The St. Louis Rams appear willing to trade the second pick in the draft, and that is great news for Minnesota Vikings fans.
Some team will pay a draft picks-related ransom to get the second pick and draft Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III. With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck bound for Indianapolis, which has the top pick, that means the Vikings can draft Southern Cal left tackle Matt Kalil, who has the kind of talent that can make him an all-pro for the next decade.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has been jawing about possibly trading that third pick to accumulate more draft picks. The Vikings already have 10 draft picks. They don't need more -- not when they have the chance to draft Kalil.
It's in Kalil's DNA to excel. His older brother plays for the Carolina Panthers and already is one of the best centers in the league. Chances are, with this talk of a possible trade, Spielman is just doing what general managers do when it comes to the draft. They fib because they don't want to tip their hand.
Spielman seems like a smart and astute fellow. But if he's serious about trading the third pick and passing up the chance to draft Kalil, he may be in need of a CAT scan.
Drafting Kalil would improve the Vikings in several areas. For one thing, Kalil would protect Christian Ponder's blind side. He also would make the run game better. And putting him at left tackle would allow the Vikings to move Charlie Johnson to guard.
There is no downside to drafting Kalil. Only upside.
All the Vikings have to do now is keep the third pick and draft him.
