The Vikings have drafted RB Toby Gerhard out of Stanford with the 51st overall pick (2nd round) of the NFL Draft.  Gerhart is a big guy at 6’0″, 235 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40.  Gerhart likes to run guys over but that’s not all he can do as he is a solid receiver.  Gerhart played in 13 games (all starts) with Stanford last season and he carried the ball 343 times for 1,871 yards (5.5 ypc) with 28 TD runs.  He also caught 11 passes for 157 yards (14.3 avg) last season for Stanford.  He played in 38 games (24 starts) in his four years at Stanford and he carried the ball 671 times for 3,522 yards (5.2 ypc) with 44 TD runs.  Gerhart also caught 39 passes for 395 yards (10.1 avg) at Stanford.  This was a outstanding pick for the Vikings as Gerhart will give the Vikings a different look on offense when Adrian Peterson needs a break.

The Vikings selected CB Chris Cook out of Virginia in the second round of the NFL Draft (34th overall).  He is a big corner at 6’1″, 212 pounds but he’s a tad slow running a 4.55 40.  He also doesn’t bring it against the running game as he got run over a few times last season.  He might be more cut out for safety if he gets a little bit tougher.  Cook played in 12 games (all starts) for Virginia last season and he finished up with 40 tackles, he broke up 6 passes and he had 4 interceptions.  Cook played in 38 games (30 starts) in his four years with the Cavaliers and he finished up with 143 tackles, he broke up 19 passes, had 7 interceptions, he forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  The Vikings drafted for need with Cook but there were better players on the table when they picked.

Until this point the Vikings have not been able to add much talent to the roster because of the rules for a uncapped season in 2010.  But this weekend the shackles will be off of the Vikings and they are looking to fill some holes on the roster.  The Vikings have 3 of the top 93 picks in the draft and they have 8 overall picks.  The Vikings have needs at S, CB, OT, G and RB and they will likely be able to fill some of those holes this weekend.  I think they will be targeting OT Bruce Campbell, S Nate Allen and QB Jimmy Clausen in the first round of the NFL Draft.

PROJECTED FIRST ROUND PICK:  S, Nate Allen, South Florida

The Vikings have signed 29-year old cornerback Lito Sheppard to a 1-year, $2 million dollar deal.  Sheppard played in 11 games for the Jets last season and he had 31 tackles, defensed 8 passes and he had 1 interception.  Sheppard has now played in 104 games in his NFL career and he has made 284 tackles, defensed 77 passes, he has 2 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and he has 19 interceptions (3 of which he has returned for TDs).  This was a good signing for the Vikings as Sheppard will be the nickel back in 2010 unless they need him to start and he’s more than capable of holding his own in that role.

The Vikings have not done much this off season as they have been hamstrung by an uncapped season.  Because the Vikings finished in the final four teams last season they can only add a free agent if they lose one of greater or equal value.  With that in mind the Vikings have only signed kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd and backup DT/DE Michael Montgomery.  The Vikings might only be able to improve in the draft this season which is going to make it tough on them.