Vikings Sign Everson Griffen

Unlike the rest of the league, the Vikings do not rush to sign their draft choices. As of Wednesday morning, the Vikes have signed four of their eight picks. Yesterday, Kevin Seifert of the ESPN.com reported that defensive end Everson Griffin had agreed to terms.

Griffen slipped into the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft, but was quickly scooped up by the Vikings with the second pick in that round. The former USC Trojan was said to have first- or second-round talent, but may have slipped because of concerns that the  6’3″ 280-pound lineman lacked intensity. However, Vikings’ defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said Griffen “could be the next great pass rusher in our league.” Frazier added, “He just has to know how important it is to go hard all the time, and I get the impression he understands that now.”

The team has not released an official statement announcing the signing; usually teams wait until the contract is approved by the league to do so. Adam Warwas of Vikings gab guesses the contract should be a “four year deal in the area of $2.33 million.” The player selected prior to Griffen signed a 4-year $2.342 million dollar contract, and the player after Griffen signed a 4-year $2.328 million dollar contract. Based on the numbers of those two contracts, I would say Warwas’ prediction is pretty accurate.