While it's tempting to romanticize the possibilities of a backfield that includes Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson or Brian Westbrook, the Vikings would be better off finding Chester Taylor's replacement in the middle to later rounds of the draft.

There are two reasons for this:

1, Good running backs are everywhere. Early in the draft. Late in the draft. AFTER the draft. Even Chester himself was a sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2002.

2, Old running backs, even the great ones, go S-P-L-A-T when they hit the wall. Even Humpty Dumpty's pit crew can't put em back together again.( Did someone say Shaun Alexander?)

LT is a Hall of Famer. But he'll be 31 on June 23, and he's coming off a season that included career lows in rushing yards (730), average (3.3), catches (20) and receiving yards (154). Splat.

Westbrook will be 31 on Sept. 2. And while he has experience with Brad Childress and the Vikings' offense, Westbrook is even less attractive as an option. He played only eight games last year, has had an injury-plagued career and he had multiple concussions last season. Double Splat.

There's an urge to hope that a great running back can squeeze out another productive year after hitting the wall. But it rarely happens. Think Alexander in Washington. Or for you older folks, think Franco Harris in Seattle, O.J. Simpson in San Francisco and Earl Campbell in New Orleans, to name a few.

While LT or Westbrook could be had for a bargain financially, that doesn't account for the potential cost of missing out on a young, talented running back while gambling a roster spot on the hopes that LT or Westbrook might have one more year left in the tank. I'd rather go with youth at running back heading into a season than be stuck scrambling for depth at midseason when my 31-year-old got hurt or couldn't produce.

A look at the history of the running back position tells us it's traditionally the deepest in NFL-caliber talent. Terrell Davis was a sixth-round pick of the Broncos. Taylor was an overlooked talent at Toledo. Shonn Greene was a third-rounder last year. Pierre Thomas went from being undrafted in 2007 to helping the Saints win a Super Bowl in his third season.

Ideally, the Vikings would be best served by re-signing Taylor. But he came here because he didn't want to be a backup, so logic would suggest he's outta here for the same reason.

That leaves Peterson and No. 3 back Albert Young awaiting Taylor's replacement.

The Vikings have assembled a solid structure for drafting players. I'd rather they put it to use finding another talented young running back than signing an aging star who has already hit the wall.