The Vikings only had five picks in the draft last April but every single player they picked made a impact on the team.  WR/KR Percy Harvin fell all the way to the Vikings at #22 in the first round due to off-field problems at Florida.  The Vikings quickly snapped him up and watched him be named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL.  He played in 15 games for the Vikings this season and he caught 60 passes for 790 yards (13.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 15 times for 135 yards (9.0 ypc).  He was also outstanding on special teams as he returned 42 kickoffs for 1,156 yards (27.5 avg) with 2 TD returns including one that went for 101 yards.  In the second round the Vikings took OT Phil Loadholt (#54 overall) out of Oklahoma.  Loadholt played in 15 games (all starts) for the Vikings as a rookie and he is a really good player with a huge upside.  He is a mountain of a man at 6′8″, 343 pounds.  CB Asher Allen was selected in the third round (#86 overall) out of Georgia.  He played in 10 games as a rookie for the Vikings and he made 27 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he had 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  In the fifth round the Vikings picked linebacker Jasper Brinkley (#150 overall) out of South Carolina.  When E.J. Henderson went down to injury Brinkley stepped into the starting line-up and he did a decent job.  Brinkley played in all 16 games for the Vikings last season and he made 31 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and he forced 1 fumble.  He has a nice upside.  In the 7th round the Vikings used the #231 overall pick on safety Jamarca Sanford out of Mississippi.   Sanford played in 14 games as a rookie last season and he made 29 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he forced 1 fumble.

GRADE FOR 2009:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+