio into a fullback. The Vikings gave D'Imperio time to make the transition. He spent his first year on the team's practice squad. After opening 2011 on the practice squad, he was signed to the active roster and appeared in 12 games.
D'Imperio even started one game. He ended up with two catches for seven yards. He was cut after training camp the following season. He spent the offseason with the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants in 2013 before deciding to retire.
Grade 5 years later: D
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