To the surprise of. . .well, pretty much nobody. . .I used the third overall pick in the 2012 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft to select USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil.

As predicted, the folks at Stampede Blue took Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck at #1 overall for the Indianapolis Colts, and the Hogs Haven crew followed that up by selecting Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III for the Washington Redskins. So, with the third pick, Kalil seemed to be the obvious choice for our squad. Mocking the Draft's Dan Kadar actually has Kalil as the second-best player on the entire draft board, so in that aspect we may have even gotten a bargain!

Here's what Kadar had to say about the pick:

With the Vikings able to choose between three players, it opens them up to the possibility of a trade (which has been gaining some momentum of late). But in a scenario where the Vikings use the No. 3 pick, Kalil is the best choice. Although Claiborne and Blackmon are very good, there is depth at cornerback and wide receiver in this year's draft. Kalil is an exceptional offensive tackle prospect. If he improves his run blocking, he could quickly reach the level of Jake Long or Thomas.

He's pretty much thinking along the same lines as I am. With the way the draft board shakes out, there are three blue-chip prospects that intersect with the Vikings' three major needs. . .Kalil, Justin Blackmon, and Morris Claiborne. But, it appears that the drop-off from Kalil to the next few tackles is a bigger drop than the drop between Blackmon and the rest of the wide receivers or Claiborne and the rest of the cornerbacks.

So, that's the pick and why I made it. You can follow the rest of the 2012 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft over at Mocking the Draft.