The Vikings took WR Stephen Burton out of West Texas A&M with the 236th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Burton is 6’1″, 221 pounds and he runs a 4.52 40.  Burton played in 12 games (10 starts) at West Texas A&M last year and he caught 70 passes for 1,021 yards (14.6 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  In his two years with West Texas A&M, Burton played in 24 games (17 starts) in which he caught 132 passes for 1,909 yards (14.5 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He also returned 12 kickoffs for 259 yards (21.6 avg) and 10 punts for 98 yards (9.8 avg).  Burton will likely have to earn a spot on special teams if he’s going to make the Vikings’ roster in 2011.

The Minnesota Vikings took DE D’Aundre Reed out of Arizona with the 215th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Reed is 6’4″, 258 pounds and he isn’t athletic enough to play outside linebacker.  Reed was a backup in college so he’s going to have to work hard to stick in the NFL.  Reed played in 47 games (8 starts) in his four years with the Wildcats and he had 83 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, batted down 3 balls and he forced 2 fumbles.  Reed will be a longshot to win a job on the Vikings’ opening day roster in 2011.

The Minnesota Vikings picked 24-year old OLB Ross Homan out of Ohio State with the 200th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Homan is 6’0″, 229 pounds and he runs a 4.75 50.  Homan is a solid player on plays in front of him but he has issues when asked to cover a back or TE.  He also isn’t much of a blitzer.  Homan played in 11 games (all starts) for Ohio State last year and he had 72 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, he broke up 4 passes and he had 1 interception.  In five years with the Buckeyes (he had a medical hardship year for turf toe), Homan played in 54 games (30 starts) in which he had 287 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, he broke up 11 passes and he had 7 interceptions.  Homan will likely have to make the team on special teams and he will have to work his way into the defense.

The Vikings took 23-year old center Brandon Fusco out of Slippery Rock with the 172nd overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Fusco is 6’4″, 302 pounds.  Fusco has good speed in his set-up in pass protection but the Vikings will need to teach him how to be mean.  Fusco doesn’t get much push in the running game and that was against inferior competition, so he has a long way to go before he’s ready for action in the NFL.  Fusco played in 11 games (all starts) at Slippery Rock last year and he played in 44 games (all starts) in his four years there.  This was a pick with an eye on the future.

The Minnesota Vikings took CB/S Mistral Raymond out of South Florida with the 170th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Raymond is 6’2″, 192 pounds but he’s a tad slow as he runs a 4.67 40.  Raymond projects more as a safety due to his lack of speed but he could be used at corner in a pinch.  He played in 12 games (11 starts) for South Florida last year and he had 56 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, he broke up 7 passes and he had 1 interception.  Last year was Raymond’s first as a full-time starter and he was a walk on just three years ago.  That means that hard work doesn’t scare him off.

The Vikings took 23-year old OT DeMarcus Love out of Arkansas with the 168th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Love is 6’4″, 318 pounds.  DeMarcus Love should have been gone before the Vikings took him, so they once again got good value.  Love is not a power player despite his size, but he’s a good athlete.  He played in 13 games (all starts) at Arkansas last year and he played in 45 games (37 starts) in his four years with the Razorbacks.  Love is a developmental project as he’s a little rough around the edges, but the Vikings’ coaching staff might be able to get the best out of him down the road.

The Vikings took 22-year old cornerback Brandon Burton out of Utah with the 139th overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Burton is 6’0″, 185 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  Burton isn’t a physical player and he is not a good run defender, as he’s a tad soft.  But, he’s a solid cover corner who can make big plays down the field.  Burton played in 13 games (all starts) at Utah last year and he had 51 tackles, broke up 8 passes, had 2 interceptions and he forced 1 fumble.  He played in 37 games (25 starts) in his three years with the Utes and he had 101 tackles, he broke up 18 passes, had 3 interceptions and he forced 1 fumble.  The Vikings caught another sliding player to help out on defense.  This was another really solid pick for them.

The Minnesota Vikings drafted 22-year old DT Christian Ballard out of Iowa with the 106th overall pick (4th round) of 2011 NFL Draft.  Ballard is 6’4″, 298 pounds and he runs a 4.85 40, so he’s a good athlete for his size.  Ballard slid in the draft because he tends to run hot and cold.  When he focused and motivated, he gives offensive lines fits because of his speed.  Ballard played in 13 games (all starts) for Iowa last year and he had 43 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, he batted down 2 balls and he forced 1 fumble.  He played in 49 games (39 starts) in his four years with the Hawkeyes and he had 153 tackles, 21.5 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, batted down 3 balls and he forced 2 fumbles.  Ballard has a nice upside and he was a great pick for the Vikings this late in the game.

The Minnesota Vikings took 21-year old TE Kyle Rudolph out of Notre Dame with the 43rd overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Rudolph is 6’5″, 265 pounds but he runs a 4.7 40.  Rudolph has great hands and he’s a decent blocker, but he’s definitely not a homerun threat by any means.  Rudolph played in 6 games (all starts) for Notre Dame last season and he caught 28 passes for 328 yards (11.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He missed a lot of last season due to a hamstring injury.  Rudolph played in 29 games (18 starts) in his three years with the Irish and he caught 90 passes for 1,032 yards (11.5 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  I like this pick for the Vikings as Rudolph will give the next QB a nice, big target.