Posts tagged: Matt Kalil

NFL COMBINE: DAY ONE RUMORS

February 24, 2012, by 3 comments

Am I alone in thinking the first day of this year’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indy was uncharacteristically short on the unsubstantiated rumors we all crave?  To be honest, I am kind of disappointed.

Still, I found some items for you guys (and gals) to chew on this morning:

  • Click here to read Paul Allen’s humorous encounters with Matt Kalil and Darrell Bevell at the Combine.  Further down, you get to the real interesting stuff, where Allen claims everyone in Indy is talking and acting like the Rams trading out of the number two spot is already a done deal.  Both St. Louis and Minnesota have publically admitted they are open to trading backwards for the right deal.  Spielman wants to be “very active” in trading to “accumulate picks” on Draft Day (which scares the Tarvaris Jackson out of me).
  • At 6’ 4” and 240 pounds, UCLA’s Cory Harkey was the biggest blocking tight end to weigh in on Thursday.  For those of you that would love to see the Vikings find a suitable replacement for Jim Kleinsasser via a late round pick, keep an on this guy.
  • When the NFC North Champions re-signed tight end Jermichael Finley to a two year deal this week, it opened up the possibility of them franchising (and then trading) backup quarterback Matt Flynn to the highest bidder.  The Cleveland Browns, who are thought to be a prime Draft Day trade partner with the Vikings or Rams, are now rumored to have interest in making a play for Flynn instead of trading up to draft Robert Griffin III.
  • I don’t have a link to provide here, but it seems possible that the free agent wide receiver market could dry up pretty quick if the current abundance of “smoke” is any indications.  The Eagles like Desean Jackson.  The Chargers like Vincent Jackson.  The Steelers want Mike Wallace to be spend his whole career with them.  The Chiefs want “somewhere over Dwayne Bowe” back.  The Cowboys can’t re-sign Laurent Robinson until after free agency starts because of a technicality, but they want him to remain on the roster.  The Colts are really talking up Reggie Wayne.  Don’t believe everything you hear, folks, but I’m willing to bet a number of these guys don’t make it to free agency.  But, hey, there’s always Stevie Johnson.  Yay?

That’s about it for now.  Hopefully there will be some more items of interest produced on Friday.  Leslie Frazier will speak to the press on Friday, and Matt Kalil will be officially interviewed by the Vikings on Friday, so I’m sure we’ll have some interesting things to pass along.

Kalil Speculation Won’t Slow Down

February 23, 2012, by No comments yet

The first day of the NFL Scouting Combine is in the books.  It started with weigh-ins and measurements of the offensive linemen and tight ends.  Overall, it was pretty uneventful as nobody showed up three inches shorter than listed by their college and nobody had freakishly short T-Rex arms.

For the Vikings and their fans, it seemed all eyes were on the top left tackles in the class, which of course includes USC standout Matt Kalil.  Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman, however, left the door wide open to consider other prospects to protect Christian Ponder’s blind side.

“There are some very good left tackles coming out in this draft, not only Kalil, but there’s a lot of other guys that are going to be able to play left tackle in this league,” Spielman said. “You want to look at their ability to protect the quarterback’s blind side. Does he have the athletic skill set and does he have the feet and does he have the arm length to do everything to make him competitive at left tackle?”

While Spielman made it clear he has an open mind about the Vikings plans this April, he also didn’t kid anyone about how he views Kalil as a prospect.

“His brother turned out to be an extremely good player, a Pro Bowl player,” Spielman said. ”Kalil is very talented at left tackle. He has all the feet and skillset that you’re looking for. He has the arm length. He has the nasty demeanor. The finish, when you watch him on tape, to finish run blocks. I feel he’s going to be a very good left tackle in this league as he grows in the position and moves forward.”

Spielman went full circle again, in an effort to keep the world guessing about their strategy, by suggesting that perhaps left tackle is overrated as a position.

“There’s the adage that you go back and forth on – is the left tackle that important or is it more important to have playmakers on offense? Because as your quarterback evolves, he learns the system, he gets the ball quicker out of his hand and all of a sudden that left tackle doesn’t need to be a Pro Bowl left tackle. He can be a functional left tackle because the quarterback evolves and he’s got playmakers. I just remember Aaron Rodgers and how the media were criticizing their offensive line when Aaron Rodgers took all those sacks his first year as a starter. Now, their offensive line has gotten better, but Aaron Rodgers has also gotten better … and they’ve got tremendous playmakers around him.”

Kalil himself spoke with the media on Thursday.

“For my dad, ‘Let’s play football’ means let’s go do kick steps and let’s work o-line drills,” Kalil said of growing up in a football family. “My first time going to Servite (High School in Anaheim), I tried to play tight end as a freshman and my dad went on the field and said ‘No, he’s playing left tackle.’ That pretty much ended that dream.”

“I would have been a sweet tight end,” Kalil said. “Maybe like an Anthony Munoz catching touchdowns.”

Kalil is trying to use his time as Indy to show that he has bulked up a bit and will be an improved run blocker.

Another Left Tackle Possibility

February 8, 2012, by 1 comment

The widely accepted theory revolving around this offseason plan for the Minnesota Vikings is that the left tackle position will be one of the highest (if not the highest) priority for Rick Spielman and company.

As things stand now, many fans believe Spielman will attempt to solve this particular problem by draft USC tackle Matt Kalil or Iowa tackle Riley Reiff.

Those beliefs are likely to stay intact until the Vikings make their first selection in April, or until another option suddenly surfaces that is too good to pass up.

One of those opportunities could come in the form of two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Marcus McNeil.  According to a report from Kevin Acee, the San Diego Chargers are expected to clear $10 million in cap space by waiving McNeil in March.

In 2010 McNeil, regarded at the time as one of the top three left tackles in the game, signed a six year deal worth $48.98 million.  According to Acee, however, the $24.5 million in guarantees McNeil receive apply only to skill and not to injury.  Thus, if McNeil can’t pass a physical by March 15th then his contract is not guaranteed and the Chargers can cut him loose with minimal losses.

Since signing the big deal, McNeil has struggled with serious neck and back injuries and has played in only 20 of the last 32 games.  Acee reports that McNeil is expected to fail his physicals prior to March 15th, and thus it appears likely McNeil hits the free market.

The Vikings will likely continue to perform due diligence on this year’s top rookie tackles, but if they end up deciding that a 28 year old injury risk veteran is less risky than what they see in these rookie prospects, it is a possibility that the Vikings show sincere interest in McNeil.  He will undoubtedly be the top left tackle free agent available.

Of course, the most likely course of action remains the one that involves the Vikings using their first round draft pick on a stellar left tackle prospect this April.

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: The Blockers

February 7, 2012, by 10 comments
Matt Kalil

[NOTE FROM ADAM:  This is another installation of my position-by-position breakdown of the Vikings offseason.  You can click the links to view previous installments:  The Passers, The Runners, The Wide Outs, and The Tight Ends.]

Here we finally have an edition of “Offseason Preview” that is almost certain to spark every fans interest.  Sure, the Vikings are likely to pursue upgrades at the receiver position, but the left tackle spot on this Vikings roster is bound to be the topic of conversation between now and April… and probably well into the 2012 season, too.

Let’s take a closer look.

Continue Reading →

Adam’s Mock: Version 2.0

February 3, 2012, by 1 comment

Just a quick note to draw attention to the fact that I updated my mock draft today.

I don’t want to shock you, but I have yet to change my mind on who the Vikings should select, although there are some pretty significant changes elsewhere in the mock.

I’m hoping to have version 2.1 coming out soon in which I address the second round.

Check it out by clicking here.