The NFL Draft: Vikings Go 3-For-3

National Football League Draft (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Vikings made a big splash in Round One of the NFL Draft Thursday night, picking three players they hope will bolster their chances for next season.

Even with their low draft standing, having made the playoffs last season, the Vikings got players that their brain trust would claim were shocked that they would still be available.  Those three players are:

• Sherrif Floyd, defensive tackle from Florida.
• Xavier Rhodes, cornerback from Florida State.
• Carderelle Patterson, wide receiver from Tennessee.  Acquired from the New England Patriots in exchange for lower round picks.

Amid the bright lights of New York's Radio City Music Hall, where the draft was held, there wasn't a lot of glamour in the players that were chosen as most teams opted for help in the offensive and defensive trenches.  The tone was set by the Kansas City Chiefs, who used their number one pick on offensive tackle Eric Fisher of Central Michigan.

Meanwhile some of the players you might have heard about, whether it came through Mel Kiper Jr. and other folks who make their living as TV draft experts or through unflattering media coverage, were either claimed late in the round or not picked at all.  That included Manti Te'o of Notre Dame, whose stock cratered after the "imaginary girlfriend" fiasco.  Everybody thought the Vikings or Chicago Bears would choose Te'o in the first round.  Everybody was wrong.

As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell strolled out to the podium to announce which team picked what player, he was sometimes accompanied by special guests.  Goodell brought out retired New York quarterbacks Phil Simms and Joe Namath to promote the fact that the next Super Bowl will be played in the great outdoors, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in February.  Barry Sanders, who graces the cover of the new "Madden" video game (thus ensuring that no current player will get injured this season), was brought out to announce the Detroit Lions' first round pick.  And there were the time-consuming salutes to The Troops and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, in which the standing ovations were as phony as those so-called "optional" workouts.

When the draft ends, the hard part begins for the Vikings.  First, they have to sign Floyd, Rhodes, Patterson and whoever else they end up choosing.  Second, put them through mini-camps, summer training camps and pre-season games.  Third--and most important, because this is going to be a long process--see if any of these picks pan out in the crucible that is the NFL.