2012 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings Weighing Options at No. 3

It's long been assumed that the Minnesota Vikings would steer one of two directions with the third overall selection in the upcoming NFL draft: trade the pick, or stand pat and select coveted former USC left tackle Matt Kalil.

Turns out that may not be the case, as ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that the team has interest in at least four players with the third pick: Kalil, Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, Morris Claiborne of LSU and Michael Floyd of Notre Dame. A trade down remains a possibility as well.  

Although there has been minimal buzz relating to any player other than Kalil to Minnesota lately, each of the other three options are understandable on the basis of the team's needs and the value each presents.

The Vikings are razor thin at wide receiver and in need of a perimeter presence to lighten the load on quarterback Christian Ponder. Blackmon or Floyd could tag team with Percy Harvin to give Ponder a pair of receiving threats that should help him improve from his rookie season.

And while Blackmon has long been in the conversation near the top of the draft, Floyd is a late riser who some are now regarding as the top receiver available. Neither would be too much of a reach at No. 3 to justify the selection.

Defensively, the Vikings have worked hard to address their secondary—specifically the cornerback position—this offseason, adding veterans Chris Carr and Zack Bowman, but neither projects as a long-term solution to a troubled spot for Minnesota in 2011.

Claiborne, meanwhile, is the undisputed top defensive player in the draft, and a player with the physical skills to evolve into a shutdown NFL corner. He has tremendous size, reactive ability, quickness and the instincts to match up with the array of receivers he will oppose at the next level.

Kalil, as has been discussed extensively throughout the pre-draft process, makes as much sense as any other player for Minnesota, given the team's need to invest in a blindside protector for Ponder and his ready-made NFL game.  

Many have believed that the top of the first round would be swayed by the fourth pick, currently held by the Cleveland Browns. With the recent insights regarding Minnesota's thinking, it turns out that it may in fact be the third pick that kick starts the first-round drama.

Stay tuned.