The Minnesota Vikings made a pick that was a bit of a surprise with their second of three fourth round draft picks, tabbing Rhett Ellison out of the University of Southern California as their selection.
A player that played mainly tight end for the early portion of his career for the Trojans, Ellison moved to fullback this past season for Lane Kiffin's team. The 6'5", 250-pound Ellison was an all Pac-12 performer as a special teamer in 2011, and that's an area that the Vikings could certainly use help at.
Mike Mayock, the main analyst for the NFL Network, said during the broadcast that the USC offense "ran through Rhett Ellison" this past season. He has the ability to line up in-line as a tight end, as well as the ability to line up in the backfield. He could be. . .could be, mind you. . .the Vikings' replacement for the retired Jim Kleinsasser, but it might be a while before Ellison performs at that level.
Decent pick by the Vikings, in this writer's opinion, if a bit of a surprising one.