The small Texas schools are representing hard on the third day of the draft. It started with Abilene Christian’s Edmund Gates in the fourth round, and he was joined in the seventh by Jabara WIlliams of Stephen F. Austin. Now, the Vikings have made a player for West Texas A&M wideout Stephen Burton with the 236th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Burton was a JUCO transfer for Buffaloes, playing two years and catching 132 balls for 1,909 yards and 13 TD’s. He ran a 4.38 40 at his Pro Day and managed an astonishing 1.46 second time in the 10-yard-split.
The Vikings could lose wide receiver Sidney Rice to free agency depending on the rules of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (or lack thereof) agreed to by the owners and players. Beyond him, Percy Harvin is the only receiver that has impressed the Vikings braintrust lately. Burton will definitely have a chance to make an impression on the Vikings if he can beat out Greg Camarillo. It’s likely that he’ll need some development time to get used to NFL-caliber defensive backs, but he could yet prove a nice steal for the Vikings.