Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft: Grading Every Pick of B/R Community Draft

Over the past week other Vikings featured columnists and myself had the opportunity to play Rick Spielman as we represented the Minnesota Vikings in Bleacher Report's first community draft.

After eight days we have our results.

As a contributor to the Vikings draft, I had my say in on what the Vikings did, but not everything I wanted Minnesota to do happened.

This is my opportunity to critique what the other featured columnists and I did.

Round 1, No. 3: Matt Kalil, USC Offensive Tackle (Grade: A)

At this point the selection of Matt Kalil is a slam dunk. It's a home run. It should be a forgone conclusion, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

But there are reports that Minnesota is flirting with the selection of LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne or Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, but this front office had no such doubts.

We were in love with Kalil from the beginning, and the Minnesota Vikings should be too.

Given the investment in Christian Ponder, the 12th overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Vikings must do a better job of protecting him.

Selecting Kalil helps do just that.

And given that 40 percent of the starting offensive line won't be back from 2011, the Vikings need to add pieces to the starting unit.

This is the pick for Minnesota.

Round 1, Pick No. 28: Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama CB (Grade: B)

The Vikings' front office opted to trade up seven spots to draft Janoris Jenkins, an extremely talented cornerback from North Alabama.

In the mock draft, Minnesota surrendered the No. 35 (second round), No. 99 (fourth round) and No. 195 (seventh round) picks.

Jenkins played three seasons at Florida before being dismissed by new coach Wes Muschamp for a second charge involving marijuana.

At the NFL Combine, Jenkins recorded a 4.46 second 40-yard dash and measured 5'10" and 193 pounds, a solid combination of size and speed for the NFL. 

Scout's Inc. rates Jenkins as the No. 14 overall prospect and No. 2 cornerback. CBSSports.com rates him the No. 4 cornerback and No. 36 prospect. WalterFootball.com rates him as the No. 2 cornerback.

The talent is there, no doubt. Jenkins would be a welcomed addition to a talentless defensive backfield.

But to concede a fourth and a seventh-round pick when a very talented defensive back would have been available at No. 35 anyway in Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith, I would have stayed put at No. 35

Of course, had the Vikings stayed put, Smith would have been off the board by that time.

Round 3, Pick No. 67: Tommy Streeter, Miami WR (Grade: B)

Most mock drafts I have seen have Tommy Streeter coming off the board in the third or fourth round, which makes this a great place to acquire a 6'5", 219-pound wide receiver with a 4.40 40-yard dash under his belt.

He's a great combination of size and speed unknown to the Vikings since old No. 84 used to make mince meat of opposing secondaries, although not as fast but taller.

I did not give this pick an A because had Minnesota stayed put at No. 35 and selected Harrison Smith, this would be the place to select Virginia cornerback Chase Minnifield.

Streeter will stretch opposing defenses and give Christian Ponder his first true deep threat since he took over as Minnesota's quarterback.

But as no wide receivers were selected between this pick and where Minnesota would have picked in the fourth round, there's a good chance Minnesota could have had Harrison Smith, Chase Minnifield, Tommy Streeter and a seventh-round pick instead of Streeter and Janoris Jenkins.

Round 4, Compensation Pick: Marcus Forston, Miami DT (Grade: C)

This was the first of Minnesota's two fourth-round compensatory picks.

At Miami, Marcus Forston never lived up to his hype. He was recruited by USC, Miami, Florida State and Florida and opted to become a Hurricane. While at Miami, he missed 18 games due to injury.

His best season was in 2010 when he recorded 37 tackles (12 for loss) and 3.0 sacks.

CBSSports.com wrote that Forston had all the talent necessary at Miami but wasn't willing to work hard enough to improve. His talent was too natural. That won't suffice at the next level. Maybe someone on Minnesota's coaching staff or on its roster could teach him so he could become a talented NFL player. But if not, then this pick would be a waste.

The defensive tackle position is one that definitely needs roster additions as Kevin Williams ages and Remi Ayodele continues to leave many uninspired. That isn't why I gave this selection a "C."

I gave it that grade because South Carolina safety Antonio Allen was still available. He's rated the No. 3 safety according to Mel Kiper Jr. and CBSSports.com and plays a position Minnesota has a greater need at than defensive tackle (not to mention Allen is a better talent than Forston).

Round 4, Compensation Pick: DeVier Posey, Ohio State WR (Grade: B)

I like the selection of a second receiver at this part of the draft. Minnesota hasn't made any splashes in free agency relative to the position which means it needs to acquire two wide receivers in the draft.

DeVier Posey was one of the five players suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for his connection to the tattoo scandal but was also suspended another five games for accepting other benefits, which wiped away any chance of him having an overly successful senior season.

He has the physical tools (6'2" and 211 pounds), speed (4.5 40-yard dash), and ability to go vertical (36.5-inch vertical leap). All of that suggests he'll be a successful player at the next level. There's nothing wrong with those postings.

But with all the off-the-field issues Minnesota has had in recent years (Chris Cook, the love boat, Koren Robinson) Minnesota isn't the place for players with off-field issues to flourish (the exception being Jared Allen).

Minnesota's youth movement means there will be fewer veterans to keep him in line as well. Hopefully he'll reform his ways in the NFL.

Round 5, Pick No. 131: Andrew Datko, Florida State OT (Grade: B+)

This is a solid selection that helps add depth to the offensive line.

The Vikings plan to move Charlie Johnson from left tackle to one of the guard positions. They also signed former Carolina Panther Geoff Schwartz and return Joe Berger at the guard position.

But with Johnson shifting to guard and the drafting of Matt Kalil, Minnesota still needs another offensive tackle. Enter Andrew Datko.

Datko possesses a very large frame (6'6" and 315 pounds) and is very strong against the run (his pass blocking still needs a lot of work). A shoulder injury derailed his 2011 campaign, but the future is bright for Datko as some believe if he gets stronger that he can make a difference at the next level.

We had the right idea with this pick, snagging an offensive tackle, but I would rather have seen us take Tom Compton of South Dakota. He's similar size to Datko (6'5" and 314 pounds), but scouts are more sold on his skills translating at the next level.

According to his NFL Combine scouting report, the biggest knock on Compton is that he played against sub-par competition in college. But he is a more sound pass blocker and run blocker than Datko with more athleticism. Compton went 150th overall to the Atlanta Falcons in the mock draft.

Round 6, Pick No. 165: Robert Blanton, Notre Dame CB (Grade: C+)

My grade really depends upon one thing: what position Robert Blanton plays at the next level.

The Vikings already traded up to grab Janoris Jenkins. With Antoine Winfield and Chris Cook back on top along with the selection of Jenkins, I would rather see Minnesota select LSU safety Brandon Taylor here. But if Blanton converts to safety, then I raise this grade to a B+).

WalterFootball.com suggested Blanton move to safety, and his NFL Combine report raves about his experience at the college level. You'll also notice Blanton's very slow 4.7 second 40-yard dash. That scares the crap out of me, whether Blanton plays safety or cornerback. That is too slow for a member of an NFL secondary.

Taylor, on the other hand, ran a 4.58 40-yard dash and played on some extremely talented LSU defenses. At 5'11" and 209 pounds, Taylor isn't afraid of contact; in fact, he welcomes it. The big knock on Taylor, according to his NFL Combine report, is his inability to defend in a man scheme.

Luckily for Taylor, Minnesota plays mostly a Cover-2 scheme, minimizing that concern.

Round 7, Pick No. 208: TBD

Pick not made yet ... my apologies for the initial post in here. Thought Minnesota had made its pick.

Overall Draft Grade: B

If you take a look at my grades pick-by-pick, they roughly accumulate to a "B" average.

While I do not agree with every particular player we took in this draft, we did a good job of addressing Minnesota's needs. We devoted seven of our eight picks to the offensive line, defensive backfield and receiver position, which are the three positions in the most need of help. 

Matt Kalil, Janoris Jenkins, Tommy Streeter and DeVier Posey should all be able to contribute immediately, which is exciting.

The draft could have gone better, but if Minnesota's real draft ended this way I wouldn't be devastated.

What do you think?

Have a look at the Bleacher Report Community Draft for yourself.