When Rick Spielman arrived in Minnesota, he came across as an intense, sometimes socially awkward executive who shunned attention and carried an iffy résumé after making a series of questionable decisions in Miami.
He rarely spoke in public and when he did, he'd begin most sentences with the word "again," as if, in his mind, he had answered every question a dozen times.
Spielman has altered his persona in Minnesota, becoming more down-to-earth and successful than anyone would have imagined. Thursday night, the best word to describe his latest work was "again."
He again capitalized on a free-falling prospect, taking Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. He again tried to stuff his roster with athletic cornerbacks, this time taking Florida State's Xavier Rhodes. He again proved aggressive, trading four draft picks to move into the first round at the end of the night, and taking Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
NFL executives love to tell you they were surprised that players became available to them in the draft. The Vikings weren't lying Thursday.
Nobody expected Floyd to fall to the 23rd pick in the draft. And while Spielman was detailing his surprise at a podium in the Vikings' fieldhouse, assistant public relations director Tom West motioned to him, waving a phone. Spielman sprinted back to the team's draft room. At the same time, coach Leslie Frazier was conducting a radio interview, and he, too, was summoned.
The Patriots offered Spielman a chance to trade his second, third, fourth and seventh-round picks for the 29th selection. The Vikings craved Patterson because of his raw athletic ability and-returning prowess. They paid a high price to get him, but this was the result of their gamble.
In one day, the Vikings added three high-end talents to key positions. Just as important, they did not get lured into the trap of taking the overrated Manti Te'o.
