The Minnesota Vikings have landed two great players in the draft over the past three years by taking gambles that teams ahead of them apparently didn't want to take.
Superstar running back Adrian Peterson was the seventh choice in the first round in 2007, and wide receiver Percy Harvin was the 22nd pick in the first round this year.
The 38-26 victory over the Packers on Sunday was a perfect example of what those two young players mean to the Vikings.
Harvin was responsible for 261 yards -- five kickoff returns for 175 yards, 84 receiving yards and 2 rushing yards.
By the end of the first half, Peterson had already exceeded the 55 yards he got in the first Packers' game -- a 30-23 Vikings' victory on Oct. 5 -- and had a 33-yard run and a 40-yard pass reception in the second half to help clinch the victory. Peterson, only 24, wound up with 97 yards in 25 carries and punished some Packers defensive backs.
The gambles in taking Peterson and Harvin really have paid off.
In the case of Peterson, he had missed action at Oklahoma with a bum shoulder and collarbone that had given him a lot of trouble. But after consulting with doctors, the Vikings decided to go ahead and draft him. Right now, a lot of people believe he might be the best player in the NFL.
Harvin was a bigger gamble. He had some personal problems and dropped down in the draft, so he was still available when the Vikings had their pick at No. 22 this April.
I talked to three different general managers who thought the Vikings took too much of a risk to draft this young man.
But Vikings coach Brad Childress traveled to Florida, spent a lot of time with Harvin and his family and, when draft time came, the Vikings selected him. Let's not forget this young man just turned 21, has been under the bright lights for a long time and is still maturing.
The strange thing is Harvin wasn't used as a kick returner at Florida, but he is one of the best in the NFL as a rookie, with two for touchdowns already.
The success of Peterson and Harvin is another good example how the Wilf family has operated since it took over the Vikings four years ago. They are interesting in taking talented players and signing them, and believe that under Childress those players will be successful.
In the bigger picture, the victory at Green Bay gave the Vikings control of the NFC North. They are 7-1, with the Packers and Bears tied at 4-3.
After this week's bye, the Vikings have a favorable schedule. They start with three home games -- against the Lions, Seahawks and Bears, before going to Arizona on Dec. 6.
The toughest remaining opposition could be the Bengals, whom the Vikings play at home on Dec. 13. They play at Carolina and at Chicago before finishing against the Giants at the Metrodome.
(Contact Sid Hartman at shartman(at)startribune.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
columnMust credit Minneapolis Star Tribune
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