With the 172nd overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings looked again to the offensive line, as they tabbed Slippery Rock center Brandon Fusco as their selection, presumably to provide competition for incumbent center John Sullivan.
Fusco is bigger for a center, standing at 6'4" and weighing in at around 305 pounds. He was one of three Division II players to get invited to the Senior Bowl, and in fact was the first football player in the history of Slippery Rock University to garner an invitation to both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. He was also the recipient of the 2010 Gene Upshaw award for being the best lineman in Division II football this past season.
Fusco was graded on many boards as one of the top five centers available in this year's draft, and the Vikings served themselves well, in this writer's opinion, to get him at this point in the draft.
Now, I can take a little while to let my keyboard cool off, as the Vikings aren't scheduled to select again until their sixth-round compensatory selection at #200 overall.