EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Thursday night that Laquon Treadwell is one of the best blocking wide receivers he has ever seen. That's probably not the only reason the Vikings' first-round pick received the approval of their franchise running back, but it doesn't hurt.

Adrian Peterson took to Twitter shortly after the Vikings selected Treadwell with the 23rd overall pick, praising the selection.

Great pick Viking nation! Laquon Treadwell set your mind on winning a Championship son!

— Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) April 29, 2016

Wide receiver seemed like the Vikings' most obvious need, after a season in which they ranked 31st in the league in passing offense and leaned on Peterson for a greater percentage of their offense than any team in the NFL depended on one player. Peterson led the league in rushing with 1,485 yards, but if the Vikings are able to create more balance on offense, they could make life easier for the 31-year-old running back.

More important, they could build the kind of balanced offense that would help them follow up an 11-5 season with another successful year. Treadwell was frequently compared to Michael Irvin before the draft, and while Zimmer agreed with a reporter's preface that those comparisons are premature, he did say the 20-year-old runs many of the routes that have been staples in offensive coordinator Norv Turner's offense since he was coaching Irvin in Dallas.

"A lot of the routes we run are a lot of the routes Laquon runs the best," Zimmer said. "I can probably see the resemblance, but it's a long way away from where [Irvin] was. ... This guy's a big physical guy that little guys are going to have a hard time defending."

It will help Peterson if defenses have to worry about the Vikings' passing offense, and as the Vikings move into a new stadium, they'll have stronger championship hopes with the offensive balance they hope Treadwell will help Peterson create.