Draft Preview: Vikings

Week 17 is in the books and 60% of the 2012 NFL Draft order has been set (see earlier article for full order). Every week I will be analyzing the next team in the draft order to provide analysis and potential strategies for the team at hand. Last week, I examined the Rams, which means its time to look at the Minnesota Vikings. Keep an eye out for your favorite team and feel free to leave comments below.

The Vikings are in one of the strongest positions in the top 5 because they do not need to make any decisions. The Colts selecting Andrew Luck is a foregone conclusion at this point, and we are just awaiting Jim Irsay’s tweet to confirm. The Rams will be the first team that is forced to make a decision, draft Matt Kalil or trade the pick to a quarterback needy team. Whatever St. Louis chooses not to do will directly in the Vikings lap. The Vikings have many needs on both sides of the ball, and will likely make one of four moves.

First, assuming the Rams pass on Kalil and trade the #2 pick, the Vikings could draft USC’s Matt Kalil. The Vikings offensive was in shambles last year, and

needs to improve if Christian Ponder is going to survive at quarterback. Kalil is the premier left tackle in all of college football at this point and would give the Vikings and immediate boost. Kalil has the rare combination of size, strength, mechanics; making him a prototypical franchise tackle. While those that follow the draft know that tackles are typically selected early, Kalil is not just any left tackle. Kalil’s skills have many regarding him as the best tackle to come along since Joe Thomas and Jake Long (both perennial pro bowlers).

If the Rams decide to draft Kalil then the Vikings move on to their second choice, trading their pick. Thanks to Matt Barclay and Landry Jones’s decisions to stay in school, RG3 becomes the only, top-ten worthy quarterback, after Andrew Luck. The Cleveland Browns appear to be an obvious landing spot at number four, but several other teams are in the hunt for a QB. With the Browns sitting at number four, the Redskins and the Dolphins are going to be trying to trade ahead of the Browns, in order to draft RG3. It is also possible that Cleveland could trade up one or two spots to guarantee they land this year’s Heisman trophy winner. At this point, it does not really matter to Vikings fans, because regardless of the team, they will be receiving several valuable picks in consideration.

Now back to the original scenario with the Rams trading their pick away: the Vikings could opt to pass on Kalil and select a different offensive weapon, Justin Blackmon. The Vikings clearly lacked elite receivers this year, as no one but Percy Harvin proved to be a viable threat. Harvin lead the team with 87 receptions, Devin Aromashodu came in second with 26. The Vikings need a big play receiver if they want to enable Ponder’s success, and Blackmon is the most dynamic receiver in this draft. Blackmon was being looked at as a mid to late first rounder, last year, when he decided to stay in school. Another stellar season (with 121 catches, for over 1500 yards, and 18 TDs), and Blackmon is a surefire top ten pick. While his skills are not that of Calvin Johnson’s, he is still a number one receiver in the NFL. Blackmon reminds me of Michael Crabtree, without the attitude. The Vikings struggled all year without Sidney Rice; so don’t be surprised if they pull the trigger on his replacement.

The final scenario that could unfold has the Vikings selecting cornerback Morris Claiborne. The Vikings secondary is completely depleted at this point, and needs an infusion of youth and talent. Claiborne is not as talented as Patrick Peterson but is the number one corner in this draft, and still has room to improve. Where Peterson would be an A+ corner prospect, Claiborne is more of an A-, still elite but not as sure of a prospect. Claiborne has dynamic, takeover-game type talent but lacks true consistency. He also possesses return man ability, like Peterson, but Claiborne is not a pure return man, and the Vikings already have Percy Harvin for return duties. Claiborne finished this year with 6 interceptions against some of the toughest receivers in the country every week. While he may not be the sexy pick like Blackmon, Claiborne represents talent at a position of great need for the Vikings.

The Vikings are in rebuilding mode, and this year marks the low point. They have their potential franchise quarterback in Christian Ponder, and running back in Adrian Peterson, but lack essential talent in other areas. This is a very important draft for Minnesota, as they need to improve quickly if they are going to compete against the Packers, Lions, and Bears. Get ready for next week, as I will be tackling the Cleveland Browns selecting at the #4 spot.