Today is the eighth day of two weeks of Minnesota Vikings coverage leading up to the April 26 beginning of the NFL draft.
April 12: Five best first-rounders in the past 25 years
April 13: Five worst first-rounders in the past 25 years
April 14: Quarterbacks position preview
April 15: Running backs/fullbacks position preview
April 16: Offensive tackles position preview
April 17: Guards/centers position preview
April 18: Tight ends position preview
Today: Wide receivers position preview
April 20: Defensive linemen position preview
April 21: Linebackers position preview
April 22: Cornerbacks position preview
April 23: Safeties position preview
April 24: Rick Spielman's draft strategy
April 25: Forecasting the first-round pick
TODAY'S POSITION: WIDE RECEIVERS
Importance (1-to-10 scale): 9
On the roster
The Minnesota Vikings aren't devoid of talent at the wide receiver position. In fact they have big-play threat Percy Harvin coming off his best season as a pro with 87 catches, 967 yards and six receiving touchdowns. Minnesota will also bring back solid veteran Michael Jenkins, who missed the final five games last season because of a knee injury. Jenkins finished second on the team with 38 catches. The problem, however, is the Vikings are missing a true No. 1 receiver.
Minnesota re-signed Devin Aromashodu in the offseason, and he had 26 catches for 468 yards last season. He averaged 18 yards per catch but is more of a No. 3 or 4 than a No. 1. Behind him, the Vikings signed Bryan Walters from the San Diego Chargers and also have young receivers Kris Adams, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Stephen Burton and Kerry Taylor on the roster.
Last five wide receivers drafted
2011--Stephen Burton, West Texas A&M: seventh round (236th overall) -- still with the Vikings
2009--Percy Harvin, Florida: first round (22nd overall) -- still with the Vikings
2008--Jaymar Johnson, Jackson State: sixth round (193rd overall) -- released, September 2011, signed with the Arizona Cardinals
2007--Sidney Rice, South Carolina: second round (44th overall) -- Signed with Seattle Seahawks, July 2011, as a free agent
2007--Aundrae Allison, East Carolina: fifth round (146th overall) -- released, August 2009, out of the NFL
Philosophy at the position
The Vikings have been willing to devote resources to the wide receiver position -- drafting Harvin in the first round and Sidney Rice in the second round in recent years, along with signing Bernard Berrian to a high-priced contract in 2008. The moves haven't all paid off. Berrian, the top wide receiver in his free-agent class, never developed into a No. 1 receiver, and Rice left after four years that will be most remembered for injuries that kept him off the field. But Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman knows the position is a weakness and likely won't be afraid to use early-round picks to address the situation.
Day 1 name to remember (Round 1)
Justin Blackmon, junior, Oklahoma State (6-1, 210). Blackmon entered the draft evaluation process as the clear-cut top receiver and a possible top-five pick. He's coming off back-to-back seasons with more than 100 catches and added 38 touchdowns during that time. But once the nitpicking began, evaluators started changing their tune at least a little bit. At 6-foot-1, he isn't as big as some of the other top receiver prospects. He didn't run the 40-yard dash at the Combine, which had some concerned. At his school's pro day, he ran a reported 4.4 seconds in the 40, though, which restored some of his value. He also has good leaping ability and strong hands. Though he has had elite production, his offense at Oklahoma State is also being used against him. Blackmon isn't considered to be an elite prospect on the level of A.J. Green or Julio Jones last year, but he still should become a standout NFL receiver with his package of skills. If Minnesota were to draft a receiver with the No. 3 overall pick, Blackmon would likely be the selection. However, there is good receiver depth in the draft, and the Vikings might be better served addressing another need at No. 3 and looking at a receiver early in the second or third round. If Minnesota traded back in the first round, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd could be of interest. He seems to have closed the gap between himself and Blackmon among some evaluators.
Day 2 name to remember (Rounds 2-3)
Rueben Randle, junior, LSU (6-4, 205). There could be three to five receivers selected in the first round and another 10 selected in the second and third rounds. Randle is a big target who is coming off a 53-catch, 917-yard season at LSU. He ran a 4.55 40 at the Combine and then improved to 4.47 at the LSU pro day. He has good speed and is the type of downfield threat the Vikings need to open up the middle of the field for Harvin and the tight ends. Randle is considered a bit of a project and needs to work on his technique and route running. But he has size, speed and good hands. He's the perfect type of fallback option for Minnesota if it passes on Blackmon or Floyd in the first round. Randle is in a mix of receivers in the late-first to early-third-round category that includes Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill, Baylor's Kendall Wright, South Carolina's Alshon Jeffrey, Rutgers' Mohamed Sanu and Appalachian State's Brian Quick. Quick and Iowa's Marvin McNutt, another second- to third-round prospect, were on the North team at the Senior Bowl, coached by the Vikings' staff.
Day 3 name to remember (Rounds 4-7)
Jeff Fuller, senior, Texas A&M (6-4, 220). Fuller is another Senior Bowl prospect (he played on the South team) who has received some interest as a possible mid- to late-round addition. He's another of the big receivers and doesn't have elite speed. He's coming off back-to-back 70-catch seasons at Texas A&M and worked last season with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who's expected to be a first-round pick. Fuller doesn't get great separation but is able to make catches with a defender near him. He's likely more of a possession and red-zone receiver than a downfield threat.
FOXSports.com draft expert Taylor Jones says:
"It used to be you'd struggle to take a receiver in the first round altogether. Now we're talking about two guys potentially going in the top 10. I don't know if it's as much Floyd gaining ground on Blackmon as much as it is Blackmon losing ground on Floyd, if that makes sense. When you evaluate Blackmon, you've got to kind of keep a level head as it relates to his statistics because they're going to be inflated in the fact that he comes from that offense at Oklahoma State. You've got to kind of come back to reality as far as, you know, the guys not going to have 12 catches a game. He's not the explosive deep threat player that maybe a Julio Jones, or maybe a Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson are. There's just not that type of receiver in this draft. But Blackmon is more of that intermediate route runner that once he gets the ball in his hands is going to make big plays, more like an Anquan Boldin, in my opinion."
At Minnesota
Da'Jon McKnight, WR, (6-3, 211). McKnight was disappointed in the way he performed at the Minnesota Gophers' pro day in March (4.87-second 40-yard dash), and he's hoping to catch on with an NFL team either as a late-round pick or as an undrafted free agent. In his senior season with the Gophers, he had team and career highs with 51 receptions for 760 yards. With 15 receiving touchdowns in his career, he ranks fifth on Minnesota's all-time list.
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