sports

As a member of the UCLA coaching staff, Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy spent a lot of time with Adrian Peterson in Palestine, Texas, and thought he had a good chance to sign the running back. But Peterson eventually chose Oklahoma.

"You know what I like to think: We came close, but you know, it was probably wishful thinking," Bieniemy said. "But we threw our hat in the ring, and we got him to come on the trip [to UCLA], so in that sense, I felt we did a great job. We just didn't fit where he wanted to go."

Bieniemy said it brought up old times when he talked on the phone to Peterson after the Vikings drafted him in the first round Saturday.

"When we talked on the phone that's what we said. It's funny how things work," Bieniemy said.

The Vikings put an emphasis on character in deciding who to draft, and Bieniemy couldn't say enough about Peterson.

"He's a great kid; you know he comes from a great family, he's a hard-working, humble kid," Bieniemy said. "The only thing he wants to do is improve in any area of life on the field, or in life off the field, but I'm excited to have this opportunity to work with him and I'm looking forward to it."

Bieniemy said Peterson was recruited by more than 100 universities out of high school.

"We were fortunate enough when I was at UCLA to get him to come on the trip, and he came out there for a weekend," Bieniemy recalled. "We spent a lot of time and we developed a relationship. The thing about it, the unique aspect about the kid, is not just the talent but the person that you get. You're getting a guy with great character and a kid that doesn't take anything for granted. When you've got that, combined with a player who has the unique physical abilities that he has, I think the sky can be the limit for him.

"He mentally just has the mindset whereas he always wants to get better. ... He's always been one of the better players regardless of what level he's played at, whether it's high school or college, but the way he carries himself, you would never know that. Because like I say, he's a humble, hard-working kid who doesn't take anything for granted and takes a lot of pride in everything that he does."

Bieniemy looks for the Vikings to have a superior 1-2 rushing attack with Chester Taylor and Peterson.

"I think we can utilize those two in some great situations, and as a running back coach, I couldn't be any more happy," Bieniemy said. "I've got a 1,200-yard rusher and now ... [have] an opportunity to coach a young Adrian Peterson at this level."

It might be denied by all at Winter Park, but I am convinced that had Louisiana State safety LaRon Landry not been taken by Washington at No. 6, the Vikings would have taken him instead.

You don't draft players for public relations reasons. But not only can Peterson play, he also will give Vikings fans a reason to get excited because he is a breakaway threat at running back.

Not just in the draft

While the Vikings have worked hard on the draft, they also have a strong list of top college players who won't be drafted, and they are going to make a strong bid for the best.

"They did a very good job here last year," Vikings vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman said. "They got the Jayme Mitchells of the world and Jason Carters, and we had a couple of guys, Wendell Mathis, who is on our practice squad and got active a little bit towards the end.

"There were guys that you could pick up that end up making your ballclub, and Martin Nance, we picked up from Buffalo ... and he ended up playing the last game for us, so again, fans have to realize that this is a major piece of the puzzle [of] how we're going to build this organization, and not only for next year but for future years. But ... it's a 12-month process and you continually work and work and work to keep adding players."

Spielman added that team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf have provided a large budget for whatever it takes to get the good undrafted free agents.