EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman hinted at trading into the end of the first round while discussing his earlier pick of Matt Kalil, and Spielman did just that Thursday night.
After taking Kalil, a USC left tackle, at No. 4 following a just-completed deal, Spielman added another first-round pick in the NFL Draft by trading with the Baltimore Ravens to select Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith. Minnesota moved its second-round pick, the 35th overall selection, and one of its four fourth-rounders, 98th overall, for the right to move up to No. 29.
"I know the depth at safety in this draft was very slim, and we wanted to make sure that we started on our secondary and try to improve that area," Spielman said. "We feel very strongly that Harrison will definitely do that.
"He was the next-highest player on our board, and we didn't want to lose him. Again, with having the extra picks to go ahead and move up, that's why you accumulate those picks."
Smith, the second safety off the board after Alabama's Mark Barron was picked seventh overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will have a chance to become an immediate starter with the Vikings, who currently have Mistral Raymond and Jamarca Sanford as the starting safeties.
Minnesota got a good look at Smith when it coached the North team during the Senior Bowl, and Smith left a lasting impression.
"I really liked playing with those guys and took to their coaching," Smith said of his time at the Senior Bowl. "We kind of got a good feel for each other."
Minnesota was looking to upgrade its secondary after it finished 26th in the NFL in pass defense in 2011. The Vikings could look to add more players at safety and cornerback as the draft progresses with 10 more picks to use.
"We filled some significant needs, and we have a third-round pick (Friday), who knows what's going to happen with that?" Spielman said. "And then we have a lot of picks in the third day of the draft and feel very strongly we're going to get some very good football players the rest of the way through."
A two-time team captain at Notre Dame, Smith was a second-team All-American after finishing with 90 tackles and 10 pass deflections last season. He hauled in seven interceptions in 2010. He finished his career as just the 11th player in Notre Dame history to record more than 300 tackles, starting 47 of his 51 games with the Irish.
He has played both free and strong safety and is equally adept at playing the pass and the run. At 6-foot-1, 213 pounds, Smith has good size — he once was an outside linebacker — and has the speed to make plays in the passing game.
"I ended up coming down in the box covering tight ends and also playing deep pass, deep middle of the field," Smith said. "So it was really a strong safety-type role and free safety-type roles."
Smith joins fellow Notre Dame alums John Sullivan, Kyle Rudolph and John Carlson on the Vikings' roster.
Minnesota started Thursday with 10 picks in the seven rounds of the draft but traded with the Cleveland Browns about an hour before the draft started, moving back one spot from No. 3 to No. 4 while gaining extra fourth- , fifth- and seventh-round picks. But while speaking with the media, Spielman said there was a chance Minnesota would be picking again later Thursday.
"This is what makes the draft so fun," Spielman said of the trades. "The moving up and down and accumulating picks and then using some of those picks to potentially move back up if you target a player."
The Vikings are without a second-round pick for Friday's Day 2, which will feature the second and third rounds. They currently have one third-round choice, 66th overall, on Friday. Spielman said it is possible they could look to add more picks on Day 2 as well. Minnesota owns three fourth-rounders, two fifth-rounders, one sixth-rounder and three seventh-rounders.
"That trade with Cleveland kind of set the tone of this draft and us being able to do some things," Spielman said. "That was a huge, huge thing to get done right before the draft started."
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