Vikings Draft Picks

Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and his personnel pals danced around the draft for the two days in which they had picks. They entered the draft festivities with no first round picks, a second, two thirds, two fourths, and a single pick in the remaining rounds. Eight picks in all. Spielman and pals traded like never before. In making seven trades they moved up in the second round, up in the third, and back in the remaining rounds. They turned eight picks into 11.

The Minnesota Vikings 2017 Draft Class.

Round 2, Pick 9 (41)	Dalvin Cook	RB	5'10" 210	Florida State
Round 3, Pick 6 (70)	Pat Elflein	C	6'3" 303	Ohio State
Round 4, Pick 2 (109)	Jaleel Johnson	DT	6'3" 316	Iowa
Round 4, Pick 14 (120)	Ben Gedeon	LB	6'2" 244	Michigan
Round 5, Pick 27 (170)	Rodney Adams	WR	6'1" 189	South Florida
Round 5, Pick 37 (180)	Danny Isidora	G	6'3" 306	Miami
Round 6, Pick 17 (201)	Bucky Hodges	TE	6'6" 257	Virginia Tech
Round 7, Pick 1 (219)	Stacy Coley	WR	6'0" 195	Miami
Round 7, Pick 2 (220)	Ifeadi Odenigbo	DE	6'3" 258	Northwestern
Round 7, Pick 14 (232)	Elijah Lee	LB	6'3" 228	Kansas State
Round 7, Pick 27 (245)	Jack Tocho	DB	6'0" 202	N.C. State

The 11 picks and seven trades (2 up and 5 back) are the most with Spielman calling the shots.

Many of the 11 picks could see immediate and significant playing time as soon as this season. Dalvin Cook should be a big factor in the running back rotation, if not the starter. Pat Elflein may be penciled in as the starting center right now. Jaleel Johnson should be part of the interior defensive line rotation. Ben Gedeon and Elijah Lee should grab immediate roles on special teams. Both could be part of the competition for the starting weakside linebacker spot that opened when Chad Greenway retired after the 2016 season. Rodney Harris and Stacy Coley will be part of the open competition to return kicks and punts in addition to opportunities at receiver. Bucky Hodges is a freaky height/speed athlete. He could be an immediate mismatch for defenses and an excellent red zone option. Scoring from that prime part of the was real problem last year. Hodges should help fix that. Ifeadi Odenigbo is a developmental defensive end. The Vikings are fairly set at the position but if Odenigbo can make his presence felt now he can be a factor later. I have to think that Jack Tocho's future in the NFL is at safety due to his high football IQ and the Vikings desire to find a versatile player to pair with Harrison Smith in the back of the defense.

It took quite a bit of dancing, some of which drove fans nuts, by Spielman and his pals but the Vikings came away with a large, versatile draft class. They brought some young talent to the team. Most of them in areas in which the Vikings needed young talent.