Minnesota Vikings 2012 Mock Draft: 7-Round Predictions

You've heard everyone spew their opinions about what the Minnesota Vikings will do and should do in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft.

Some will say the offensive line is the greatest need, so grab offensive linemen early and often. Others say the secondary is out of control and needs help. Others suggest the receivers are so bad that Peyton Manning nor Tom Brady could succeed in Minnesota.

Needless to say, everyone has an opinion.

I will throw my views into the wind here, as I go pick by pick as to whom the Minnesota Vikings should select with their eight draft picks. 

1st Round, Pick No. 3: Matt Kalil, Offensive Tackle, Southern California

This is the pick people are debating about as, in essence, the Vikings are already on the clock with Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III expected to go first and second.

Some say this should be Morris Claiborne, the talented LSU cornerback. Others say this should be Justin Blackmon, the talented Oklahoma State wide receiver.

But Matt Kalil should be the pick here.

Franchise left tackles aren't typically found outside of the first round. But top-tier wide receivers and cornerbacks are more abundant in later rounds.

Looking at the 2012 Pro Bowl rosters: five of the 10 wide receivers were acquired outside of the first round or were undrafted, five of the eight cornerbacks were drafted in the first round (three in the top 12) and six of the eight offensive tackles were drafted in the first round (four in the top 12).

I give the edge to the offensive tackle position because he can do much more to make his teammates better than a cornerback.

An offensive tackle can make a running back better than he is by opening up grand holes for him to run through. He can give the quarterback time to pass, making it difficult for even the best secondaries to have blanket coverage, and he can lengthen the quarterback's career by keeping him upright.

The cornerback can cover extra well, allowing the linebackers and defensive lineman enhanced opportunities to get to the quarterback but not much else.

I think Blackmon, Kalil and Claiborne will have successful NFL careers, but give me Kalil.

2nd Round, Pick No. 35: Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver, South Carolina

This pick can go a number of different ways and still be deemed a successful selection. There will be talented defensive backs available here (possibly Notre Dame's Harrison Smith, Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard and Central Florida's Josh Robinson to name a few).

If the Vikings drafted any of those players, they would be fine. But I'm partial to Alshon Jeffery.

Jeffery very much resembles a former Viking and former South Carolina star, Sidney Rice.

Both players are 6'4" and over 200 pounds. Both players are great at getting vertical to snatch the football out of the air and away from shorter defenders. Both players also aren't the fastest receivers to ever play the game, but I expect Jeffery to be as successful in the NFL as his South Carolina associate has been.

Jeffery would also be a good compliment to the shorter, quicker and more versatile Percy Harvin who, at 5'11", cannot make plays in the air like Jeffery can.

He's a first-round talent who has the body and speed concerns that will scare off many teams. Minnesota should take the talented receiver in the second round (if he's there).

3rd Round, Pick No. 67: Chase Minnifield, Cornerback, Virginia

The Vikings should pass on LSU's Morris Claiborne at No. 3 overall, and they could come across a cornerback in the second round, but I do not have that happening.

That means the position needs addressing, and this is an opportune time to do it. Chase Minnifield is a talented cornerback from the same university that gave the Vikings Chris Cook, although Minnifield does not have the off-field issues that Cook has had.

Minnifield has good size, 6'0" and 185 pounds, and is a sure tackler much like current Minnesota cornerback Antoine Winfield.

Minnifield is talented in zone and man coverage. Based upon everything I've read about Minnifield, he sounds like a player that should be selected earlier in the draft, but everything I've heard suggests he'll go somewhere between the second round and early third.

Minnesota would be lucky to grab this type of player at this point in the draft.

4th Round, Pick No. 99: Tommy Streeter, Wide Receiver, Miami

The Vikings missed out on Ted Ginn Jr., as he re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. That means the wide receiver position is in dire need of filling.

Enter Tommy Streeter.

At 6'5" and 219 pounds, Streeter ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He has wheels to burst past defenders and has the size and a 33-inch vertical leap to take the ball out of mid-air from smaller defensive backs.

The knock on Streeter is that he runs poor routes and is slow off of the line of scrimmage. The former is very fixable, and the Vikings would settle with the latter at this point in the draft given his overall skills.

5th Round, Pick No. 131: Brandon Taylor, Safety, LSU

The safety position needs to be revamped. It needs fresh blood. And as the Vikings haven't added any pieces to the safety position yet in this mock draft, the time is now.

Brandon Taylor isn't an elite talent at the safety position in this draft, but he's a player many believe can start in the NFL.

He had 71 tackles in 14 games this past season plus an interception. At 5'11" and 209 pounds, Taylor is a player known for his physicality. He loves contact and enjoys dishing out pain.

He ran a 4.50 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and recorded a vertical leap of 33 inches. Taylor will find a spot for himself at the next level.

Minnesota's defense was soft in 2011; adding a player like Taylor would add a physical dimension to a defense in dire need.

6th Round, Pick No. 163: Demario Davis, Outside Linebacker, Arkansas State

Minnesota may be in need of a new starting outside linebacker, depending upon how it handles the free agency of Erin Henderson.

But regardless, the team needs to add depth to the position.

Demario Davis is a 6'2" and 235-pound linebacker. He has good size that is accompanied by great speed. Davis ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and doesn't just run fast off of the field but demonstrates it on the field too.

The knock on Davis is that he often overruns plays, a miniscule problem at this part of the draft.

7th Round, Pick No. 195: Ryan Miller, Guard, Colorado

The Vikings agreed to terms with former Carolina guard Geoff Schwartz and should draft Matt Kalil at No. 3 overall. But the offensive line still needs more work and more depth.

Ryan Miller is a 6'7" and 321-pound offensive lineman from Colorado with experience as a guard and as a tackle.

Miller is one hulk of a man, and his size enables him to overpower many defensive linemen. But his size makes him a slower offensive lineman, making him susceptible to quick defensive linemen, especially if he moves outside to the tackle position like many people project him to.

Minnesota would benefit from him as an offensive tackle or as a guard. At this point in the draft, it's all about finding players who can contribute on an NFL roster. If you're lucky, you come up with a Marques Colston-type (as the New Orleans Saints did in 2006).

7th Round, Pick No. 208: Adonis Thomas, Running Back, Toledo

Given the numerous holes across Minnesota's roster, the running back position is one many may forget about. But with Adrian Peterson's status for the 2012 season up in the air with his ACL injury and backup Toby Gerhart recovering from MCL surgery, the position is far from a certainty.

Adonis Thomas was a 1,000-plus yard rusher in his final two seasons at Toledo, the only two seasons he was a starter. Thomas isn't the biggest running back (5'10" and 185 pounds), but he proved himself to be a serviceable running back while at Toledo.

He has the ability to be successful in the screen game and as a receiver. At times he tried to get "cute with it" while at Toledo, something that will get him seriously injured at the next level.