The team added free safety Tyrell Johnson to its
secondary, which should be improved with Allen's pass rush.
Round 2, Pick 12 (43)
(From Panthers through Eagles) Tyrell Johnson FS 6'0" 207 Arkansas St.
The Vikings move up five spots in order to grab Johnson a guy who was apparently
moving up everyone's draft boards due to the speed he displayed in his workouts.
There's a chance he could even play cornerback at the next level.
Round 5, Pick 2 (137)
(From Rams through Packers) John David Booty QB 6'3" 213 USC
Booty was a two-year starter with 20 starts at USC. He's not in the class of the
other USC QBs before him but a really accurate passer who knows where to go with
the football.
Round 5, Pick 17 (152) (From Eagles) Letroy Guion DT 6'4" 303 Florida State
Guion didn't have a lot of starts in his career. In his limited starts at
Florida State, he was very productive with 12.5 sacks.
Round 6, Pick 21 (187)
(From Buccaneers through Chiefs) John Sullivan C 6'4" 301 Notre Dame
Sullivan has short arms, which is not ideal for a center, and he may lack some
toughness, but he has smarts and is adept at knowing the offense.
Round 6, Pick 27 (193) (From Jaguars) Jaymar Johnson WR 6'0" 176 Jackson State
There is nothing especially remarkable about Johnson's measurables and he lacks
great size, but the Vikings are looking for receivers that may be able to fill a
void and he is a long term developmental project
Minnesota Vikings 2008 NFL Preview
The league’s best rushing attack and run defense. The
only question remains Tarvaris Jackson. With Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor
the Vikings have the best running back tandem in the league by far. The
passing game however is quite another thing as Tarvaris Jackson
continues to hold back the offense. The big news in Minnesota was the
addition of Jared Allen who was going to be an amazind bookend to
Kenechi Udeze. The loss of Udeze makes the addition of Allen all that
more important as he is going to have to anchor the defense and get some
rush on to help out the secondary.
Offense: Obviously this offense revolves around the running game,
but it all will hinge on what Tarvaris Jackson is able to do when teams
stack the box. Peterson and Taylor can control games to a certain
extent, but if Jackson continues to give the ball to the other team it
wont matter. The addition of Bernard Berrian in free agency helped
solidify the receiver position.
Defense: Minnesota gave up a lot (1st and 3rd rounder) to get
Jared Allen from KC. The move will be great for the defense, but does
carry with it some risks as Allen served a two game suspention last year
for repeated drunk driving arrests. Allen led the league with 15.5 sacks
last year and as long as he focuses on football can be a game changer.
FS Madieau Williams replaces Dwight Smith and Tyrell Johnson is in the
mix as well.
Overall: The Vikings are the best team in a mediocre division
so they should win the division although they are going nowhere in the
playoffs. The Vikings may have the game’s best run offense and defense.
Their season comes down to how well Tarvaris Jackson performs.
