When we talk about the NFL Draft here, we generally focus on who the Minnesota Vikings could use their bounty of picks on in order to attempt to improve their football team. However, there are a few young men that grew up in Minnesota that could here their names called from April 26-28 in New York City.
↵The biggest name among these is Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd, who played his high school ball at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul. Floyd's stock has jumped significantly over the past couple weeks, to the point where he will now likely go in the first half of the first round. If the Vikings trade down from the #3 overall spot they currently occupy, he could even wind up in purple and gold next season, although that seems to be a long-shot possibility at best.
↵Another player that could find himself in the same situation is Minnesota Golden Gophers' safety Kim Royston, who also played his high school ball at Cretin-Derham Hall. Royston just finished a rare sixth season with the Golden Gophers (thanks to being granted a medical redshirt), he led the Gophers in tackles this past season and could wind up being a late-round pick.
↵Some other native Minnesotans that could find themselves in the NFL next year are these gentlemen:
↵OT Trevor Olson, Northern Illinois by way of Richfield High School (recruited to Northern Illinois by current Gophers' coach Jerry Kill)
OT Tyler Hendrickson, Concordia-St. Paul by way of Johnson High School (called one of the best "deep sleepers" in the country)
TE Matt Veldman, North Dakota State by way of Becker High School
This information was provided by Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He also lists Gophers' receiver Da'Jon McKnight as a player with Minnesota ties that could end up getting drafted in a couple of weeks, but McKnight is not a Minnesota native, having gone to high school at Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas.
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