Vikings Call Claiborne, Blackmon & Kalil Targets
April 19th, 2012
The Vikings either sent out a massive smokescreen today or are being stunningly straight with their fans and the rest of the NFL.
Per the Pioneer Press, the Vikings have made their internal approach to their No. 3 overall pick public.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is showing his staff three names to consider for the team’s third overall pick in the NFL draft: USC left tackle Matt Kalil, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.
Each player, listed as equals on the team’s “big board,” will be the subject of the staff’s intense film evaluation over the weekend. Spielman, who has the final say on all personnel matters, hopes to decide on one of the three by Wednesday, April 25.
Of course, this news puts a knot in Joe’s stomach because it means Claiborne might be off the board when the Bucs step to the plate with the fifth overall pick. However, if the Richardson is off the board at No. 5, as well, the Bucs should be hit with interesting trade-down offers to get Kalil.
Joe could see a scenario where the Cardinals want to trade up from No. 13, and the Bucs potentially drafting safety Mark Barron out of Alabama with Arizona’s pick while stockpiling more Cardinals draft picks.
April 19th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
I can see all 3 of these guys in purple.
Chris Carter spoke out about the value of Justin Blackmon as a gifted hardworking WR, and said he will be great in the red zone.
Kalil seems like a logical pick.
Morris may be the guy too? Like everyone mentions the premium for DB’s in this league, as the Vikings play Cutler, Stafford, and Aaron Rodgers each twice a year.
April 19th, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Bwhahaha…Viking are crumbling under the pressure…..remember when they didn’t get their pick turned in …in time…and teams started front running their draft postion with named picks…..gezzo pezzo…..other than QB the Viking have the choice of any position…any player….and they are gagging……Bwahahahaaha
April 19th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Bucs @5 Draft Claiborne!!! bank on it
April 19th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
The Bucs should not trade down. We will have an opportunity to draft Claiborne, Richardson or Kalil who are all elite ball players in the draft. I don’t think the players rated below them are elite (w/ the exception of Blackmon). If they trade down the bust potential increase greatly.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
I just read today where Barron was vastly over rated, and might fall in the draft.
Maybe we can get him later ?
April 19th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
I’d love to get Luke Kuechly and picks.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Buffalo at 10 could want Kalil as well.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I would be happy with Brandon Taylor from LSU in the 3rd for our Safety pick.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Kalil will not fall to #10 to the Bills. They will need to trade up.
Maybe Reiff would be available at #10.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
NO Way Joe….this only confirms that Minnesota is trying to find a trade partner or they’re actually gonna take Richardson because of Peterson’s health…NOBODY (other than Polian) telegraphs such a straightforward statement like that. Minnesota knows that they need an extra early pick and they’re trying to get someone to bite (probably us or Cleveland) because they know that two of those three are going to the Bucs or Browns…..Speilman is full of spit…NEVER trust a Buckeye !!
April 19th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Should our first 2 choices at no. 5 be off the board, what would be so bad about Kuechly. If I missed out on Clayborn, I might consider taking a chance on Jenkins. by packaging my 2nd and part of what I accomplished to allow someone to trade up to get Kalil. Or, just take Kalil and your line is set for 10 years.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
This team needs superstars.. Trading down to acquire more draft picks that don’t make the team is old and should not be an option. If Kalil is there and we have him targeted as a big time player, draft him.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Noleriff: NO WAY the viks will draft richardson… they already have toby gerheart (can’t recall his last name) and AP will be fine next season. They will draft Kalil… it’s all smokescreen.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Kalil on the board and a trade down could be Best case Scenario.
Claiborne will not be one of the highest drafted corners in NFL history. All most of us have seen of Claiborne is the same 3 plays the networks have looped for 5 months straight. Hes good … But Im really not sure how good and that makes me nervous.
If Claiborne went 3rd and TR is there at 5, Screw the RB Value theory. The Bucs just got better and I love LGB.
April 19th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
@Noleriff
their not touching Richardson, Peterson will miss 2 games and is their #1. their trying to get a trade partener so they can aquire more pix. they need help in a lot of places and RB isnt 1 of them. i see them looking @ Kalil all the way, they drafted a QB in the 1st round last year and need to protect him. its a smoke screen to see if us or the Browns take the bait. i have a feeling its gonna be Mo Claibourne and im happy with that, or TR im happy with that as well. lol BUC IT IM OUT!!!!!!!!
April 19th, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Buffalo at 10 might be interested in a trade for Kalil as well. Would be the perfect place to draft Kuechly…
April 19th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
If a trade did happen, I’d also love to get Kuechly further down.
If we stayed there without Richardson or Claiborne, I also wouldn’t fuss if they took Kalil themselves…
We all know Trueblood won’t be re-signed again, and it’d be great to have Blount running behind the best O-Line in football (if it isn’t already).
Penn is – and still should be – solid, but when if he regresses, we have a LT in place who already has experience in the league.
April 19th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
3-4-5 will go kalil, richardson and claiborne – in that order.
The bucs take Claiborne only because Richardson is gone – they want T Rich but know that he wont be there. After Cleve takes T Rich – Dom will try to move back – no takers though – bc nobody really wants Mo Claiborne that early – so we will be forced to take the conventional pick.
Trust me: the thinking is T Rich or trade down, 1 and 2 – take Mo as the less desired #3. I think Mo will be good.
But remember, Dom was reared under Dungy and McKay who believed that in a Tampa 2 style D, you never take a corner in round 1. I realize Schiano’s 4-3 is not base Tampa 2, but Dom and Schiano may agree that corner is not the best investment early in round 1.
In a Rex Ryan 4-3 over hybrid style defense (born out of the 4-6) relying heavily on man defense from corners due to the attacking style, requires dominant corners – the Tampa 2 requires smart, tough, instinctive players like Ronde who dont grade as highly with scouts.
Claiborn would fit great in New York, or even Dallas.
April 19th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
I think it’s going to be Claiborne too.
With his athleticism and ball skills he’ll be a great fit here.
Need AND BPA, we’re going to be happy.
Except for the annoying “experts” who are under the delusion they
should be GM’s instead of message board killjoys.
ONE MORE WEEK!!!!!
April 19th, 2012 at 8:05 pm
I was talking about trading with Buffalo, not Kalil falling to 10.
April 19th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Hey Thomas has a good post
April 19th, 2012 at 8:53 pm
Wow, he sure did! That’s the first one in memory where he didn’t bring up GMC or Raheem, or say the word “sheep”. Well done, sir.
April 19th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
BS. the “Tampa Two” has not been the primary defensive scheme since Monte Kiffen left. We need a CB who can cover on an island now.
Times have changed and if you guys honestly think 2.whatever knows more about how Schiano is going to run his defense than Bill Sheridan or, well, Schiano himself you are NUTS!
Come on now people THINK!
April 19th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
@Garv,
I think the defense is going to be built upon the personnel that we have. Most of the guys we have on defense were drafted to play in a cover 2 type scheme. Although we very well may eventually go to a more aggressive man to man scheme (exclusively), I wouldn’t expect that to happen immediately. Realistically, NONE of us know exactly what type of scheme they will be running, but I highly doubt the change will be that drastic, at least not right away.
I hate to say this because I like Raheem, but I don’t have a damn clue what scheme we ran last year, besides the scheme of letting the other team march up and down the field and score on us possession after possession. We really haven’t played any defense since Monte Kiffin announced he was leaving. Besides, let’s not criticize 2.2 after he finally made a post that didn’t have any hate in it. Give the man a break!
April 19th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
#BOLD PREDICTION- Minnesota
Vikings trade picks with Tampa bay buccaneers. Tampa
Bay buccaneers select Trent Richardson, Vikings
Move to 5 and still get Matt Khalil. Bucs surrender a 4th rounder and a 7th rounder. Select a LB in the 2nd, corner in the 3rd.
April 19th, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Dylan…the Bucs don’t have a 4th rounder this year.
April 19th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Not a chance the Vikings take anyone besides Kalil for LT. THeir O-Line is depleted. They have a young QB and a stud RB whose had injuries.
If they do take anyone other thana franchise LT, they are stupid to be blunt.
April 19th, 2012 at 9:33 pm
Dylan
No way the Bucs move up. For what???? Claiborne or RIchardson or Blackmon will be there at 5.
My guess is they take Claiborne and then a RB and LB in the next 2 rounds.
The Bucs do not have a 4th rounder this year, not a chance they give away more.
If they get a real good offer for a bunch more picks for their 2nd or 3rd, I see them moving down, but I doubt that happens.
April 19th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
@Thomas
Well, we did take Talib in the first round under Monty.
April 19th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
I dunno what to think anymore. Pats and Green Bay had statistically horrible defenses.
Maybe thing to do is draft Blackmon. Look how many receivers the Saints have.
Go for points points points. Isn’t that why u get the franchise QB?
Passing league?
April 19th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Blackmon + Jackson + Williams + Benn + Winslow = Overload!
April 19th, 2012 at 10:50 pm
If the Vikings do end up drafting at #3 (which they’re trying like hell to move back), they most definitely will select Kalil. I’m just not really seeing any of the 3-4-5 picks being traded. For the Bucs, I think they are hoping T. Richardson is available at #5. If not, they will settle for a stud CB in Mo Claiborne, and build on defense with their first three picks, possibly even trying to trade back into the first three rounds. I really don’t think the Bucs take a RB in the 2nd. If they don’t get a chance to get T. Richardson they’ll wait til later to grab a complement piece to Blount.
April 19th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Be nice to be overloaded on scoreboard!
April 19th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
And also, if for some reason the Vikings (or someone else) did happen to trade at #3 and took Mo Claiborne, and the Browns took T. Richardson at #4, I gotta think we’d go Blackmon over Kalil. But, there would almost have to be trade offer from someone looking to move up a couple of picks and I think they would take that trade.
April 20th, 2012 at 2:47 am
Im sorry but I cant hold it in any more. All these people (or really just Thomas) saying that the philosophy of the Tampa 2 defense is to not get a corner in the first round? Really? Where did Aqib Talib come from? That was from the Kiffin/Gruden era. Please stop with that argument because the people who supposedly made those rules did not play by them.
Claiborne = Buccaneer.
April 20th, 2012 at 5:11 am
Make no mistake, Claiborne is going to be a Buccaneer because TR will be gone. All the anti-TR guys can say whatever they want, but we will never know. I personally don’t see any way we pass on TR if by some miracle he’s still there, but Claiborne is a pretty good option as well. I guess that’s the one good thing about being so awful next year – we should get a very good player.
April 20th, 2012 at 7:07 am
Count on this
Bucs sign LSU DB Coach = Bucs Draft CB M.Claiborne in first round regardless of Wonderlic Score.
Bucs sign Butch Davis as a Def.Special Asst. = Bucs draft LB Zack Brown in the Second
April 20th, 2012 at 7:08 am
…or at least it makes for a good smoke screen
April 20th, 2012 at 7:36 am
I said Dungy, McKay, Herm Edwards etc had that philosophy and they did.
How did that Talib draft pick turn out? Allen, a poor drafter, took Talib on value bc he was highly rated but then fail on character and positive drug tests.
I am not saying that Schiano will run Tampa 2 as a base, every 4-3 team plays it on occasion though as part of their package.
The point is merely that Dom was trained under acsystem where you did not take corners in round 1, yes the system is different now but that influence may play a role.
It wont matter, Rich will be gone so Dom will make the conventional pick with Mo – who will be a good pro. I just dont think Mo will make that much of a difference to the team in year 1.
Patrick Peterson was great last year, it didnt help the Cards.
April 20th, 2012 at 8:58 am
I don’t think Dom would move outside of the top 10 unless Cardinals threw a bundle of picks at him. More likely a team like Buffalo would offer a pretty decent deal and still leave Tampa in a position to draft someone like Kuechly or Kirkpatrick.
April 20th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
I think the Vikings are seriously between Mo and Kalil. They have 3 awesome QBs in that division, but also have no O Line whatsoever. So I still believe they will draft Kalil. If not then we have to trade back to someone wanting Kalil or Tannehill. I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds!! Favorite time of the year!!!!!!!!