There was no high school wide receiver more heavily recruited in 2006 than Percy Harvin. He is one of the most talented players to ever come out of Virginia. In addition to football, Harvin was a basketball and track star, amassing 5 gold medals at the state track and field championships. He passed on scholarships to just about every major program before deciding to take his talents to Gainesville as a Florida Gator.
Harvin emerged as a dual threat receiver and running back at Florida where he became a favored target of Heisman quarterback Tim Tebow. In three seasons, he amassed 133 catches for 1,929 yards and 13 touchdowns. He balanced this out with another 194 rushes for 1,851 yards and 19 scores. He has great speed, turning in a 4.41 second 40-yard-dash at the NFL combine.

The Minnesota Vikings were counting on his athleticism, speed and playmaking abilities to be an impact when they selected him with the 22nd pick in the first round. The Vikings have to be concerned with Harvin’s durability. He is undersized for a receiver standing 5’11” and weighing 192lbs. He could very well wear down quickly with the hits he’s going to be taking from much larger defenders than he has ever seen.
One has to question this pick by the Vikings. They have a real chance to win the NFC, especially with the arrival of Brett Favre. There were holes at QB and wide receiver coming into the season. Otherwise, the team is completely stacked. They have the best defensive line in football. They have solid veterans at linebacker and a good secondary. The offensive line is one of the best in football and they may have the best running back in Adrian Peterson. They haven’t been able to develop a premier receiver since Randy Moss. They had high hopes for Sidney Rice but he has yet to develop into the kind of receiver scouts expected.
That being said, drafting a receiver makes perfect sense. The only issue is that Harvin isn’t exactly a prototypical NFL wide receiver. Besides that, Hakeem Nicks was still undrafted at the time. Nicks was snatched up by the Giants and has the size, speed and hands to become a number one receiver in the NFL. Harvin will never be a number one receiver and that’s exactly what the Vikes are missing. Bernard Berrian is a good number two guy and deep threat. Bobby Wade adds veteran ability as a third man.
While Harvin could be a playmaker, he’s not going to beat a lot of number one corners in the league. He doesn’t have a vertical so that limits his game to catches underneath, in the flats and flanker screens, attempting to utilize his speed and elusiveness to break plays. One would imagine Harvin would also be used in the backfield. The problem is, while he may be a playmaker, the Vikes already have one of the best playmakers in Adrian Peterson. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to get a rookie involved and limit the reps of an All-Pro running back. If that happens, they are also limiting Chester Taylor who has contributed significantly to the rushing game.
It just seems the Vikings used a pick to get a great potential talent that doesn’t really fit into their scheme. While Harvin is a great athlete, the Vikings really didn’t address the need of a number one receiver. One has to imagine they could have bundled the first round pick with another player to pick up a proven receiver. Either that or draft one of the other two receivers who went in the first round after Harvin in Hakeem Nicks or Kenny Britt. Time may prove Harvin was the right pick but it’s hard to see him making a huge impact in 2009 when Minnesota needs him.