Author: David Shama

Except for Adrian Peterson, the team’s No. 1 pick in 2007, the Vikings recent college drafts haven’t provided impact players.  Peterson is by far the best of the choices in the last five years and the Vikings have had better success gaining high impact help from NFL free agents during that period.

Running back Peterson and center Matt Birk, a 1998 pick, are the high impact players on offense who came through the draft.  Quarterback Gus Frerotte, wide receiver Bernard Berrian and left guard Steve Hutchinson are vital to the offense and all signed as free agents.

Except for defensive tackle Kevin Williams, a 2003 draft pick, the biggest contributors on defense are end Jared Allen, who came here in a trade, plus free agent acquisitions tackle Pat Williams, cornerback Antoine Winfield, and safeties Darren Sharper and Madieu Williams.

The Vikings have reserves Jeff Dugan (fullback) and Dontarrious Thomas (linebacker) from the 2004 draft still on the roster.  Reserve offensive tackle Marcus Johnson, a product of the 2005 draft, is with the team but that year’s two No. 1 picks, wide receiver Troy Williamson and defensive end Erasmus James, are not.

The Vikings do have four starters from the 2006 draft, defensive end Ray Edwards, linebacker Chad Greenway, cornerback Cedric Griffin and offensive tackle Ryan Cook, who are starters and trying to establish themselves.  Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, also from that draft, may one day resume a starting place in the lineup.

Along with Peterson, the Vikings still have several players from the 2007 and 2008 drafts but they have been mostly reserves and not particularly productive, although rookie safety Tyrell Johnson drew praise for his work as a starter while Madieu Williams was injured.

The Vikings’ five drafts from 1999-2003 look superior to the last five, at least for now. The 1999 draft produced quarterback Daunte Culpepper and tight end Jim Kleinsasser (still with the team).  Defensive tackle Chris Hovan, a 2000 draft choice, made all pro during his career here, as did Culpepper.  The 2001, 2002 and 2003 drafts gave the Vikings immediate starters in running back Michael Bennett, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie and defensive tackle Kevin Williams.  Plus, the 2003 draft produced linebacker E.J. Henderson, the team’s best linebacker this season until injured, and wide receiver Nate Burleson who became a starter before signing with Seattle.

The next couple of years will provide the final evaluation on the recent drafts but in the meantime, as the Vikings prepare for Sunday’s game at home with Green Bay, there’s no doubt this is a team built on a foundation of free agents.

When the Gophers play Michigan tomorrow, Mr. Indispensable, wide receiver Eric Decker, may not play effectively because of a sprained right ankle.  Decker has six touchdown catches this season; the rest of the Gopher wide receivers have collectively produced one.

The junior from Cold Spring has 895 receiving yards, the other wide receivers 537.  If Decker can’t play effectively, it will only be more evidence of his importance to the Gophers’ struggling offense (two drives per game the last four games of over 50 yards), and how their wide receiver fleet could have been far more potent if Michael Floyd, David Gilreath and Nathan Swift, all native Minnesotans, hadn’t chosen other schools.

Coming off his first season and a 1-11 record, Gopher coach Tim Brewster couldn’t sign up Floyd to stay home.  Brewster’s pursuit was all-out but Floyd chose Notre Dame where the freshman wide receiver has 41 catches for 633 yards and seven touchdowns, best on the team.  It won’t bring any comfort but a prep football source told Sports Headliners he believes that with the Gophers’ 7-2 record and success this year, Brewster could convince Floyd to stay home if this were his senior year at Cretin-Derham Hall.

Wisconsin’s David Gilreath, a sophomore, is learning to become a threat at wide receiver.  The former Washburn and Robbinsdale Armstrong prep has exceptional speed.  He has three touchdown receptions, second most on a non-passing team.  Gilreath, who appeared headed toward Minnesota until Glen Mason was dismissed as coach, has 1,080 total yards in kickoff returns, punt returns and receptions.

Swift, a senior wide receiver at Nebraska from Hutchinson, has 150 career receptions.  He recently broke the school record of 143 set by former Nebraska Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers.  Swift also has seven touchdown receptions this season and an eye-caching 17.3 yards per punt return average.  He returned one punt for 88 yards and a touchdown earlier this season.

Swift was part of the star trio from Hutchinson High School that also consisted of Gopher quarterback Tony Mortensen and offensive lineman Lydon Murtha who joined Swift at Nebraska.

During the off-season it won’t be surprising to see the Gophers recruit and sign a junior college wide receiver, perhaps a couple of them.  The Gophers also have true freshmen wide receivers who they will look to for improvement, plus possible incoming freshmen next year.

The Wolves’ Al Jefferson, listed at 6-10 but maybe shorter, prompts talk that he’s too small to be an NBA center.  Jefferson, who averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds last season, has heard similar conversation about Kevin Love, speculation that he’s too short (listed at 6-10 but smaller) to play power forward.

Jefferson dismisses such talk saying you “can’t worry about what people say.”  So Love can play against power forwards?  “Most definitely” Jefferson told Sports Headliners last week.  “No doubt in my mind he can.”

Jefferson, 23, is an admirer of the 20-year-old first round draft choice. “For a rookie, I have to say Love is a very smart guy,” Jefferson said.  “The only thing that he’s going to have to do, is just like every rookie has to do, is to learn the game and get used to how things go here in the NBA. …He passes the ball.  He rebounds well and he can score when it’s time for him to score.  I just think he’s a very smart guy.”

At UCLA Love averaged 10.6 rebounds per game and dazzled observers with his outlet passing.  In four games with the Wolves and in limited paying time, he’s averaging 6.3 rebounds in about 23 minutes per game.  Jefferson referred to Love as a “rebounding machine.”

Don Meyer, the coach of the Northern State team that played the Gophers in an exhibition loss last night, was head basketball coach at Hamline for three seasons starting in 1972.  Meyer had his lower left leg amputated recently because of a car accident.

Early draft preview: A recent issue of Sporting News magazine projects a 2009 mock NFL draft that has the Vikings picking at No. 16, choosing Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith.

Talk about a close rivalry: the Vikings and Packers are 25-25 in games played here.  Green Bay leads the series that began in 1961 by four games, 49-45-1.   On Sunday at the Metrodome the Vikings try to end a five game losing streak against the Packers.

The Vikings have improved their point production.  In the last four games they’re averaging 27.8 points, compared with 17.8 during the first four games.

Packer coach Mike McCarthy and Viking coach Brad Childress are both in their third seasons.  McCarthy is 26 and 16 with Green Bay, while Childress is 18-22 with the Vikings.

Rookie defensive tackle Letroy Guilon, drafted on the fifth round out of Florida State, is the youngest Viking at 21.  He has yet to play this season.

Former Gopher golfer and now best selling New York Times author Harvey Mackay has a weekly newspaper column that is syndicated and also is sent via e-mail to approximately 25,000 readers. 

The Wild are at Vancouver tomorrow night for a game against a Canucks team whose roster includes defenseman Willie Mitchell and wing Pavol Demitra.   Mitchell, who was with the Wild for parts of five seasons until 2006, has played in all 13 Vancouver games and has six assists.  Demitra, who has two goals and one assist in six games, won’t play tomorrow night because of a rib injury.  He played with the Wild the last two seasons and scored 118 points.

Veteran MIAC observer Dave Wright wrote to say he’s “never seen” a finish like last Saturday’s men’s hockey game between St. Thomas and St. Scholastica.  He reported that St. Thomas, leading 2-1, had a penalty with about two minutes to play.  St. Scholastica pulled its goalie and tied the game with 1:13 remaining.  Then St. Scholastica scored again with 1:01 left and had a 3-2 lead.  St. Thomas responded by pulling its goalie and the Tommies scored with 33 seconds remaining in the third period. The game ended in overtime at 3-3.

Leading the 18-player all-MIAC volleyball team is St. Thomas senior middle blocker Katie McCaffrey who was named the conference’s Player of the Year after leading the league in hitting percentage, kills, and blocks.  Gustavus senior libero Emily Klein was named Defensive Player of the Year, the third time she has won the award.  Concordia outside hitter Jenna Green was honored as Rookie of the Year.  St. Thomas head coach Thanh Pham received the MIAC Coach of the Year award after the Tommies went 11-0 in conference play for the second consecutive season and earned the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Playoffs.  Selections were made by conference coaches.