NFL Rumors: Vikings Better off Drafting WR Than Signing Big-Name Free Agent

With Adrian Peterson ending his season with a nasty injury, the Minnesota Vikings are going to need another offensive weapon to compete for the postseason.

The only logical man to fill that hole is Justin Blackmon. 

Mark Craig of the Star Tribune also feels that the Vikings need a No.1 receiver and listed Blackmon as a possibility, but isn't sold he's the way to go. 

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Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon with the No. 3 pick in the draft is one way to go. But with so many needs, it's hard to imagine the Vikings selecting a receiver in the top three.

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Craig also listed Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Vincent Jackson, Early Doucet, Laurent Robinson, Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne, DeSean Jackson, Brandon Lloyd and Stevie Johnson as possibilities. 

I can't help but see this from the exact opposite perspective. 

Blackmon is the man that the Vikings need to be pursuing at the No. 3 pick to come in and be the team's receiver. There are a few reasons for this.

One is that he is a young receiver to build a cornerstone QB/WR duo with Christian Ponder. All of those other guys are experienced veterans who are used to other quarterbacks. With Ponder and Blackmon, you have two guys that can basically learn the NFL ropes together. 

With that, they will learn each other's timing and neither have the stuck memories of other NFL players. That isn't something to underestimate.

If the Vikings had a veteran quarterback, this would be a different situation. But with Ponder not even having 16 NFL games under his belt, it's best to surround him with a fellow youngster.

The other reason is exactly what Craig said: The Vikings have a lot of needs. So, why not draft a receiver like Blackmon and fill those other needs in free agency?

With Craig's logic of filling other needs, the Vikings would then trade their pick, likely for later first-round picks to draft depth. 

The problem there is that you're then relying on a lot of rookies to come in and make the team better. That is generally not a recipe for immediate success. 

Taking that to the next step, if you're rebuilding, fine. But if you're rebuilding, then spending big money on an elite free-agent receiver is probably not the way to go.

The logical option to fill the top receiver spot in Minnesota is Blackmon. He will draw favorable matchups all year, as defenses will be more focused on Percy Harvin and even Peterson if he comes back strong. 

We saw at Oklahoma State that Blackmon does fine when he is the focus of the opposing defense.

If he's going against No. 2 corners, safeties and linebackers, the guy is a serious Rookie of the Year threat. 

With Ponder and Blackmon, the Vikings will have a good duo to build their offense around. That is what needs to be done for them to be a force in the competitive NFC North. 

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