Would Either to me be..Eben Britton, OT, Arizona, Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina or Jeremy Macklin, WR, Missouri.

It really all depends on who is available at 22. There is not a NEED in the 1st round, although the Vikings will need to take a RT in the first couple rounds if they do not pick one up in free agency.

WR, OT, or Corner.

Or BPA depending on who you ask.

Latest Board has Vikings picking Maclin with our 22nd pick.

Dont know what to think of this. I would rather get Nicks or an OT.

Probably comes down to the best available from these positions: RT/WR/DT/DE. I’d eliminate WR if they’re able to lure in the likes of Holt/Harrison (very doubtful). DL depth could be huge if they believe the Williamses won’t win their appeal; even if they win, a 3rd DT would be nice, and neither Robison nor Edwards have locked down the left end yet.

RB depth can (and likely will) be filled in the middle rounds.

They need a quarterback – but so do 4 other teams ahead of them… with only three first-round-caliber quarterbacks to share. That probably won’t work out for the Vikings.

They need an offensive tackle – but all the elite ones will probably be off the board. Britton is an option, but I don’t think he is first-round caliber. One chance that isn’t really thought of is Andre Smith. After his horrible Combine, he could fall to 22.

They need secondary help – but again, nobody really worth the pick. Vontae Davis could fall to 22, but his attitude and character are in question and I doubt the Vikings would take the risk on him.

So, I would say take the “Best Player Available” approach, and you’ll be fine in that mock draft. Good luck!

Britton may fall into to the late round 2 area. Others to look at in round 2 or 3 might be Funuki Tupou or Troy Kopog.
I doubt we’ll get one of the big 4 OT’s and even if they drop I think the Vikes will pick Nicks or Harvin #1.

My guess is they’ll go for a wideout in Round 1. Just a guess. They potentially wore a lot of tread off Peterson’s tires last season (I believe he led the league in rush attempts), and I don’t think that’s a viable long-term strategy. The better, consistent teams in the NFL pass to set up the run (the Vikings are built backwards to this on both sides of the ball, although Allen did help the defense gain some balance). As it is, they’re kind of a modern-day Barry Sanders/Detroit Lions offense: relying a little too heavily on a superstar rusher with inconsistent, frustrating results.

Nabbing a guy who could open things up offensively would be fantastic. My preference would probably be Harvin. Nicks might be a safer option and he’s been used as a more conventional receiver, but Harvin potentially adds an element of scary to this team. Even if initially all he does is underneath routes, well, the Vikings, whether by design or not, throw a ton of dumpoffs anyway (they’re Childress’s secret weapon). Harvin would at least have a chance to make something of them.

Needs are always difficult to access. Clearly they need to address the line, although linemen can be developed, so not sure if they’ll bite on the first day. Not saying they won’t or shouldn’t, but just saying… Their defense is clearly better than their offense, but it’s also getting old at a couple of key spots (DT, CB), it could use an upgrade at the left tackle spot, and they could use a playmaker defensively, as outside of Jared Allen, they’re more of a bend-don’t-break unit. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but sometimes it’d be nice to think they have someone who’s going to turn the momentum. I’d do backflips if a ballhawk like Alphonso Smith fell to them in round 2.

In the end, we have no idea what this regime might do. Much like your guy Bill Pollian (my favorite NFL exec), these guys play the draft process close to the vest. (Unlike Pollian, they don’t have quite the drafting track record, but who does?) It’s almost a given they’ll maneuver up or down on draft day, and they also have a tradition—going back to the days of Denny—of reaching on guys they like (with mixed results). So who knows?

Good catch. I did mean left defensive end (Ray Edwards). My two cents is Robison deserves more time there, but what do I know?

Not sure if many here are familiar with drafttek,com, but it’s a site that does a “consensus” draft. Rather than a traditional mock, it rates players by consensus from various other sites, and then runs a simulation based on those ratings, team needs, algorithems, etc. (It essentially is trying to make a reasonable prediction of the draft.) It’s a cool site.

Anyway, their current first three picks for the Vikings are Wake CB Alphonso Smith in the 1st, South Carolina OT Jamon Meredith in the 2nd, and Alabama C Antione Caldwell in the 3rd. I like Smith and Meredith a lot, don’t know much about Caldwell, but it should be noted Harvin, Nicks, and Hayward-Bey are all available in this consensus draft. I’m not sure if I could see them taking a CB with that many options at receiver available (if something like that played out).

Also, note to skywalker: I forgot to mention the Vikings have a bit of a sweettooth for tools guys from smaller schools (Tarvaris Jackson; Tyrell Johnson). So if in your research you find a small school guy with ridiculous combine numbers, he might be on their radar.