EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings are replacing one of the fastest players in the NFL with the fastest player available in the draft.
By choosing running back Michael Bennett of Wisconsin with the 27th pick of the first round Saturday, the Vikings believe they have found the perfect replacement for the retired Robert Smith.
"We got a gift," said Vikings coach Dennis Green, who had Bennett ranked among his top 10 players. "We're always ready for that gift. Fortunately, this year that gift was a position we needed."
The Vikings addressed a defensive need in the second round by selecting Willie Howard of Stanford, who has played every position on the defensive line. Eric Kelly, a cornerback from Kentucky, was selected after the Vikings moved up in the third round by trading their third- and fourth-round picks with New England.
Bennett said he is a longtime Vikings fan but doubted they would take him.
"I was in shock," Bennett said. "A lot of people told me 'Minnesota, Minnesota,' but I didn't think I would be going there in my wildest dreams. I guess my dream came true."
Bennett, who was eligible to play two more seasons for the Badgers, made the most of his first full season as a starter when former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne left campus.
Bennett ranked third in the nation in rushing, with 1,681 yards, though he went into last season with only 57 career carries. He likened his situation with the Vikings to what he faced at Wisconsin.
"I look at it like me stepping in last year for Ron Dayne," he said.
Bennett, a Big Ten Conference sprint champion who has run the 40 in a reported 4.27 seconds, should compete for the vacancy created by Smith's retirement with Moe Williams and Doug Chapman. In time, Bennett could fill a role similar to the one held by the high-stepping Smith.
"Nobody's going to catch either of them," Green said. "His role will be to make secondaries pay for overplaying Randy Moss and Cris Carter."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2001, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved