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wtfvikesfan (458)Well, once again, if the Claiborne chatter is smoke… the Vikings are taking it to a ridiculous level.
Steve Wyche of nfl.com reports that the Vikings have LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne at the top of their draft board (presumably, after Andrew Luck) and says a source “reinforced” reports that the Vikings are leaning in that direction.
Of course, many will still believe that all of this Claiborne talk is aimed at generating further trade interest, which is entirely possible.
Things have been awfully quiet on the Ryan Tannehill front over the last week or so, and thus trade rumors and speculation between the Dolphins and the Vikings has also come to a halt.
A few moments ago, however, Daniel Wolf of National Football Authority tweeted that his “contacts have confirmed” that the Dolphins are once again sniffing around the Vikings third overall selection in an attempt to ensure Tannehill wears a marine mammal on his helmet next year.
One thing is for sure, there is a big market out there for the Vikings top pick, and it is looking increasingly possible that they could hold an auction and possibly land a blockbuster deal that boosts their draft power this year and next.
As we continue to frantically gather tea leaves with hopes of successfully reading them, here is yet another interesting nugget of news.
Both the Cleveland Browns (#4) and the Tampa Bay Bucs (#5) have spoken with the Vikings regarding a trade up to the three spot to grab running back Trent Richardson, according to Charley Casserly.
Either of these scenarios could prove to be ideal for the Vikings. They could move back picking up extra selections while also getting a chance at either Matt Kalil or Morris Claiborne.
Even though the day has arrived in which the Vikings will make their true intentions known regarding the third overall selection in the Draft, there is still time for subterfuge.
One interesting report floating around right now comes from Viking Update. They sent out this tweet saying that LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne’s people were spotted in New York with Vikings gear in tow. This could be a sign of things to come, but it also wouldn’t be totally unreasonable to expect this is just more smoke.
If the Vikings do not plan on selecting Claiborne, however, then they are doing a darn good job of making it seem that way. Nearly every media typ is starting to waver when it comes to Matt Kalil being the pick including Michael Lombardi who says the Vikings are “focused” on Claiborne with hopes of getting an offensive tackle in the second round.
The other day, I went through a number of trade scenarios for the Vikings first round pick and I never once mentioned the Buffalo Bills who currently own the 10th overall pick.
It appears that may have been an oversight.
Charley Casserly reported via Twitter that the Bills “would like to” package the 10th pick with their second rounder to trade up and grab left tackle Matt Kalil.
This could represent an interesting twist in the Vikings first round fate.
On one hand, the Bills could represent an attractive trade partner for the Vikings if they were really willing to part ways with Kalil. Buffalo would have to give up a lot more than their second rounder to move up to the three spot, but they may just covet Kalil enough to make Rick Spielman that offer he cannot refuse. Any deal, of course, would still keep the Vikings in the top ten but would also likely drop them out of contention for one of the three players they admittedly covet.
Conversely, the Bills rumored interest in Kalil should plant some fear into Spielman’s mind. If the Vikings trade back, they may risk losing out on Kalil completely if the Bills can find another trade partner slated ahead of the Vikings new position. If Spielman covets Kalil above all other players, then the Bills just put a warning shot across the bow.
Soon, very soon actually, we will find out exactly how this will play out.
Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman held a pre-Draft press conference Tuesday and he touched on a number of hot topics.
The whole thing can be viewed by clicking here.
I have watched it a few times now, and here are my notes:
Let’s assume for a second that Rick Spielman is full of you-know-what and has had his sights on Matt Kalil since December. So, why not just come out and say so?
If this is the case, then Spielman deserves a lot of credit for successfully generating a trade market for the third overall selection despite the presumed absence of the two premier passers in this class. If he manages to finagle a trade back and still land Kalil, then the guy is going to look like a freaking genius and many of us are going to have a whole ton of crow to eat after doubting the guy all offseason long.
So, with Andrew Luck and RGIII already off the board, what kind of trade interest might the Vikings get when they pick up their phones in the war room? Let’s take a look.
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