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The Minnesota Vikings release kicker Ryan Longwell

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:51:34 +0000

The Vikings have released 37-year old kicker Ryan Longwell. Longwell played in all 16 games for the Vikings last year and he connected on 22 of 28 field goals (78.6%). He also made 38 of 39 extra points as he finished up with 104 points last year. He played in 96 games in his six years with the Vikings and he made 135 of 157 field goals (86%). He also made 228 of 233 extra points for the Vikings and he finished up his career in Minnesota with 633 points. Longwell was made expendable the moment the Vikings drafted Blair Walsh in the 6th round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

The Minnesota Vikings picked DT/DE Trevor Guyton in the 7th round

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:48:34 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected DT/DE Trevor Guyton out of California with the 219th overall pick (7th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Guyton is 6’2″, 283 pounds and he runs a 4.85 40. Guyton is a power player and he is a strong tackler. Guyton can play anywhere along the D-Line and that gives the Vikings added value with this pick. Guyton played in 13 games (all starts) at California last year and he had 46 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Guyton played in 42 games (17 starts) in his four years at California and he had 91 tackles, 24.5 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. This was another solid pick for the Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings picked LB Audie Cole in the 7th round

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:42:41 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected linebacker Audie Cole out of North Carolina State with the 210th overall pick (7th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Cole is 6’4″, 248 pounds and he runs a 4.84 40. Cole is versatile as he can play either inside or outside linebacker. He is a solid tackler and pass rusher. Cole will likely start his career on special teams for the Vikings and he will likely backup MLB Jasper Brinkley as a rookie. Cole played in 13 games (all starts) at North Carolina State last year and he had 108 tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and 4 passes broken up. Cole played in 51 games (38 starts) in his four years with the Wolfpack and he had 276 tackles, 32 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, 8 passes broken up and 1 interception. This was another solid pick for the Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings picked kicker Blair Walsh in the 6th round

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:37:08 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected kicker Blair Walsh out of Georgia with the 175th overall pick (6th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Walsh is a little guy at 5’9″, 186 pounds but he has a strong leg. He is a good pressure kicker and he also kicks off. Walsh played in 14 games for Georgia last year and he made 21 of 35 field goals (60%). He also made all 46 of his extra points as he scored 109 points for the Bulldogs last year. Walsh played in 53 games in his four years at Georgia and he connected on 76 of 103 (73.8%) field goals. He also made 184 of 185 extra points at Georgia where he scored 412 points. He will take over as the Vikings’ starting kicker from Day #1.

The Minnesota Vikings picked CB Robert Blanton in the 5th round

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:32:24 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected CB Robert Blanton out of Notre Dame with the 139th overall pick (5th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Blanton is 6’1″, 208 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40. Blanton was only a full time starter as a senior. He is a solid cover corner and he’s a good tackler and run defender. Blanton played in 13 games (all starts) for Notre Dame last year and he had 70 tackles, 6 passes broken up, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Blanton played in 50 games (26 starts) in his four years with the Irish and he had 193 tackles, 16 passes broken up, 8 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Blanton also adds value on special teams and he can play some safety if needed. This was a solid pick for the Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings picked WR Greg Childs in the 4th round

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:44:20 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected WR Greg Childs out of Arkansas with the 134th overall pick (4th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Childs is a big target at 6’3″, 219 pounds and he runs a 4.54 40. Childs had a rough senior season at Arkansas as he played in 11 games but only caught 21 passes for 240 yards (11.4 avg) without any TD grabs. He played in 44 games in his four years with the Razorbacks and he caught 133 passes for 2,066 yards (15.5 avg) with 15 TD grabs. Childs will give Christian Ponder a bigger target than most all of the Vikings’ WRs, so he’s going to be looking his way quite a bit in 2012…..if he steps up.

The Minnesota Vikings picked TE/FB Rhett Ellison in the 4th round

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:35:35 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected TE/FB Rhett Ellison out of USC with the 128th overall pick (4th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Ellison is 6’5″, 250 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40. Ellison plays hard and he’s a team player who will likely help out on special teams as well as offense. He has a good set of hands in the passing game. He will need to improve as a blocker, and he doesn’t get many yards after the catch. Ellison played in 12 games (all starts) for USC last year and he caught 22 passes for 133 yards (6.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs. Ellison played in 47 games (31 starts) in his four years with the Trojans and he caught 53 passes for 471 yards (8.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

The Minnesota Vikings picked WR Jarius Wright in the 4th round

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:29:26 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected WR Jarius Wright out of Arkansas with the 118th overall pick (4th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Wright is 5’10″, 182 pounds and he runs a 4.4 40. Wright is an outstanding deep threat as he has the speed to threaten other team’s secondaries. He also has a pretty dependable set of hands. He can get roughed up by bigger corners and he’s not much of a blocker. Wright played in 12 games (all starts) for Arkansas last year and he caught 66 passes for 1,117 yards (16.9 avg) with 12 TD grabs. Wright played in 50 games (44 starts) in his four years with the Razorbacks and he caught 168 passes for 2,934 yards (17.5 avg) with 24 TD grabs. Wright will help the Vikings stretch defenses deep in 2012 and beyond.

The Minnesota Vikings picked CB Josh Robinson in the 3rd round

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:01:30 +0000

The Minnesota Vikings selected CB Josh Robinson out of Central Florida with the 66th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Robinson is 5’10, 195 pounds and he runs a 4.55 40. Robinson is a pretty smooth CB, especially against the pass. But, he will need to get stronger to help out on run support. Robinson played in 12 games (all starts) for Central Florida last year and he had 48 tackles, 15 passes broken up, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. Robinson played in 38 games (36 starts) in his three years at Central Florida and he finished up with 176 tackles, 36 passes broken up, 10 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. The Vikings needed help at corner heading into this draft, so I like this pick for them as Robinson has a nice upside.

The Minnesota Vikings trade up for safety Harrison Smith

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:13:17 +0000

The Vikings dealt the #35 overall pick (2nd round) and the #98 overall pick (4th round) for the right to move up to the #29 spot (which belonged to the Ravens) and they took free safety Harrison Smith with that pick. Smith is a big safety at 6’1″, 212 pounds and he runs a 4.50 40. He played in 13 games (all starts) for Notre Dame last year and he had 90 tackles, broke up 10 passes, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble. Smith played in 51 games (47 starts) in his four years at Notre Dame and he had 309 tackles, 28 passes broken up, 7 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. Smith sometimes whiffs on tackles as he tends to go for the big hit. But, he plays hard on every play as his motor always runs hot and he’s a leader on D. This was a very solid pick for the Vikings.