Draft should key on defense

Scouting college players isn't something I follow closely. So if you expect me to name a lot of draft-eligible players, that isn't going to happen.

But I can tell you what areas we need help filling.

The draft helps a team get better. You want the best athlete that you can possibly find to be a part of the organization.
If you look at some of the past stars the Vikings have drafted, you see names like Carl Eller, Alan Page, Mick Tingelhoff, Fran Tarkenton, Chuck Foreman, Tommy Kramer, Fred McNeill, Sammy White, Joe Senser, Ted Brown, Joey Browner, Chris Doleman, Randall McDaniel, Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Matt Birk, Chad Greenway, Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin … and now looking at potential players, the Vikings want one that will make a difference for the team.

We have to have a good defense. Every team does. You win with defense.

My opinion, yes, you pick the best player, but you look at present and future aspects of the draftee as well.
The Vikings defense is probably the weakest in the secondary. Cedric Griffin tore an ACL in the NFC Championship game. That is probably the hardest injury to recover from, and it usually takes more than a year to get back to full speed. Mr. Winfield's foot injury will nag him the rest of his career. He's not young, as it's his 12th season. Speed is a factor in this game and he'll lose that without full use of his feet. To quote Bud Grant, "If you can't run, you can't play in the NFL."

I rate our secondary 50 percent healthy if they were to play with what they have today. So taking a defensive back first makes sense.

The defensive line position is the next area that needs some support. They need a tackle, similar to a Pat Williams who can stop up the middle. Pat's getting older; it might be his last season, or he could be suspended for four games along with Kevin Williams if they don't win their court battle.

Top offensive line backup Artis Hicks went to the Redskins. So again, if you pick someone, you need an athlete to play three positions. Whoever goes down, the top backup has to adapt to the center, guard and tackle positions. They need to be that versatile to play all those positions because you never know who will end up injured. Maybe a top offensive lineman will fall to the Vikings at No. 30.

We lost Chester Taylor to the Bears, so we need a running back that can catch the ball out of the backfield using the West Coast offense.You can get a good running back in later rounds in many drafts. I do like Albert Young, but he doesn't have any experience and he won't be given that position, so he'll need to earn it. He'll have a chance to do that, along with any new incoming backs. If I did learn anything about the NFL, you will get that chance and an opportunity to show your skills. It might not be in the condition you thought, but sooner or later you'll get that chance.

The draft today has gone to a different level. Players are better prepared to enter the NFL, they go through the Combine, and the first-round picks are paraded into New York City and displayed to the world. The draft is now more of an entertainment venue for fans than simply about acquiring new talent.

But getting back to the basics of football, you just want the best players who will be able to help bring home the ring that the Vikings and fans have been waiting for ... for decades!