NFL Draft 2012: Vikings Interest in Floyd at 3rd Overall Smells of Smokescreen

Another name was added to speculation as to whom the Minnesota Vikings are considering with the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, but the Vikings' reported interest in Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd smacks more of an attempt by the Minnesota front office to have their cake and eat it too than it does general interest in drafting Floyd that high.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Wednesday that while the first two picks in next week's draft are locked up, the third is anything but, and among the players being considered is the 6'3" Fighting Irish wideout, who tallied 100 catches for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

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First two picks are locks. No. 3 is not. Minnesota strongly debating Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Ryan Kalil, even Michael Floyd.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 18, 2012"

There's no denying that the Vikings have a need at the wide receiver position behind Percy Harvin, whose continuing battles with migraines make him a perpetual injury risk.

Nor is there any denying that Floyd has been climbing draft boards of late, with Greg Cosell of NFL Films recently claiming that Floyd—not Justin Blackmon—is the top prospect at his position in this year's class.

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Floyd vs. Blackmon: A fascinating and compelling study. Many will disagree, but I see Floyd as the more complete prospect. The film tells me he has more ability to line up on the outside and win one-on-one. Blackmon’s success will be more a function of scheme, and how he’s utilized in the context of a multi-dimensional passing offense.

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That said, this sudden interest in Floyd by the Vikings may have a lot less to do with them or him than it does with other players and other teams, as even with Floyd's stock on the rise, this appears more like an attempt to spur interest in a trade with another team than it does the possibility of Michael Floyd actually being a top-three pick.

Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman has already stated that the team isn't averse to moving down in this year's draft, going so far as to recently tell Pro Football Weekly that the Vikings may well negotiate a trade while they're on the clock, which given the history of the franchise probably scared the proverbial you-know-what out of the entire fanbase.

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“There are times we have been in (the war room) and we’ve done deals on the clock,” Spielman said, noting his flexibility to make such a deal if the right offer comes up. “It’s an unknown, but you’re prepared for both ways. We’ll be ready and we’ll have a good idea of what we think the value of that third pick is."

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It's also no great secret there are a number of teams that could use a franchise left tackle such as Matt Kalil, or that any number of NFL teams have expressed interest in Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay recently predicted would carry a purple price tag.

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Tannehill is a hidden gem in this draft, a quiet secret who was always sneaking up to #3..you want him, you better talk to Zigi The Biggie!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) April 11, 2012"

However, there's also a better-than-average chance that Michael Floyd will still be available toward the back end of the top 10, if not later, when teams such as the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks (all who have been linked to Tannehill) pick, which makes a trade down into one of those spots a potential draft-day win-win for the Vikes if Floyd really is that high on their wish list.

It could be that the Vikings aren't overly enamored with any player at third overall and simply want to make sure the light on the "for sale" sign for the pick is on. Or it could be that the Vikings are simply feigning interest in one player while intending to draft another, as NFL teams have been doing since before Mel Kiper Jr.'s hair became sentient.

It is. You were warned.

However, if the Minnesota Vikings truly are targeting Michael Floyd, then that target almost certainly has an extra draft pick or two stapled to it, as Floyd's selection with the third pick would easily trump three weeks of Tannehype as the single-most inexplicable occurrence of the 2012 NFL draft.

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