NFL Draft 2012

Schwartz Continues Tour, Other Monday Notes

March 20, 2012, by No comments yet

I apologize for being absent most of Monday, but luckily for me it turned out to be a pretty slow day.  Let’s take a look at what did happen:

Abdullah Has An Offer:  Apparently the Vikings have made an offer to safety Husain Abdullah and he is “mulling it over.”  Abdullah has been a serviceable option at safety the last two years, but has struggled with concussions, and could be a possible starter into the future, as well.

Schwartz To Visit Niners:  “Awesome Visit with the Vikings!” tweeted offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz on Monday.  Schwartz left Minnesota without a contract but the Vikings knew that was the plan all along.  He has visits set up with the Chiefs and the 49ers over the next couple of days and Schwartz plans to honor those commitments.  “Just doing my due diligence,” Schwartz tweeted, and one can’t blame him for that.

Felton To Visit:  Fullback Jerome Felton is set to visit the Vikings on Tuesday, despite the recent signing of Lex Hilliard, not to mention the presence of Ryan D’Imerio and Matt Asiata at the position.  Felton was a fifth round pick by the Lions in 2008 and has also spent time with the Panthers and Colts.  The Vikings tried to claim Felton off of waivers last year, but the Panthers claimed him and had priority.  Felton is only 25 years old.

Pre-Draft Visit For Kirkpatrick:  The Vikings have a pre-Draft visit set up with Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.  Kirkpatrick, known for his skill as a zone coverage player, and six foot two inches and widely regarded as the second best cornerback in this Draft class.  He would likely be a serious option if the Vikings were to trade backwards from the three spot.

More Claiborne Talk:  Bob Sansavere of the Pioneer Press discusses some first-hand conversations with General Manager Rick Spielman that could suggest he is serious about selecting LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne over USC left tackle Matt Kalil in April’s Draft.  More smokescreen?  You be the judge.

More Rumblings Regarding Vikings Third Overall Selection

March 18, 2012, by 11 comments

Whether by design or otherwise, the Vikings are suddenly in possession of the hottest pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

The third overall selection that the Vikings hold is suddenly the center of the most buzz.  There appears to possibly be a trade market growing for teams that think Ryan Tannehill could be a franchise quarterback.  Peter King mentioned it earlier in the week, and Matt Flynn’s signing in Seattle has seemingly left the Browns and the Dolphins out in the cold in regards to their quarterback situation.

I find it hard to believe that any team would be willing to select Tannehill third overall, let alone trade up to get him there, but stranger things have happened.

Also, I had previously passed along an article citing an unnamed source saying that the Vikings front office was somewhat split and the LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne could seriously be considered by the Vikings when they are on the clock.

The National Football Authority has a similar article today in which a source “close to the scouting ranks” who says the Vikings will indeed target Claiborne over tackle Matt Kalil and receiver Justin Blackmon.

Claiborne is a quality player worthy of consideration, but I find these unnamed sources stories hard to take seriously this time of year, as the Vikings or any other team could be sending out smokescreens for any number of reasons.

Regardless, the Vikings have successfully gone from “they will certainly take Kalil” to “they have lots of options” and that mystery can only help them in their quest to generate a trade partner in April.

Community Mock: Day Eleven

March 18, 2012, by 4 comments

The VT community has spoken once again, and this time you all have decided that cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick will join the Bills defense that has also just acquired defensive end Mario Williams.

Now, it is the Kansas City Chiefs that are on the clock.  Please cast a vote and leave your analysis in the comments section.

Frazier: “We’re Still Looking”

March 17, 2012, by 7 comments

Leslie Frazier wants fans to know that a slow start to this free agency period does not mean the Vikings plan to bow out all together.  In fact, he specifically identifies some positions that the team is still looking to upgrade at.

“We still want to find a wide receiver that can really threaten the field vertically,” Frazier told Sid Hartman. “We also want to improve our secondary along with our linebackers, also.”

“We’re going to look to do that, we’re going to look to upgrade our team,” he continued.  “We may do it through free agency but we’re definitely going to do it through the draft, as well. But, yeah, we’re still looking at some players in free agency. … It’s not closed, we’re still looking.”

Hartman took Frazier through basically the whole roster and Frazier’s answers didn’t exactly reveal much.  The gist is that they want their young guys to step up, they may re-sign some of their own free agents still, they may look to the outside for added help, and they are looking forward to the Draft.

The conservative approach to free agency, however, does not have Frazier writing off this team in 2012.

“Not in our profession. Somebody else will be sitting in this seat if I look to the future,” Frazier said. “I have to get our guys ready to have a good season next year. We need to have a good year.”

You Asked And I Try To Answer

March 17, 2012, by 5 comments

Friday evening I solicited questions from the audience and I will try to hit as many as I can in this segment.

A few of them were too silly to answer in this post, but I’ll try and match the silliness and reply to them in the comments section.

Here we go.

NORSEMAN66:  Is there going to be a live chat during the draft (each day)?

ADAM:  Yes!  Brett and I plan to host live chats here at VT for every selection of the 2012 NFL Draft and we are way excited!  Barring any last minute major changes, you can consider this a done deal.  One thing I might be interested in, though, is recruiting one or two of you to be a moderator during the chats to help out with the work load.  If you have interest, click the “Contact Us” tab at the very top of the page and let me know your availability that week.

BJOHNNY:  What are your thoughts on Speilman? Is he in over his head, clueless or a crafty genius?

ADAM:  Where is the “other” option, Johnny?  I think Spielman’s approach to free agency makes this year’s Draft even more important to him.  Building through the draft is regarded by almost everyone as the best way to put together a winning football team, but you still have to draft well to see those results.  Let’s wait and see how the Draft and the next few waves of free agency go (and maybe even a football game or two) before judging the approach too harshly.

Continue Reading →

Community Mock: Day Ten

March 15, 2012, by 7 comments

With the ninth pick of the NFL Draft, our Community Mock Draft sees the Carolina Panthers select defensive tackle Michael Brockers.

Next up is the tenth pick, which belongs to the Buffalo Bills (now owned by Mario Williams) and you never know what they are going to do.

We’ve had some trouble getting you all to leave comments of “analysis” for you picks to display on our results page.  Please, please, please leave some analysis for why you made the pick you did and we could use it in the mock.  Heck, if you want, leave us some analysis for the picks that have no analysis and I will add it retroactively.

Time to vote:

We Have A “Private Workout” Sighting

March 15, 2012, by No comments yet

With the first wave of free agency nearly in the rearview mirror, and the Vikings obviously planning to focus more on the NFL Draft, we will start to keep tabs on which college prospects the Vikings express interest in.

We start by pointing out that the team has a private workout scheduled with safety D.J. Campbell out of Cal.

Campbell (6’ 0” – 202 pounds) did not receive an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but showed off some good athleticism at Cal’s pro day.  He ran about a 4.54 in the forty yard dash, had a 38” vertical, and a 10’ 7” broad jump.  Those numbers compare quite nicely with the top ones posted at the Combine.

In 2011, Campbell started 13 games and posted 72 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and two interceptions.

This is another name to keep an eye on as the later rounds of the Draft roll around.  The Cowboys and the Chargers have also scheduled workouts with Campbell.