The Minnesota Vikings, who currently hold the No. 3 selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, are more than willing to listen to offers for their draft pick, Vikings GM Rick Spielman said today.
Minnesota Vikings Willing to Entertain Offers for No. 3 Pick
“If someone wants to come up and get our pick, we’re going to be more than willing to listen,” Spielman said.
With Andrew Luck to the Colts being a foregone conclusion at this point, and a handful of teams in the mix to jump up and select Robert Griffin III second, it would appear that any team looking to swap with Minnesota has their eye on the next tier of prospects in this draft.
Among the candidates to be selected third overall are USC's Matt Kalil, Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon and LSU's Morris Claiborne. After the jump, we'll examine which teams could be in play to move up into the Vikings' slot.
Obviously there will be plenty of talented players to choose from at No. 3 overall. In addition to the three mentioned, Robert Griffin III is not out of the question. If the Rams can't find a suitor for the No. 2 pick, the Vikings will certainly be working the phones in an attempt to move the third pick with the Baylor quarterback on the board.
If Griffin III is off the board, which is likely, Matt Kalil makes the most sense to come off the board next. Clairborne is a tremendous prospect, but I’m not sure he is a top three pick. That is rare for a cornerback. Meanwhile, depending on how he runs at the combine, Justin Blackmon may not even be a top five pick.
Kalil is one of the elite prospects in this class, and plays a position of tremendous value. Plenty of teams with offensive line issues would love to move up and grab Kalil. However, the Vikings would be foolish to pass up on such a talent at a position of need for them. Charlie Johnson played poorly at left tackle all season long.
As willing as the Vikings are to entertain offers for this pick, it’s going to be tough to justify moving it unless Robert Griffin III is still on the board.
There is plenty of time between now and the draft for these things to get cleared up. One thing is certain, though; under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams are going to be much more willing to move around at the top of the draft. It should make things interesting.
See More:
