The Vikings didn’t start signing their picks as early as some other teams, but they aren’t wasting any time catching up.
Word broke of two signings earlier on Tuesday and now the team has announced four other signings. Fourth-round wide receivers Greg Childs (pictured) and Jarius Wright, fifth-round safety Robert Blanton and sixth-round kicker Blair Walsh all signed four-year deals with the team.
Childs and Wright were teammates at Arkansas and they join a receiving corps where things are pretty up in the air behind Percy Harvin and Jerome Simpson, especially with Simpson serving a suspension to start the year. Childs had a serious knee injury in 2010 which he believes held him back last season while Wright profiles as a slot receiver, which should make for an interesting fit with Harvin already occupying that space.
Blanton was also drafted alongside one of his college teammates, first-round pick Harrison Smith, and could potentially start alongside him as well. The Vikings currently have Mistral Raymond and Jamarca Sanford as safety options next to Smith, a duo Blanton could pass if he impresses during camp. The kicker’s job is Walsh’s to lose after the team released Ryan Longwell.
In addition to the announced signings, Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press reports that FB/TE Rhett Ellison has signed as well. The Vikings hope Ellison, a fourth-round pick, can replace Jim Kleinsasser in the years to come. Including Ellison, the Vikings have now signed seven of their 10 picks.