Friday morning thoughts:
-The Vikings' pick was quientessentially Rick Spielman. He loves spectacular athletes and is willing to gamble on them. Percy Harvin. Cordarrelle Patterson. Adrian Peterson (who really wasn't much of a gamble). Dalvin Cook.
This also befits Vikings history, if you consider the histories of Keith Millard, Randy Moss, Everson Griffen, Cris Carter and Koren Robinson.
Spielman often talks about character, but if his own investigations into a player indicate to him that the player will not be a continuing problem in the pros, he's willing to overlook past transgressions. Especially if they're deniable.
Mike Hughes is a spectacular athlete who could have gone higher in the draft had he not faced accusations while in college, and hadn't bounced from college to college. Sounds a lot like Moss.
We could be sanctimonious and say that professional teams shouldn't employ anyone with character issues, but that's not realistic. Hughes is a value pick in part because of his past. The Vikings are gambling that he'll stay clean as a pro. Given their history and the nature of their sport, that's a reasonable bet.
-I think all of the NFC North teams did well in the draft, because none of them reached, as did just about every team that chose a quarterback in the top 10.
Roquan Smith should be a longtime standout at linebacker for the Bears.
