2011 NFL Draft Results: Minnesota Vikings Find Future Starters Across the Board

It is fairly obvious to assume that first-round quarterback Christian Ponder is destined to be a starter at some point next season. And we know that second-round selection Kyle Rudolph will see plenty of the field as an offensive weapon next year.

But what makes this class so exciting is that the Vikings managed to find several players who they can plug into starter roles all the way down their board. It is not often that a team makes so many day two steals on day three like the Vikings did with fourth-round pick Christian Ballard, fifth-round pick Brandon Burton and sixth-round pick DeMarcus Love.

This draft was very, very important to the Vikings. They claimed they were not rebuilding but merely retooling. After making these picks, I am now inclined to agree with them. If each player lives up to their potential, the Vikings will contend next season.

Here's why.

Minnesota was looking to add depth to the defensive line and find a guy to compete for the starting job at defensive end and defensive tackle.

They accomplished this goal with one guy, DL Christian Ballard from Iowa. Ballard may struggle at defensive tackle due to being on the lighter side (283lbs). But he is a fast and well-anchored player.

The Vikings love to utilize the rotation game plan. Throwing defensive linemen in and out on every down. Ballard is the kind of guy who can stay on the field but rotate to a different position. It also may interest you to know that he was considered first-round worthy by some experts.

I know, it reminds me of Everson Griffin, too.

Then there was the selection of Brandon Burton in the fifth round. Burton has some flaws to his game, no question. But they are flaws that can be controlled in the Vikings Tampa-Two zone defense.

Burton, with the right coaching, is a future starter. At the very least he will be a solid No. 4 corner this season.

Everyone knew that the Vikings' offensive line needed help. Apparently the Vikings also knew this and made a huge steal by taking second-round-graded offensive tackle DeMarcus Love in the sixth round.

Love is a beast but probably too slow to play tackle. But he is 315 pounds and will add a lot of brute force to the Vikings undersized interior. Fans get their wish, Anthony Herrera is on his way out.

They also added a center in this draft, which by most people's analysis was the most glaring weakness on the entire offensive line.

Brandon Fusco of Slippery Rock is a monster compared to John Sullivan, who, on his best day weighs 310 pounds. Fusco is 6'4" and 315 pounds. Whether he can supplant Sullivan for the starting role will be determined by how quickly he learns the offense and if he can handle tougher competition than he faced in college.

The Vikings made other selections that could very well be starters if they surprise us like Hussain Abdullah did last season in training camp. But at this moment, they are probably for depth and special teams.

Many fans became worried when the team "reached," but I don't agree with that at all, on Christian Ponder. But after that, they did nothing but take the best player available, which just so happened to meet needs at the same time. The Vikings were very calm and didn't throw away picks to trade up.

All in all, I give this draft a non-biased A-. There is a lot of potential here. From Ponder all the way to future No. 4 receiver Stephan Burton chosen last in the seventh round.