NFL Combine 2012: 12 Players Minnesota Vikings Should Watch Closely

It's no secret that the 2012 NFL draft looms large for the Minnesota Vikings and their newly re-built front office and coaching staff.

For a franchise and fanbase that has grown accustomed to winning divisions and consistently being playoff contenders, the past two seasons of 3-13 and 6-10 simply won't cut it. Talk radio and Internet chatter in Minnesota have discussed the competency of GM Rick Spielman and head coach Leslie Frazier ad nauseam. 

Both Spielman and Frazier would agree that just comes with the territory after you go 3-13. While it remains to be seen to what degree those two can be successful, there is no arguing that a roster that puts up a 3-13 record is in need of a huge overhaul.

With up to 10 picks in April's draft, Spielman and company simply have to have a home run of a draft in order to get the Vikings back on track. With that in mind, the Vikings brass head to Indianapolis this week for the NFL Combine—the annual ritual where hundreds of football prospects are poked, prodded and put through mental gymnastics as teams try to mine for gold.

Considering their wide array of needs, here is a list of players the Vikings should be paying particularly close attention to.

1. Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Obviously the Vikings will have their eyes on the coveted trio of Matt Kalil, Justin Blackmon and Morris Claiborne—the three best players at the Vikings three biggest positional needs.

The consensus hope in Minnesota is that with the third pick in the draft, the Vikings are able to select Kalil, the tackle out of Southern Cal and that he will be a dominant player for the next decade.

However, picking third, the Vikings have to be ready for a variety of different scenarios at the draft, especially if the St. Louis Rams keep the second pick and draft Kalil.

If that happens, the logical move for the purple would seem to be to take their pick between Blackmon and Claiborne, both high-end prospects at positions of huge need for Minnesota.

But the Vikings will also have to entertain the possibility of trading down.

While Robert Griffin III is not on the Vikings radar at all, his performance at the combine might have more impact on Minnesota's draft fate than any other player. If Griffin performs well, all the teams in need of a quarterback (Cleveland, Washington, Miami, Seattle) will be desperate to trade up to get the chance to draft him.

If the Rams don't trade, the Vikings will have to decide if getting Blackmon or Claiborne is better than getting two other first-round picks. Cleveland would be the best trade partner for Minnesota, if they could still get one of those two players, in addition to the Brown's 22nd pick.

I've listed Reiff here because the Vikings would also have to consider swapping picks with the Redskins, who would probably offer their No. 1 pick both this year and next year. If they go that route, they would probably have their eyes on Reiff for this year.

At 6'6", 300 pounds and as a converted tight end, Reiff is a solid athlete and a great combine performance could convince teams that he can join Kalil as a "sure thing" at left tackle.

2. Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia

The 6'6", 346-pound massive guard out of Georgia is quickly becoming the high profile guy that nobody wants to talk about. Glenn is zooming up draft boards, once considered a high second-round pick, Glenn's stock keeps going up to the point that it wouldn't surprise anyone if he was taken in the top 20.

Glenn's massive size—coupled with rumors that he can post a 40 time at just over five seconds—have all teams needing offensive lineman salivating over the chance to add Glenn to their rosters (via NFL Draft Scout).

The Vikings will take a long look at Glenn in Indianapolis in the event that they trade out of the third spot. If Minnesota swaps picks with Cleveland and picks up the 22nd pick in the first round, Glenn would definitely be in play there.

Depending on who the the Vikings got with the fourth pick, they still might prefer to get a shot at Michael Floyd or Janoris Jenkins at 22, but those two might both be gone by then.

3. Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Janoris Jenkins will be one of the most intriguing players next week in Indianapolis.

Physically, he rates out as a nearly top-level shutdown corner, with speed, athleticism and great ball skills. Jenkins raised all sorts of red flags, however, when he was booted from the squad at Florida after a second run-in with the law.

While many assumed Jenkins would simply turn pro, he instead enrolled at the lower level North Alabama, where he dominated. What will be interesting about Jenkins in Indianapolis won't be the physical tests (he'll do extremely well and everyone already knows that), but the interviews and how he handles himself as a person.

Jenkins admitting that he probably wasn't ready for the NFL and spending a year at North Alabama had to be an impressive move to pro scouts, and they will all be eager to talk to him and get a sense of where he's at with his mental maturation.

Jenkins will only be in play for the Vikings if they trade out of the three spot and pick up another pick in the mid-to-late-first round.

4. Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

Alshon Jeffery's stock is falling. Heading into the 2011 football season, Jeffery was expected to have a monster season and many scouts had him locked in as a top 10 pick in the 2012 draft.

What a difference a year can make.

Jeffery wasn't bad last season, and his numbers were clearly hurt by the revolving door of quarterbacks at South Carolina, but it's his rising weight issues that have raised red flags with NFL teams.

At 6'4", 235 pounds, Jeffery has the potential to be a game-breaker at the next level. At his best, he is a superior athlete who uses his size and hands to dominate defenders. But what NFL evaluators want to see is a Jeffery at 230 pounds—that can still get separation and show a burst to the ball.

Jeffery's time in the 40 and in the shuttle runs will be perhaps the most anticipated of all players next week. The Vikings will certainly have their eyes on a kid who could be a complete steal at the top of the second round.

5. Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

It's no secret that the Minnesota Vikings three biggest positional needs are offensive line, defensive backfield and wide receiver.

Most analysts expect the Vikings to use their top three or four picks to address those needs, depending on who they acquire in free agency and how the draft happens to unfold.

There are several players, however, that if available, Minnesota would absolutely have to consider at the top of the second and third rounds.

First and foremost among those might be Dontari Poe—the massive, 6'4", 345 run-stopper out of Memphis that would fill the gaping whole in Minnesota's defensive line that appeared when Pat Williams left.

None of the several players who played next to Kevin Williams in 2011 did much of anything. 

If the Vikings like what they see out of Poe at the combine, he could be an immediate answer in the middle and a guy that ties up blockers and gives more space for Kevin Williams, Jared Allen etc, to do their thing.

6. Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington

Take everything you just read about Dontari Poe in the last slide and apply it to Alameda Ta'amu—only replace the second round with the third round. 

Ta'amu is a good two inches shorter than Poe and not nearly as athletic. Scouts at the Senior Bowl came away disappointed in Ta'amu, seeing virtually no pass rush ability from him. What also scares scouts is the fact that Ta'amu's weight has been as high as 390 pounds.

The Vikings will take a long hard look at Ta'amu in Indianapolis, hoping to see some quickness and athletic ability to go with his massive frame. They will also poke and prod him physically to find out if he will be able to keep his weight in check.

Nobody wants to invest in a player who will eat himself out of the league.

Ta'amu has shown way too much upside to be ignored, however. He's a physical beast and if he applies himself both physically and mentally, he could be a dominant inside player for years.

7. Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia

Simply stated, the Vikings had the worst secondary in the NFL last season. By a long way.

In a division where they face Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler twice each season, the Vikings to-do list has to start with improving the defensive backfield. Not only do they have to add a veteran corner through free agency, they have to draft at least two corners in April and one of them will probably have to start from day one.

The good news is that this year's draft is stacked with cornerbacks.

Morris Claiborne, Dre Kirkpatrick and Janoris Jenkins project as the top available in the class, but their are at least 10 others that could end up being solid NFL starters.

If the Vikings don't take Claiborne in the first round, they will almost surely grab one in the second, and they will have a lot to choose from.

They will have their eyes glued to four or five different cornerbacks who all project very similarly, and it will be their job to find out who will be the most successful at the next level.

Chase Minnifield might be the first of this group that they dissect. Most of Minnifield's measurables will come in as solid, if not spectacular.

Where Minnifield can separate himself from the others is with his football IQ. Growing up as the son of Frank Minnifield—the 80s all-decade corner for the Cleveland Browns—Chase plays a similar game. He knows how to cover, how to tackle, how to take good angles and make good decisions.

In short, he's the opposite of everyone who played corner for Minnesota last season. 

8. Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Stephon Gilmore might have more athletic ability than anyone who has ever played cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings. 

Gilmore was a standout quarterback in high school, a dual threat who beat people simply by being quicker, faster and a better athlete. Concentrating on defense at South Carolina, Gilmore started immediately at corner and played in all 40 games in his college career before deciding to go pro after his junior year. 

There is no doubt Gilmore could start for the Vikings next season. It will be up to the Vikings staff to decide if he will be a better pro than Minnifield, Casey Hayward or Alfonzo Dennard. All four of those players project very similarly, and the Vikings would do well to draft any of them.

9. Rueben Randle, WR, LSU

It's been said a lot that the 2012 draft is the most important in Vikings history. I'll take that a step further and say that the Vikings second pick in this draft is the single most important pick in Minnesota's long road to recovery. 

With the third overall pick, the Vikings are going to get a great football player in the first round.

That's easy.

But they have to get a star in the second round, too. With the 35th overall pick, the Vikings will have plenty of options available to them and where they go will obviously depend on who they end up with in the first round.

One player that has star power oozing out of him that could fit the bill for the Vikings in the second round is LSU wideout Rueben Randle. The 6'3", 210-pound Randle doesn't have elite speed, but he's shown enough of every other tangible characteristic that he projects as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL.

Randle will have all eyes on him with every move he makes in Indianapolis—mostly because he played for a very poor passing LSU team. NFL teams will want to see Randle get in and out of routes and how he catches balls thrown by pro-level quarterbacks. 

10. Tommy Streeter, WR, University of Miami

Since the day he announced he was entering the draft, Miami receiver Tommy Streeter has been one of the most intriguing prospects on the board.

Without having done much at Miami heading into his junior year, Streeter exploded in the second half of the 2011 season and ended the year with 46 catches for over 800 yards and eight touchdowns. At 6'4", 215 pounds and 4.5 speed, Streeter is the most tantalizing of prospects.

His ceiling seems unlimited, but his resume just isn't very detailed.

The Vikings (along with every other team) will be locked in on Streeter at the combine. He's a kid whose stock could shoot him all the way into the second round if he performs well, and the Vikings would certainly have to give him some thought in the third round.

Streeter is very raw, so even if he doesn't wow at the combine, he would be a worthy pick in the fourth round. He seems like a player that might not do too much for one or two years in the NFL, and then blossom into a star.

11. Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska

There are no two ways about it: Lavonte David is not going to measure up at the combine. At 6'0", 220 pounds and a 40 time around 4.6, David measures out too slow for a safety. 

What David is, however, is an absolute tackling machine that will almost assuredly look like one of the steals of the 2012 draft in five years. 

David is an outside linebacker that plays much faster than he times out. I don't care how he interviews, his football IQ is amazing. What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for with instinct and tenacity.

As a junior, David set a Nebraska record with 152 tackles and again led the team as a senior with 133. 

After a phenomenal week at the Senior Bowl, scouts all walked away confident that David will be able to play in the NFL.

David might be a tricky pick for the Vikings—they don't have the luxury of guessing at all in the first three rounds and David will probably be gone by the end of the second. The Vikings will need linebacker help though, and depending on what they do in free agency, they would be overjoyed to see David sitting there at the top of the third round.

12. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon

Answer: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon.

Question: What we're talking about when we talk about the guy nobody is going to want to talk about at the combine.

Everybody wants him in camp. Nobody wants him in camp. In 10 years it would really surprise no one if Harris is a five-time Pro-Bowler. It would also surprise no one if Harris never played a down in the NFL.

What he is for certain is a bit too short and a bit too small to be great. He's also more than a bit too athletic and more than a bit too instinctive not to be great.

Harris will blow through the physical requirements at the combine with flying colors. It's his interviews that should probably be carried live by ESPN. 

Harris is the ultimate wild card—a kid who's supreme talent may ultimately be undone by his wiring.