Senior Bowl Practice #2

I continue my endeavor to point you towards all the interesting notes coming from Mobile, Alabama as the Vikings coaches work with the North squad.

• Defensive tackle Mike Martin (Michigan) and middle linebacker Audie Cole (North Carolina State) fit positions of need for the Vikings, and have taken advantage of their opportunity to impress the coaching staff.
• Another linebacker that has made an impression is Lavonte David out of Nebraska.
• Think the Vikings could use another guy like Percy Harvin?  Kendall Wright out of Baylor is drawing comparisons to Harvin and may be a steal if he is still around at the beginning of the second round.  Wright is not present at the Senior Bowl, but he is still generating plenty of discussion.
• The Vikings interviewed 45 players in four hours on Tuesday.  Rick Spielman allowed four reporters incredible access, including sitting in on Spielman’s interview of Auburn long snapper Josh Harris, and discusses the interview process in depth.  Great article!  Check it out here.
• Tom Pelissero of 1500 ESPN offers up five players to watch when the game rolls around.  Good stuff, but somebody should tell Tom to back away from the camera a bit.
• A potential surprise looming in April could be the Vikings decision to select a rookie kicker, especially after Ryan Longwell’s rough season.  If the Vikings are planning such a pick, they are keeping it pretty close to the vest by reiterating their faith in Longwell.
• Leslie Frazier places a lot of value in the interview process teams put prospects through.  “The fact that we can interact with them in meetings, we can go to the dining hall with them, we can stand on the practice field and talk about things, it’s an ongoing interview,” Frazier said. “Unlike at the combine when you may get them for 15 or 20 minutes, this is a week-long interview we have with these players.
• One Vikings assistant coach was very complimentary of Virginia linebacker Cam Johnson.  Johnson has had a good couple days of practice and earned some extra credit by expressing enthusiasm of watching film of Tuesday’s practice.  Johnson projects as a mid-round prospect and would probably be moved to defensive end in the Vikings defense.
• According to Leslie Frazier, the Vikings are not going to completely ignore the running back position throughout the scouting process.  “We do have to be conscious of some of the running backs that are in this draft,” Frazier said.