January 20-25 - Senior Bowl
January 26 - Pro Bowl
February 17 - First day of franchise / transition player designation
February 19-25 - Scouting Combine
March 11 - Free Agency begins
March 23 - Owner's Meeting
April 7 - Off-season workouts begin for teams with new HC
April 17 - 2014 Schedule Released
April 21 - Off-season workouts begin for teams with returning HC
May 2 - Deadline for RFAs to sign offers
May 8-10 - NFL Draft
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Skol12 (653)On Thursday, the Vikings weeks of posturing ended up right back where everyone assumed it began, with them selecting USC left tackle Matt Kalil with their first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. The only caveat was, after picking up three extra picks, he was selected one spot later than we all expected.
While Rick Spielman had enough media types bamboozled into thinking they might take LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, but instead they took the player they likely targeted all along. Then, they snuck into the end of the first round and selected Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith.
Following the Draft I will dust off my old “Welcome to the Big Show” features and we’ll look at every prospect selected very closely. For now, however, I want to provide some instant reaction to the selections and give you an idea for how I feel on each guy.
MATT KALIL
The Vikings expect that they have found themselves a cornerstone for the organization that will be around for at least a decade, protecting quarterbacks and paving paths for runners.
Kalil’s real strength matches well with the weaknesses of the Vikings current tackles. He is a superb pass protector who utilizes his athleticism and quick feet to ensure that if the quarterback gets hit, it won’t be from his side. USC often left Kalil by himself and he held up great despite the lack of help.
His run blocking has been pointed out by many analysts as needing improvement, but somewhere along the line “needing improvement” turned into “a huge weakness” within media circles. The truth is, Kalil’s smaller frame and upright style seldom affected his game negatively in college, and his ability to get to the second and third level in the run game to take on linebackers and safeties far outweighs any negatives. Sure, he can add some bulk and a little strength (which he probably will) but there is no denying that this kid is an elite prospect as a left tackle.
Left tackle is where he will immediately be plugged in. With Kalil manning that spot, the Vikings then plan to slide Charlie Johnson inside to left guard, thus upgrading two positions with one choice.
I couldn’t be happier about this pick and while he won’t single-handedly win Minnesota a Super Bowl, he should prove to be a huge step in the right direction for this offense that needs to be built around Christian Ponder and Adrian Peterson.
Adam’s Grade: A+
HARRISON SMITH
The Vikings desperately needed help at the safety position. If they went into the season with Jamarca Sanford and Mistral Raymond as their starters, well, I just wouldn’t be expecting much… we’ll put it that way.
To me, the top two safety prospects in this Draft were clearly Mark Barron from Alabama and Harrison Smith from Notre Dame. After that, I felt like there was a great disparity between them and the second tier of safeties.
Barron went to the Bucs very early on in the Draft and the Vikings gave up a fourth rounder to move to the 29th spot from their original second round position and grabbed Smith. In doing so, they filled a huge need with a very solid prospect.
Smith has a nice, big frame and is known to be kind of a jack-of-all-trades type of player. The Vikings liked the versatility from what they saw of him at the Senior Bowl. His athleticism and range should be of benefit to a Vikings secondary that needs some positives added to it. He truly is a sideline-to-sideline type of player.
Having even played some linebacker in the past, the Vikings surely like Smith’s tackling abilities and physical style of play. He is at his best when playing downhill and is plenty capable of delivering a jarring hit. Smith will event present the Vikings with a good ability to blitz on occasion.
Most attractive, however, were the leadership abilities he displayed within Notre Dame’s defense. He is known as an ultra-competitive guy that is going to give you everything he’s got and then some.
There has been some knocks on his coverage ability, however, which would be why he never was considered a “blue chip” type of player. His tape reveals some stiffness in his game and his interception totals went from seven as a junior to none as a senior.
Overall, Smith seems like a day one starter, especially for the Vikings. He has room for improvement, but looks to be like an investment that could be well worth it. I am looking forward to seeing him matchup against some of those big tight ends in our division.
The Vikings filled a need and got a very promising prospect. Tough to find many complaints about this one, other than perhaps the fact that they had to trade up to get him.
Adam’s Grade: A-
Rick Spielman and the Vikings enjoyed their success in the first round that they decided to jump back into for a little more.
After completing a no-brainer trade at the top of the first round (read my assessment here), the team engaged in something a little more risky towards the end of the evening.
The Vikings traded their second round pick (#35) and their original fourth round pick (#98) for the Ravens first rounder (#29) and grabbed Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith. Targeting Smith wasn’t a huge surprise as he has been the apple of many Vikings fans’ eye for months now, the team has a thing for Notre Dame players, and safety was arguably the team’s biggest need.
We will get into a more in-depth analysis of what Smith brings to the team a little later on, but from a trade value standpoint what exactly did the Vikings do?
According to the old Jimmy Johnson trade chart, found on this page, the Vikings gained 90 value points by moving from 35 to 29. However, the fourth rounder they gave up is valued at 108 points so the Vikings overpaid a tad, according to this chart.
The newer “Harvard Chart” that claims to account for factors more accurately, including the new CBA, values the 29th pick at 208.7 points. The 35th and 98th picks combine, according to this chart, for a point value of 268.5. This chart suggests that Vikings overpaid by more than the old trade chart suggests, but both indicate that they overpaid.
The overpayment is slight, however, and the Vikings obviously targeted Smith enough to move up at all. If they weren’t quite as smitten with the kid, then they probably would have been content to just sit back and see if he was there as an option at 35.
They got their guy, and it is hard to fault them for that even if they overpaid. Heck, a few years back, they gave up more than that to move up a short distance and grab Toby Gerhart. So, at the very least, this trade up was an improvement.
“I guess it went well down there,” Smith said of his work with Vikings staff at the Senior Bowl. “I really like playing for those guys and took to their coaching and I think we kind of got a good feel for each other.”
The Vikings obviously got a good enough “feel” for Harrison to overpay a bit in trading up to get him.
(Note: This is a continuation of a series where we take you inside our War Room for the #MockOne draft series. This particular version is for #MockFour. If you are unfamiliar with what it is all about, you should probably start off by reading about what we did in the previous #MockThree. For prior #MockFour posts, check out #MockFour Begins.)
Round 1
Trade – Vikings 1.03 for Rams 1.06, 2.07 and 4.01
1.06 – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Trade – Vikings
1.29 – Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Our first pick of the second round was incredibly difficult. Our war room was essentially tossing and turning between to particular prospects. While both would fill a position of need, they each had qualities that made them drastically different. Player one, while the much safer choice, would provide an immediate upgrade to arguably our weakest area. Player two is potentially a top-10 talent who has some major character concerns that caused his draft stock to drop significantly. I’ll cut straight to the point and tell you who we took then provide some more insight and reasoning. (You’re probably going to want it.)
While perusing the internet, I came across this article written by Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press. In it, Walters offers up very little reason outside of the obvious needs of this roster to surmise that there is “little doubt” the Vikings front office will “pounce” on Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith if he is available when they are on the clock in the second round.
One thing Walters wrote did jump out to me, however, of something that might actually have some meat behind it. He noted that Rick Spielman seems to have a thing for Notre Dame players. Considering that within less than a year he drafted tight end Kyle Rudolph, gave a hefty contract to center John Sullivan, and signed tight end John Carlson it seems that Walters might be on to something.
In fact, a quick scan of the Vikings roster indeed showed that the only other college to occupy three roster spots on this team is Iowa. Then, Brett passed along the news that Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd seems to have caught the eye of the Vikings, and I decided we should take a look at what all Notre Dame is offering up this year and examine their prospects a little closer. Soon, I will take a look at Iowa, too.
Here are the major prospects that could be selected in a couple of weeks and some information on each:
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