by Pioneer Press , St. Paul Pioneer Press

Michael Oher 23rd Ravens Considered a possible Pro Bowl pick as a rookie; he shut out Denver's Elvis Dumervil

Austin Collie 127th Colts Collie leads rookie receivers with 30 catches, for 330 yards and four touchdowns.

Knowshon Moreno 12th Broncos Is 17th in the NFL with 420 rushing yards, including two touchdowns.

Johnny Knox 140th Bears Has four touchdowns, including a 102-yard kickoff return. Also has 24 catches for 310 yards.

LeSean McCoy 53rd Eagles Is 34th in the NFL with 294 rushing yards.He's got 'A instincts'Vikings multi-tasker Percy Harvin is the front-runner for rookie of the yearBy Sean Jensen sjensen@pioneerpress.com

Percy Harvin is neither pleased nor disappointed midway through his rookie season with the Vikings .

"I came into this with no expectations," Harvin said Monday, "other than I wanted to help this team win."

The Vikings' 7-1 record is impressive, and so is Harvin's production and contribution.

Harvin is the early favorite for NFL offensive rookie of the year, distinguishing himself as a kickoff returner, receiver and running back. He ranks second in the NFL with an average of 30.7 yards per kickoff return, and he is No. 1 among rookies in touchdowns (five), receiving yards (369) and No. 2 in first downs (24).

"He's got 'A' instincts," Vikings coach Brad Childress said of Harvin. "He's learned this offense and what he can do and the flexibility he has playing in that slot receiver position, so I think he obviously continues to grow, and he's contributing on a lot of different fronts."

In his fourth season as head coach, Childress has addressed two key holes with one key player.

Koren Robinson was slated to be the kickoff returner after earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2005. But Robinson, who was rewarded with a contract by Childress, was released during training camp after a DUI arrest.

And despite signing him to a five-year, $15 million contract in 2007, veteran Bobby Wade never established himself as a dangerous slot receiver.

Harvin has excelled in both roles.

In his only Pro Bowl season, Robinson averaged 26 yards per kickoff return and returned seven kicks 40 or more yards, including one for a touchdown. Harvin already has five returns of 40 or more yards and a franchise-record two touchdowns.

Wade led the Vikings in receptions in both 2007 and 2008, but he only managed five touchdowns in the two seasons, and he wasn't a safety blanket on third downs (24 catches).

Even as a rookie, Harvin is on pace to edge Wade in catches, and he's already converted 15 third downs, tied for third in the NFL.

More than anything, though, Harvin has impressed his teammates with his toughness, playing through a shoulder injury and plowing through tight spaces on kickoff returns.

"He's as tough as they come," Vikings receiver Sidney Rice said.

Coming out of South Carolina, Rice was flagged because of a shoulder injury.

"It's tough playing this sport, with that," Rice said. "You could get tackled, fall on it. You just don't feel comfortable."

And yet Harvin has endured the injury and excelled when given an opportunity.

Harvin said he has a different mind-set from many receivers.

"A lot of people are just born that way," Harvin said. "And coming up, I played running back my whole life, so a lot of my abilities, when I get in the open field, are off of running-back instincts.

"I'm not afraid to take hits."

There has been concern about Harvin's durability given his history of injuries and his assorted roles on the Vikings . In fact, Childress even said Monday that Harvin might return punts this season.

Through eight games last season at Florida, Harvin had 76 touches (44 runs, 32 catches) for 722 yards, with 12 touchdowns. In the first half of his rookie season, Harvin has 64 touches (eight runs, 28 catches and 28 kickoff returns).

"I'm great," Harvin said of his health. "The touches, I think, are right where they need to be. I've got a couple of game-changing performances, especially on kick return, so I think I'm where I want to be right now."

As for why he is doing so well on third downs, Harvin said he likes his matchups, sometimes against linebackers or third or fourth cornerbacks.

"I should be able to dominate that," he said.

Against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Harvin made his biggest catch against five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson. Harvin exploded past Woodson and toward the Packers' starting safeties. It was the same route he had run the previous week against Pittsburgh. In that instance, at Heinz Field, Harvin got his hands on the ball but lost it when he was blasted by Steelers safety Ryan Clark.

Against the Packers, with the safeties fast approaching, Harvin leaped and came down with the ball. The safeties collided with each other, and Woodson dived but didn't come close to making a play on the ball, enabling Harvin a relatively clear path to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown.

Harvin said he doesn't think about all the teams that passed on him in the draft, allowing the Vikings to take him with the 22nd pick.

"A lot of times my family and other friends will text me stuff like that," Harvin said. "I keep those out of my mind. I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe I was put on this team for a reason.

"So I'll just leave it at that."

Besides, he couldn't be happier.

"It's been a tremendous honor to be playing with this team right now," he said.

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