Vikings see some changes and familiar faces in 2009 NFL Re-Draft
It can be tough looking at re-drafts of past NFL drafts. If the player from your favorite team played well, there's a good chance he goes higher in the re-draft, and you're stuck getting a less-talented player in the exercise. Even more painful is if your team drafted a bust, passing on countless starting-caliber players in the process. Re-drafts can add salt to those wounds.
Rarely do we see players slotted to the same position they were drafted, especially the further down the draft board you go. But in PFF's 2009 re-draft, the Minnesota Vikings do just that, landing do-it-all Florida receiver Percy Harvin at pick No. 22, just like they did 16 years ago.
Harvin's career was cut short, but he was elite in his first four seasons with the Vikings. He earned PFF receiving grades of 83.4, 87.0, 87.9 and 92.1, thanks to his game-breaking speed. He had the talent to be known as one of the most electric players the league has ever seen, but injuries and concussions derailed that vision.
It's tough to argue the pick, especially when considering the type of weapon the Vikings needed in 2009. While Sidney Rice stretched the field like a traditional receiver and Adrian Peterson bruised defenses up the gut, Harvin brought a horizontal element to the offense. He was used on end-arounds, reverses, and screens, attacking defenses underneath, gaining 925 yards and six touchdowns from scrimmage in 2009.
Harvin was also a dangerous weapon in the return game, taking two kickoffs to the house as a rookie. He was selected as the 2009 Offensive Rookie of the Year, a steal at pick 22. If only he could have had better quarterback play and better injury luck, perhaps we could have seen Harvin in purple for more than his four years. Instead, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 before bouncing around the league, retiring after the 2016 season.
His fellow 2009 draft classmate, tackle Phil Loadholt, also got selected in the re-draft. Originally the 54th overall pick out of Oklahoma, Loadholt was picked 30th overall by the Tennessee Titans in this draft. Loadholt started 15 games as a rookie and 78 of 80 possible games to begin his career before injuries started to affect his availability in 2014. He retired after a preseason injury in 2015.
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