Worth Noting
Four Oklahoma players
were
chosen during the first round of Friday’s NFL draft while the 11 team
Big Ten had three players selected. Three of the first four players chosen were Sooners
while Brandon Graham of Michigan, the No. 13 pick, was the first
Big Ten Conference player selected during the first round. Oklahoma rival
Oklahoma State had two players drafted on the first round. The Big 12 Conference had nine first round picks.
President
Barack Obama
will give the University of Michigan commencement address in Michigan
Stadium on Saturday.
Vikings second round draft
choice Toby Gerhart’s success at
Stanford drew attention not only because of his playing skills but also his skin color. Exceptional
white running backs are uncommon in major college football and
non-existent in the NFL. The last Vikings white running back worth
remembering was Ed Marinaro, drafted by the Vikings in 1972.
Both Gerhart and Marinaro were Heisman Trophy runners-up and second
round draft choices.
In the NFL Gerhart will be
compared with running backs Jahvid Best, drafted by Detroit, and
Ben Tate, selected by Houston. Best was chosen at No. 30 in the
first round after the Vikings made a trade with Detroit and vacated that
draft spot. The Vikings traded up with Houston in the second round to
obtain Gerhart and later in the round the Texans chose Tate.
Gerhart talking about whether comparisons with former white NFL running
backs John Riggins and Tommy Vardell are fair or accurate:
“I think at times. John Riggins was one of the greatest running
backs…so any time you’re compared to a Hall of Famer, that’s definitely
a compliment. I think my running style is different than Tommy Vardell. I think he was bigger than I am. He was more just downhill, bulldozing
people. I think I have a little more wiggle than he did, and I think I
can be more all-purpose.”
Nate Triplett,
the Gophers linebacker who was outstanding on special teams at
Minnesota, may make the Vikings roster filling that role. The Vikings
drafted the Delano, Minnesota native on the fifth round.
Vikings coach Brad
Childress talks or text messages to Brett Favre at least
every couple weeks, according to a team source. The communications are
rapport oriented, not football focused.
The NFL’s switch to prime time
with two evenings and one day for the NFL draft is likely to continue indefinitely.
The league’s next major marketing move might be to reduce the preseason
schedule from four games to two and increase the regular season schedule from
16 to 18 games.
Two-time All-American and
Outland Trophy winner Bobby Bell was in town last week for a speaking
engagement and to attend the Gophers spring game. He played
on the three most successful Gophers teams since World War II. The 1960,
1961 and 1962 teams lost only six games, while winning a national
championship, Big Ten title and playing in two Rose Bowls. Bell said the
1961 team might have been the best of the three teams.
