2012 Draft Player Rankings: Top 10 UPDATE 1.0

those are some pretty consensus rankings…however, I do seem to see a lot more people mocking Kalil to the Vikings than to the Rams. The NFL.com mock panel had 7/8 people doing so, the only aggregate being Mariucci. WF has them with Kalil, as well as ESPN.

To be honest, I don’t think he’ll be on the board. That’s why I picked Reiff if we don’t trade down. Mayock has him as the #1 OT and he’s looked pretty dang good.

So yes I’ve waffled. I like many corners after Claiborne and Kirkpatrick. I don’t like any OT’s after Kalil, Martin and Reiff.

Kalil puts 225 up 14 times while Martin does it 32 and they’ll flop places pretty quick. (Which in reality is kinda dumb)

Most seem to agree the 3 biggest areas of need are LT, CB, and WR giving us the options of Reiff, Claiborne, and Blackmon with ranking averages of 8, 5.2, and 5 respectively. Given the scarcity of top LT talents found later in the draft (could Adams fall to early 2nd) and free agency compared to WR & CB, I think that it could be worth picking the 8th ranked prospect at 3 to fill a major need.

Some could argue going with BPA but I think without drastically improving the o-line, neither Griffin or Richardson would have much more success than our current players have had.

Also, I was a fan of Martin early on in the year but in the past month or so his stock has seemed to drastically fall on many boards. Earlier in the year he seemed to be a consensus top 5 pick. Anyone have inside info on why?

If the Vikings cannot trade down and he is there then I believe they should take him. I do not know who would end up eventually being the starting QB. It could be that Ponder would win the job. Meanwhile RG3 would be developing and the Vikings would have pretty good insurance in case Ponder goes down.

I like Webb but I am not sure about his passing ability from within the pocket. I think he can get better but if he is not getting the reps then it will take longer.

It really is not an indictment on Ponder. It is taking the BPA at #3. They can turn around and trade RG3 to a team a few spots down too. It could be that during the negotiations that teams will be trying to low ball the Vikings because they feel the Vikings will not select RG3. So if the Vikings actually do select him the other teams will then be saying oh shiite. Now the Vikings are in a position of strength.

I am not saying I would turn around and trade him but if the offer was too good to pass up then I would do it.

San Diego took Eli Manning even though they knew he did not want to play there and that the Giants really coveted him. Next thing you know the Giants are on the phone and giving up a nice package to get their guy.

I am not sure if the Chargers and Giants had some type of agreement before the Chargers picked but I doubt it. I think the Giants were willing to call San Diego’s bluff. And they lost as far as draft picks are concerned. They got their QB and he has worked out well so I suppose it is all good.

Regardless, I find it hard to believe that the Giants would tell the Chargers to go ahead and draft Eli and then we will pick Rivers and then give you our 3rd round pick and our first and fifth the following year. I mean what GM would agree to that before the Chargers make a pick?

No, the Vikings should take RG3 right there at #3 and then let the bidding begin. It could go all the way to Seattle who will be picking 11th or 12th. If a player is there that the Vikings like (and there will be) then the Seahawks would have to give up their 2nd and a first in 2013 plus a 4th or something like that.

I am not a fan of Claiborne. He may end up being all that but I think he will come in just under 6 feet and close to 180 pounds at the combine. Blackmon is intriguing but I am hoping they get a free agent WR and then pick up another one later in the draft. That leaves Richardson, Reiff, and Coples. I might select Coples and then try and deal Robison to a 3-4 team.

I could actually see them taking Richardson too. They may not let AP play much to start the year and having Gerhart and Richardson is not a bad one two punch.

I am just trying to think outside the box. I really believe that the Vikings should get the best player available with that #3 pick if they cannot trade down regardless of the position. The player should be an asset that can then be traded for picks later if need be. Not taking the BPA because you feel you do not need him is risky and short sighted.

During the Senior Bowl practices, Shanahan was on with NFL Network while the North was practicing. They asked him about selecting a QB and he said that you always have to be looking for that elite QB. He said if you do not have a top 5 or 6 QB in the league then you always should be looking to add a QB. He said the worst case is that you can always trade someone. This is exactly right.

My question is do the Vikings have a top 5 or 6 QB in the NFL?

By the time the draft rolls around I probably will have Blackmon or Kalil in my final mock. It is just more interesting to me than doing a straight draft.

01 Andrew Luck QB 6-4 235 Stanford 9.0
02 Morris Claiborne CB 6-0 185 Louisiana State 8.5 J
03 Trent Richardson RB 5-11 224 Alabama 8.5
04 David DeCastro OG 6-5 310 Stanford 8.5
05 Michael Brockers DT 6-6 306 Louisiana State 8.0 D J
06 Matt Kalil OT 6-7 295 Southern California 8.0 B J
07 Robert Griffin III QB 6-2 220 Baylor 7.5 J
08 Riley Reiff OT 6-6 300 Iowa 7.5 D J
09 Quinton Coples DE 6-6 285 North Carolina 7.5 C U
10 Justin Blackmon WR 6-1 215 Oklahoma State 7.5 C
11 Cordy Glenn OG 6-5 348 Georgia 7.5
12 Kendall Wright WR 5-10 190 Baylor 7.5
13 Orson Charles TE 6-3 241 Georgia 7.5
14 Mark Barron SS 6-2 218 Alabama 7.0 T
15 Dont’a Hightower ILB 6-4 260 Alabama 7.0 J X
16 Luke Kuechly ILB 6-3 237 Boston College 7.0 J
17 Peter Konz C 6-5 315 Wisconsin 7.0 J
18 David Wilson RB 5-10 205 Virginia Tech 7.0 J
19 Dre Kirkpatrick CB 6-3 192 Alabama 7.0 J
20 Nick Perry OLB 6-3 250 Southern California 7.0 J
21 Michael Floyd WR 6-3 224 Notre Dame 7.0 C
22 Devon Still DT 6-5 310 Penn State 7.0 C
23 Mike Adams OT 6-8 320 Ohio State 7.0 C
24 Janoris Jenkins CB 5-10 182 North Alabama 7.0 C
25 Coby Fleener TE 6-6 244 Stanford 7.0
26 Brandon Thompson DT 6-2 310 Clemson 7.0
27 Melvin Ingram DE 6-2 276 South Carolina 7.0
28 Courtney Upshaw OLB 6-2 265 Alabama 7.0
29 Kelechi Osemele OG 6-6 347 Iowa State 6.9 X C
30 Stephon Gilmore CB 6-1 193 South Carolina 6.9 J
31 Fletcher Cox DE 6-4 295 Mississippi State 6.9 D
32 Amini Silatolu OG 6-3 324 Midwestern State 6.9 D

33 Brandon Washington OG 6-4 320 Miami 6.9 D
34 Ryan Tannehill QB 6-4 222 Texas A&M 6.9 D
35 Lavonte David OLB 6-1 225 Nebraska 6.9 B
36 Brandon Boykin CB 5-10 183 Georgia 6.9
37 Lamar Miller RB 5-11 212 Miami 6.9
38 Jared Crick DE 6-6 285 Nebraska 6.8 X
39 Zach Brown OLB 6-2 230 North Carolina 6.8 U
40 Alshon Jeffery WR 6-4 229 South Carolina 6.8 S J
41 Ben Jones C 6-3 316 Georgia 6.8 P
42 Dwayne Allen TE 6-4 255 Clemson 6.8 J
43 Mohamed Sanu WR 6-2 215 Rutgers 6.8 D J
44 Dontari Poe DT 6-5 350 Memphis 6.8 D
45 Markelle Martin FS 6-1 198 Oklahoma State 6.8 D
46 Brandon Brooks OG 6-5 343 Miami (Ohio) 6.8 D
47 Andre Branch DE 6-5 260 Clemson 6.8 D
48 Jamell Fleming CB 5-11 191 Oklahoma 6.8 C
49 Andrew Datko OT 6-6 321 Florida State 6.8
50 Casey Hayward CB 5-11 188 Vanderbilt 6.8
51 Josh Norman CB 6-0 190 Coastal Carolina 6.8
52 Doug Martin RB 5-9 215 Boise State 6.8
53 Alameda Ta’amu DT 6-3 337 Washington 6.8
54 Travis Lewis OLB 6-2 227 Oklahoma 6.8
55 George Iloka SS 6-3 216 Boise State 6.8
56 Alfonzo Dennard CB 5-10 205 Nebraska 6.7 D
57 Jarius Wright WR 5-10 180 Arkansas 6.7
58 Ronnell Lewis OLB 6-2 244 Oklahoma 6.6 T C
59 Jerel Worthy DT 6-3 310 Michigan State 6.6 J
60 Bruce Irvin OLB 6-3 245 West Virginia 6.6 D P
61 Jonathan Martin OT 6-6 304 Stanford 6.6 D B J
62 Vontaze Burfict ILB 6-3 250 Arizona State 6.6 C J
63 Trumaine Johnson CB 6-2 204 Montana 6.6 C
64 Senio Kelemete OG 6-4 301 Washington 6.6

if so please send me a link where he looks like the #3 pick. I spent some time watching youtube highlights of him and I was not all that impressed. As much as I agree with your logic about WR via free agency I’m just not convinced that Claiborne is the lock down corner we need. I think we trade down if Kalil is off the board. If no trades are allowed I would prefer to Blackmon > Claiborne as I think Blackmon is very safe pick and gives us a strong, sure handed athletic receiver for years to come – a definite asset and need. But again if you have a link showing Claiborne in better light please share. Claiborne wasn’t even the best DB at LSU. He had one above average college year and he wasn’t covering opposing teams #1 WR. He is ranked high by most scouts so I am sure I am not seeing things clearly but I don’t like the idea of taking LSU second best CB at #3 and banking on him to be the lock down corner of the future…this is pick the Vikings CANNOT miss on.