Minnesota Vikings Rookie Spotlight: Wide Receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux

For the second installment of this series covering the new Minnesota Vikings, we will visit WR Emmanuel "Manny" Arceneaux. 

Arceneaux has spent the last two seasons playing for the CFL's British Colombia Lions where he totaled nearly 2000 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. 

Arceneaux played his college ball at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi. He maintained a 3.0 GPA and was the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

The Minnesota Vikings were so impressed with the former CFL receiver, they signed him to a three-year contract shortly after the 2010 season. I believe they did so because of the threat of losing Sidney Rice to free agency. 

Should Rice actually leave, I could see Arceneaux getting some serious playing time, given the lack of inspiration shown by would-be No. 1 receiver Bernard Berrian. 

Obviously, the Vikings will look to free agency to bring in possibly a few receiving options for rookie QB Christian Ponder. Regardless of who those players could be, I think that Arceneaux will still have an impact on the Vikings because of the loss of WR Greg Lewis and the uncertainty surrounding Percy Harvin and his migraines that often keep him off the field. 

Given Arceneaux's background in Student-Athlete Advisory, this new Viking could move himself into a leadership position within the team itself. Arceneaux is very active on his Twitter page, which tells me that he could become a very vocal member of the Vikings.  He can be much like fan favorite Visanthe Shiancoe, who has become a sort of spokesperson for the Vikings in the media.

A player that certainly showed me that CFL players can have success in the NFL is Cameron Wake, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins. Wake played on the BC Lions, Arceneaux's former team as well, before signing with the Dolphins in 2009. At the end of the 2010 season, Wake's second season in the NFL, the linebacker recorded 14 sacks, 57 tackles and three forced fumbles. This impressive showing earned Wake a trip to the Pro Bowl, and he was named the Associated Press' All-Pro Second Team. 

Wake, in my opinion, has begun to pave the way for CFL players in the NFL. Vikings fans can only hope that Arceneaux has the same success his fellow former BC Lion had. 

Hopefully, Arceneaux will have an impact on the Vikings in a very positive way, but no one can know for sure at this point. The one thing that is certain is that the Vikings need some help at WR.

I certainly think that Arceneaux could have success in purple and gold and wish him the best for the 2011 season and the rest of his career in the NFL. 

For the next installment in this series, we will be taking a look at rookie offensive lineman Demarcus Love from the University of Arkansas.