Early Impact -- Offense:
The Vikings landed the second-best player in the draft with the seventh overall pick in Adrian Peterson out of Oklahoma. The 6'1", 217-pound running back is a rare talent with the combination of size, speed and vision that all teams so desperately seek in running backs. I wouldn't be surprised to see the former Sooner stud rack up 1,400 yards and 10 TDs next year.
Early Impact -- Defense:
It is always nice for teams when the player they select not only fits their system well but is also the best player available on the board, which was exactly the case when the 49ers selected Patrick Willis, a linebacker from Ole Miss with the 11th pick. The 2006 Butkus Award winner, Willis is a tremendous athlete with the ability to consistently make plays all over the field. He will be a rock for years to come in the 49ers base 3-4 scheme.
Biggest Reach:
Most would say Ted Ginn to the Dolphins at nine fills the bill here, but I think the former Buckeye speedster is just what the doctor ordered for the Miami offense. Adam Carriker, the defensive end out of Nebraska taken by the Rams with the 13th pick, is a bigger stretch. While Carriker is a versatile player who will help out the Rams' defensive front, he is not the type of dominant player you'd like with a high pick. With the only two elite defensive ends (Gaines Adams and Jamaal Anderson) off the board, the Rams would have been wise to take a corner such as Chris Houston or Leon Hall instead of settling for the solid but unspectacular Carriker.
Biggest Steal:
I'm at a loss for an explanation as to how Chris Houston, a cornerback out of Arkansas who ran a 4.32 40, benched 225 pounds 27 times and did a fantastic job in man coverage against the nation's premier college receivers in 2006 fell into the middle of the second round, but we've come to expect such incompetence from time to time out of NFL talent evaluators in this day and age. Houston, who reminds me a lot of Pacman Jones coming out of West Virginia in 2005 (minus the character concerns), profiles as the type of physical and speedy lockdown corner that teams can put out on an island to cover an opposing team's top wide receiver. The Falcons should count their lucky stars they were able to land a talent like Houston with their second-round pick.
Best Overall Day One:
Minnesota Vikings take the cake here. The Cleveland Browns are the popular choice after landing a potential Pro Bowl left tackle in Joe Thomas, a potential franchise quarterback in Notre Dame signal caller Brady Quinn and a potential-laden cornerback in Eric Wright. While the Browns pulled off an amazing feat by landing Thomas, Quinn and Wright, the Vikings' drafting of Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and Marcus McCauley is even more impressive. Peterson was easily the premier running back in this year's class, and Sidney Rice at pick 44 is arguably the steal of the draft. The South Carolina wide receiver has a special combination of ball skills, hands and athleticism that allowed him to put up great numbers at South Carolina despite inconsistent QB play. The Vikings' third-round pick, cornerback Marcus McCauley from Fresno State, has the size (6'0") and speed (4.39 second 40-yard dash) to become a premier corner in the NFL.
