Sharrif Floyd's green room free-fall is over. The Minnesota Vikings selected the Florida defensive tackle with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
Popularly pegged to the Oakland Raiders with the No. 3 overall pick in mock drafts, Floyd lost out on roughly $13 million by sliding 20 spots.
Teams texted NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock during the first round to explain that Floyd was dropping due to some nebulous character concerns and a total of just five college sacks.
One scout recently told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that Floyd's inflated stock was the byproduct of irrational hype by television analysts.
After reviewing Gators film, Mayock labeled Floyd the "most explosive defensive tackle" in this draft. NFL Films guru Greg Cosell agreed, calling Floyd "without question" the draft's No. 1 player on tape.
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If Mayock and Cosell are correct, Floyd will be five-time All-Pro Kevin Williams' successor as a dominant three-technique tackle after teaming with him as a rookie.
The Vikings bolstered their defense again with the No. 25 overall pick, selecting Florida State's physical press cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Now general manager Rick Spielman is charged with finding a playmaker on offense after trading away wide receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
