The Minnesota Vikings continued to add to their secondary with their fifth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, as they tabbed Notre Dame's Robert Blanton with the 139th overall selection.
Blanton spent most of his time at cornerback for the Fighting Irish, but at 6 feet tall and about 210 pounds, he projects more to the safety position in the National Football League. Perhaps the Vikings are looking to form an all-Golden Dome tandem with Blanton and Harrison Smith, who the Vikings selected in the first round.
Blanton's size and athleticism could give the Vikings some versatility in the defensive backfield. He has the size to potentially press bigger receivers at the line of scrimmage and, as I mentioned, the ability to move into the safety position. The scouting report on Blanton is that he is also diagnoses plays well and has decent agility, although his top-end speed is slightly below average.
Blanton and Smith are the third set of teammates drafted by the Vikings this weekend, along with USC's Matt Kalil and Rhett Ellison and Arkansas' Greg Childs and Jarius Wright.