Vikings sign draft picks Barr, Crichton, Exum to rookie deals
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Minnesota Vikings have signed draft picks Anthony Barr, Scott Crichton and Antone Exum to contracts.
The Vikings signed Barr, the ninth overall pick, and Exum, a seventh-rounder, on Wednesday. They announced the deal for Crichton, a third-round pick, on Thursday.
Barr, a linebacker from UCLA, is expected to immediately upgrade a position group that struggled to make big plays last season. He had 23½ sacks in two seasons for the Bruins after making the switch from running back.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Exum is a safety from Virginia Tech and Crichton is a pass-rushing end from Oregon State. He had 7½ sacks for the Beavers last season.
The moves leave third-round running back Jerick McKinnon as the only player unsigned from the Vikings' 2014 class.
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