The Vikings certainly need better results from the 2011 NFL draft, which began Thursday night, than they had a year ago if the team is going to fill the many holes on their roster for next season.
The 2011 draft class is viewed as being much deeper than in 2010, when the Vikings traded their first-round pick (and 30th overall) to the Lions in an exchange of draft picks. When Southern California tackle Tyron Smith wasn't available through a trade and was taken by Dallas three picks before, the Vikings selected Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder at No. 12.
A year ago five of the eight players the Vikings drafted made the 53-man roster, but there weren't any big stars or contributors among them like in 2009 when the Vikings picked receiver Percy Harvin in the first round.
After the Vikings traded their 2010 first-round pick to the Lions, their first selection was cornerback Chris Cook of Virginia in the second round (the 34th overall pick). Later in the second round, they drafted Stanford running back Toby Gerhart with the 51st overall pick.
Cook missed 10 of 16 games because of various injuries and wound up on the injured reserve list. Gerhart didn't live up to his big buildup. He missed one game and was hampered in others because of injuries. He finished with 81 rushes for 322 yards and caught 21 passes for 167 yards.
Like this year, the Vikings didn't have a third-round choice last year. Their fourth-round pick, obtained from the Lions, was defensive lineman Everson Griffen of Southern California, who didn't play in the first four games and saw limited action the rest of the season. Griffen finished the season with 11 tackles.
Their fifth-round choice, offensive lineman Chris DeGeare from Wake Forest, started the final five games when an injury sidelined left guard Steve Hutchinson. DeGeare likely would not have seen action if it wasn't for that injury. A second fifth-round draft choice, Gophers linebacker Nate Triplett, was released and eventually signed with the Colts in December.
No doubt the surprise of the draft was Alabama-Birmingham quarterback Joe Webb, who was drafted in the sixth round with the 199th overall pick. Webb was drafted as a wide receiver, but his strong arm impressed the coaching staff and he became the team's third-string quarterback.