Vikings draft class figures to need time before they become contributors

How did Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman fare in his 12th draft with the team?
“If you ask me, I thought I did a hell of a job,” Spielman said with a laugh on Saturday when asked if he did well. “What do you want me to say — ‘No?’ ”
More definitive judgments probably will have to wait for another day.
As much as the NFL’s draft industrial complex loves to indulge in the practice of evaluating a team’s rookie class shortly after it’s finalized, the conclusions drawn in the hours after the draft often fail to hold up over time.
That could be especially true of the Vikings’ 2018 group, which followed the team’s typical script and could take some time to yield fruit.
The Vikings’ eight-player draft class is tied for their smallest of the decade, and at first blush, it would seem to be populated mostly with players who might be a year from contributing. The team tends to look more for athletic upside than immediate polish, and the state of the Vikings roster means that if their veterans are healthy, they shouldn’t need to lean too heavily on their 2018 rookies right away.
“The theme was sticking with the athletic traits we’re looking for, and relying on this coaching staff to develop a lot of this young talent,” Spielman said. “It gives you a chance to hit on some guys that can be pretty special. We talk about this all the time in the draft meetings: This guy may be a better football player today, but this guy has such a higher ceiling, and our coaches are so eager to work with these athletes. To me, that’s when you get an opportunity to hit on a guy that can be something.”

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-draft-class-figures-to-need-time-before-they-become-contributors/481162871/