Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft: Team Might Pass on Matt Kalil, Pick Claiborne

The Minnesota Vikings have been flying under the radar as we approach April's NFL draft. With the No. 3 pick, they will be able to take anyone except the two quarterbacks, RG3 and Luck. Unless something crazy happens between now and then, that should be the situation when the commissioner calls the Vikings' name.

Minnesota has been projected to be set on drafting offensive tackle Matt Kalil out of USC. It seems like the logical pick, but not definite by any means. Rumors around Minneapolis are that Vikings general manager Rick Spielman might be seriously considering taking LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. 

I previously wrote that selecting Claiborne might not be a bad idea. Kalil is a safe pick, it would seem, but Claiborne is a play-making skill player. Spielman has been deliberately vague when discussing the Vikings' draft plans.

This is either because he wants other teams to think nothing is out of the realm of possibility in order to possibly elicit a nice trade-down situation for Minnesota, or he is genuinely unsure of whom to select.

Drafting either player will help the team next season, but which one will help most?

Linemen succeed more often than cornerbacks at the NFL level, but that doesn't mean Claiborne won't turn out to be a perennial All-Pro. He is a ball-hawking corner who loves the big play. The Vikings were one of the worst defenses when it came to takeaways last season, and Claiborne can add to that pitiful number. 

Kalil is the safer pick, but Claiborne is so tough to pass up. Offensive line prospects as good as Kalil are rare, but Champ Bailey-type corners are even rarer. It might be nice to have one corner position locked up for the foreseeable future.