After Watching more than 8 hours of draft coverage, I ask myself, "was it really worth it?"  Of course the answer is yes, but this reaction raises serious questions about myself.  I did everything possible to avoid going to work on that saturday, but it was unavoidable, then spent all day sunday watching the draft and (slowly) getting my homework done.  What is it that interests so many of us about the draft?  It is painfully slow, and the analysis painfully generic.  Mel Kiper and company make snap judgements of players they have barely heard of not too long ago, and it is almost universally optimistic.  "Hey this kid could be a good fit" "this guy has lot's of potential" I'm not bashing the draft, i'm just trying to explain my addiction. 

First let's review the positives.  It is realtime analysis, there is always a good highlight reel, and it gives information about every draft pick as it happens, giving me, the viewer a much more knowledgeable viewpoint when it comes to the draft.  There are plenty of interviews, players, coaches, GM's etc.  Stuff that one would not normally see much of from the usual sports programming on ESPN. 

But to the negatives, It's painfully slow.  It is an entire weekend of (for me at least) borderline anti-social behavior.  Sitting myself down in the basement with a laptop and a pizza, and barely moving for four hours.  Usually I would watch the draft with a couple friends, but they had scheduling conflicts, so I was home, alone with my PSH brethrin, analyzing a draft with the same insight I crticized the "experts" for using. 

The NFL Draft has become a stand alone event, nowhere can a single event give so much false hope.  For there are far more busts than booms in any draft, and It's impossible to accurately grade a draft untill they come into the NFL and prove it.  For Every Tom Brady, there are 5 Ryan Leaf's.  For Every Barry Sanders, there a many KiJana Carter's. 

False hope, that is what the NFL draft is all about.  If a team can manage two starters out of a given draft, they have done alright, yet every fan touts all of thier prospects as future starters, when in reality, they are future benchwarmers, future career back-ups, future busts. 

I guess i just can't explain the NFL Draft, for everything it is on the surface, it is an event I looked forward to for nearly a month, and it is an event I will be analyzing and talking about for weeks after.  Something no single NFL game can achieve other than the superbowl.  The NFL Draft is everything a football junkie loves but just cannot explain, and that is why I love this game. 

Chad Greenway:  LB (Iowa)

Yes, even after all of that I still feel compelled to give out my opinion.  Greenway is a hardworking kid from South Dakota, The Vikings needed a linebacker coming into the draft, and they grabbed one quickly in the first round.  Greenway will probably be a rookie starter, playing the weakside linebacker across from Free Agent Ben Leber.  Who plays the middle is anyone's guess right now, but I've always been an E.J. Henderson fan, so I'll be rooting for him.

Greenway was one of the NFL Draft's most unfairly judged prospects IMO.  Yes he didn't post great workout #'s, but the fact is, he was a playmaker for the Hawkeyes and that didn't change with a slow 40, and low bench reps.  I Think Greenway will be considered the 2nd best Linebacker when all is said and done, and many teams will regret passing on this guy. 

Cedric Griffin:  CB (Texas)

Any pick from Texas brings a smile to my face, as I've been a fan of the program for a while now.  But Cedric Griffin made that smile bigger when i reviewed the tape available on him, and saw a lot of Brian Williams in him.  He is a big hitter, may not be the greatest in coverage, but scouts have said he plays the zone well, perfect for the cover 2.  Griffin will endear himself to the Vikings faithfull very quickly with punishing blows, and the fans will soon be uttering Brian who?  This is definately a system pick, and it shows a belief in the Triangle of Authority that it's best to find guys that fit the system, rather than drafting guys they think they can mold.  In the Tice era, I think too much emphasis was placed on best player avialable.  While it is a good policy on paper, it can lead to taking players that don't exactly fit in, or lack the mental skills needed for the position (something the Vikings haven't put much emphasis on before)

Ryan Cook:  OL (New Mexico)

Small school player, probably too tall for center.  He should provide immediate depth at the position if Birk would happen to become injured again (not that unlikely), and will likely be groomed for guard or tackle in the future.  The first "Huh?" pick of the draft for the Vikings, and I can't say I know much about the guy good or bad.  I trust the Vikings staff, maybe too much, but I'm not gonna critisize the draft untill he winds up on the field (or doesn't make it to the field).  At the time this pick was made, I immidiately thought they should have taken Eslinger, but something must have scared teams away from the Gopher All-American because he slid all the way to the 6th round. 

Tavarias Jackson:  QB (Alabama State)

Another small school player, and another guy I haven't heard much of pre-draft.  He is definately a developmental prospect, and seems to be Brad Childress' pet project at QB.  I've heard a lot of criticism of this pick from various boards, and I don't buy into it.  The Vikings were in a position where they felt they weren't gonna get him if they stayed put, and they made a move to get thier guy.  It will be a few years before we know what kind of talent this kid has, so like the pick above, it's wait and see.

Ray Edwards:  DE (Purdue)

Kind of a surprising pick becuase I feel the Vikings have already established a lot of depth at the position, and may have been better off adressing other needs.  Edwards is a pick with certain character issues that cannot be ignored.  He had a conflicting personality with his coach at Purdue, and along with family struggles he had to declare for the draft earlier than expected.  I was calling for a RB just for tradition's sake, but the Childress draft era marked the end of the 4th round RB era (Smith, Moore, Fason).  Hopefully he can provide the Vikings with some more depth, with Udeze coming off his second surgury in 2 years, the position is not 100% stable.

Greg Blue:  S (Georgia)

I'm glad the Vikings grabbed a safety in this draft because Offord, Tank Williams, and Dustin Fox all have either character or injury concerns heading into the 2006 season.  This is a solid pick to provide some more depth at a position that has steadily improved for the Vikings since Sharper came to the Vikings.  The Final pick of the draft for the Vikings, the Vikings ended their draft like they started it, defense.

That effectively ends my Vikings draft analysis.  All things considered it looks like a draft for the future rather than for the present, which seems to be a good idea since the Vikings are in a transitional year, with the implementation of two new schemes, and a lot of new coaches. 

Artis Hicks

The Vikings made a draft day move to slide down a few starts, and gave up their 6th rounder to aquire this guard from the eagles.  He has been a solid player for the Eagles throughout his career, but with the addition of new blood at the position in Philly, Hicks became expendable.  Childress was quick to scoop up one of his former players, and has already said he plans to start hicks at OG, and let Rosenthal and Marcus JOhnson compete for the RT position.  I like the move because it gives the line somebody who knows Childress' system well, and should be able to help out the other guys on the line.  If Childress' assessment is correct of this talent, the Vikings have filled out 4 of thier offensive line positions so far, and it will be a tight battle for the final spot at RT.