EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Long before the Vikings finished last season with a 3-13 record and assured themselves of the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, theories about what Minnesota should do in the annual talent grab were already being offered.
New Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has heard those ideas from fans and media alike.
A dominant left tackle could solidify that key position for years. A top-flight wide receiver would help out last year's first-rounder, quarterback Christian Ponder. Surely the secondary could use an upgrade after allowing opposing QBs to run up historic numbers in 2011.
"We've got a couple of areas where we think we have big needs," Spielman said last week. "More than one."
Of course, Spielman wasn't ready to tip his hand either, joking, "The ones that you guys write about."
Spielman and his staff have been deep in evaluation since the season ended, and Spielman was promoted to the vacant general manager position from his post as vice president of player personnel. It's been nearly two months since the season ended, and there is still much time before the April 26 start of the draft. Spielman and staff are headed to Indianapolis this week for the Combine and though Spielman knows his team's areas of needs, he made it clear he is keeping all options open when it comes to the No. 3 pick.
He has said his staff will do its due diligence on the quarterbacks and didn't rule out a quarterback if one was "too good to pass up", despite drafting Ponder No. 12 overall last year. Spielman knows trade offers will come in, too, though he said he won't hear the "nitty-gritty deals" until right before the draft.
One aspect is nearly certain: Movement is likely around the Vikings' pick. The economics of new collective bargaining agreement means teams might be willing to risk jumping ahead because the financial concerns aren't as great as they were in the past.
"I think when you're up there in that top five, there are some pretty talented people," Spielman said. "We'll have to make that determination that if we do stay at three, is that player too good to pass up or would we be able to get a player that could still come in and be a very good football player for us, but also accumulate more draft picks as well? I think with the new CBA and the rookie pool, it makes it a lot easier to make trades when you're in the top three because before no one wanted to come up there because of the financial commitment."
Much of the early speculation for trades has centered on the St. Louis Rams' pick at No. 2 and Baylor's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III. The Indianapolis Colts are expected to make Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck the top overall pick, leaving any quarterback-needy teams to approach St. Louis. Teams still use the popular draft value chart, which assigns points to each pick and is used league-wide to evaluate potential trades.
"You don't want to sell a Ferrari for $10, but you don't want to pay $2 million either," Spielman said. "So, it's a tool. It's a bridge between teams, too, as you sit there and negotiate on the phone because most teams use that value chart. So, no one's trying to fleece each other."
If he's approached, most likely for the rights to Griffin, Spielman will have to weigh his options.
"If somebody's going to give you potentially a two and maybe a No. 1 next year – those are the things you've got to weigh in, as well as how far you have to move back in the draft," Spielman said. "To potentially move back and maybe have two No. 1s next year would be something that would be intriguing."
Spielman said he sees a few "blue-chip" talents and the possibility of getting one of them might be too good to pass up. With the expectations that a team could go to St. Louis for a chance to select Griffin, the Vikings have most often been linked to Southern Cal left tackle Matt Kalil.
"Kalil is a wonderfully gifted left tackle," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said on a teleconference last week. "He's got great feet, long arms, and he fits the bill for the athleticism look in an all-pro left tackle. What he doesn't have yet is the core strength that you're going to look for that will happen two or three years from now. And every once in a while he gets bull rushed. Every once in a while at the point of attack, he's going to struggle.
"But he does what the NFL demands from their left tackles, which is he ultimately will be an exceptional pass protector."
While Griffin, Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon, Louisiana State cornerback Morris Claiborne or a trade could all be possibilities for Minnesota, franchise left tackles don't come around often. The Vikings have selected just one offensive lineman — left tackle Bryant McKinnie — in the first round of the past 16 drafts. Free agency begins on March 13, but Spielman knows the league's top left tackles typically come from the front of the draft and aren't available in free agency.
"If they're that good, they are usually not out there," Spielman said. "You weigh the decisions if (the quarterback) has more playmakers around him does that make the LT better because the ball is coming out quicker and he is not getting hit as much, or do you have a chance to put a cornerstone left tackle, which is very important because he has to block the premiere pass rushers every week, is that better for your club. So there is some different philosophies there and again, hopefully I have a pretty good idea on how we are going to do that."
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