NFL Draft 2012

There will be a Vikings trade in Day 2.

I think Spielman showed yesterday that he his not afraid to move around and make risky moves to get the players he wants. While moving up to grab Harrison Smith at the end of the first round yesterday may have been made easier after acquiring extra picks through the trade with the Cleveland Browns, it is likely that Spielman would have still made that trade anyway. The Vikings still had 10 picks in the draft before this thing even got started. That’s plenty of ammo to wheel and deal.

When asked about the trades he orchestrated on Vikings announcer Paul Allen’s KFAN radio show this morning, Spielman (unprompted) suggested the team may move again in Day 2. “Don’t be surprised with that third round pick if we move back up in to the second round to get a player we covet.” Spielman also suggested that it’s possible the team could even move back again to collect more picks.

Headed into Day 2, the Vikings still have ten draft picks, seven eight of which can be traded. I expect that we will see the Vikings move around again before the day is over.

The Vikings will add a wide receiver to the roster in Day 2.

There are some great wide receivers that fell out of the first round which could mean great things for the Vikings in Day 2. Having already addressed two of our biggest needs (left tackle and safety) with great players, I expect the Vikings to use their next pick, wherever it may be, to add another weapon to the roster for Christian Ponder.

Spielman has publicly stated that the team wants to simply stick to their board and select the best player available when they’re on the clock. That may be true, but players at positions of need tend to move up on your board because your desire to fill that spot can tend to bolster how you evaluate them. I imagine there are quite a few wide receivers still available that could be pretty high up on the Vikings board. Whether the Vikings stay put or they move forward or backward, expect the next pick to be a receiver.

Players to watch.

If the Vikings stay where they are and select with the third pick in the third round, here are some names to keep an eye on at various positions of need that could be available.

The first three picks of the second round.

The credibility of my mock draft was absolutely destroyed yesterday after all of the trades. Granted, you can’t predict all the trades, especially when they take place at the magnitude they did yesterday. But typically, there are one to two trades and you have a fair chance of hitting on the other selections. Not my mock draft! I only had four selections correct… And two of them were the obvious Luck and Griffin picks. (Which, honestly, shouldn’t even count). With that being said, here’s my prediction for the first three picks of the second round. I am 90% sure that this is 65% likely to happen.

St. Louis Rams – Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

The Rams missed out on Justin Blackmon when the Jaguars moved ahead of them through their trade with the Buccaneers. They won’t miss out this time on a potential #1 receiver who will provide an aerial threat for Sam Bradford. Personally, I would have loved to add Stephen Hill. Luckily though, this draft is ripe with talent at that position and we will have plenty of opportunities with our plethora of picks to address the need. They could also take Jonathan Martin to provide some protection for Bradford’s blind side.

Indianapolis Colts – Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

A tight end is a young, rookie quarterback’s best friend. The fact that Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener already have a strong connection through playing together at Stanford only sweetens the deal.

Baltimore Ravens – Jonathan Martin, LT, Stanford

This is the hardest to predict of the first three selections and it will be interesting to see what the Ravens do with the pick they got from us. My gut feeling is that the Ravens choose to take Jonathan Martin, who I never thought would fall out of the first round. We have Martin as the second best offensive tackle on our Vikings Territory board and the Ravens need somebody who can replace the aging, record label CEO Bryant McKinnie. My “Plan B” here is that the Ravens take the best center in the draft, Peter Konz, to replace ex-Viking Matt Birk after he retires.

Make sure to join us today for our Day 2 Live Chat. Yesterday was a blast and today should be just as exciting. Plus, if you hang out in the chat, you can make fun of me when I’m inevitably wrong about all of the above.