NFL Draft 2012: Six Options for the Minnesota Vikings at Pick No. 3

The Minnesota Vikings are currently the biggest story in the 2012 NFL Draft. After the Indianapolis Colts select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and the Washington Redskins select Robert Griffin III, what the Vikings will do at No. 3 is a complete mystery with the draft just two days away.

The Vikings have sent various smokescreens in an effort to get several teams to bite and make a trade offer that they can't refuse. However, if the Vikings stay at the third pick in the draft, they have a good chance of getting an impact player who can fill one of many holes.

As it stands right now, the Vikings have narrowed the selection process to six options. They have identified three players who would be selected if the Vikings decide to keep the pick. Yet, they have three trade options as well.

The game continues as general manager Rick Spielman and company try to decide what's best.

Draft Matt Kalil

As it stands right now, the most likely scenario for the Vikings would have them taking USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil. He has been described as a "can't-miss" offensive line prospect who could be a Pro Bowler for several years to come. It just so happens that the Vikings have a need for someone like Kalil.

The Vikings tried to recover all season long after cutting Bryant McKinnie early in training camp. After a failed free-agent experiment in Charlie Johnson, the Vikings realized what a lot of NFL teams already know: There's a reason a left tackle hits the free agent market.

Picking third seems like the perfect opportunity to select a franchise left tackle. The Vikings already selected their franchise quarterback in last year's draft (Christian Ponder, 12th overall), and the Vikings may feel the need to keep him upright this season.

However, an article published Sunday in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggested that taking Kalil doesn't mean a quick turnaround. What the Vikings need to decide is whether left tackle is the most important need to fill, or if going elsewhere will mean more wins in the future.

Draft Morris Claiborne

In 2011, the Vikings had one of the worst pass defenses in NFL history. A quick solution would be drafting the best player from the best defensive team in college football.

LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne would give the Vikings defense an instant jump-start. The Vikings had one of the best pass rushes in the NFL last season, but too often found their secondary unable to hold coverage long enough for the defensive line to get even more sacks.

Claiborne has been described as a versatile defender who can fit into either a passive zone scheme (like Leslie Frasier's Cover-2 scheme) or a more aggressive man-to-man scheme. It would be a huge help to see someone who can play anything, because the rest of the Viking secondary can likely play nothing.

The only drawback to selecting Claiborne is that the Vikings may opt to wait until the second round to select a cornerback.

The cornerback pool has gotten deeper as the draft class has gone on, and the Vikings may decide to roll the dice and take someone with character issues.(Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick and North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins fit into this category)

The one thing that's for certain is that the Vikings play in a division where there were two 5,000-yard passers and another who was having a good season until injury. The Vikings will need to make some upgrade if they want to contend soon.

Draft Justin Blackmon

If the Vikings don't want to take Matt Kalil to help Christian Ponder, the Vikings may instead decide that they need more weapons on offense.

Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon made a brilliant move by waiting a year to enter the NFL draft. Instead of being a mid-first-round pick last season, Blackmon went back to the Cowboys and cemented his status as the best receiver in college football.

The Vikings could use somebody like Blackmon to open up their offense. The Vikings have few weapons when it comes to stretching out a defense, and teams are beginning to target Adrian Peterson by stuffing nine men in the box. (Peterson also is recovering from a torn ACL and might not be ready to go by Week 1 in 2012.)

This means the Vikings have to find other guys who can get downfield. Percy Harvin and Kyle Rudolph can both catch the ball, and the Vikings also signed John Carlson during the offseason. However, the Vikings passing game lacks a guy who can burn down the side and catch touchdowns.

That's where things get tricky. While Blackmon is a phenomenal receiver, he doesn't seem to have the speed that some would like to have on the outside. Of course, this seems like nit-picking. Blackmon may resemble Anquan Boldin more than Randy Moss.

If the Vikings want Claiborne or Blackmon over Kalil, it becomes a choice of how to deal with the high-powered offenses in the NFC North. They can either try to stop them, or try to keep up with them.

Trade the Pick to the Cleveland Browns

The Vikings have plenty of holes. When fans expected the Vikings to dip into free agency to fill some of those holes quickly, they were stunned to see that they instead were going to throw all of their chips into the draft, like Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers.

If they're going to use the draft to rebuild, they may decide to do it quickly. In order for that to happen, the Vikings will need more picks. Of course, the only way to do that is to trade down.

One of their possible trade partners is the Cleveland Browns. The Browns want a quarterback to replace Colt McCoy after he struggled last season. One could be Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, who has been linked with the No. 3 pick if the Vikings do make a trade.

The only way this happens is if the Vikings have built a strong enough smokescreen to convince the Browns that they have a trade with someone lower in the draft to select Tannehill. This is because there is virtually no way the Vikings would select Tannehill with Christian Ponder already on the roster.

If the Vikings could convince the Browns to move up one spot, it could be huge.

Cleveland holds two first-round picks, and the Vikings could still get Kalil, Blackmon, or Claiborne, along with a mid-round stud such as Georgia Tech receiver Stephen Hill. Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy or Alabama linebacker Donta' Hightower.

It may be unlikely because the Vikings are not taking Tannehill, but if Cleveland bites hard enough, the Vikings could have a steal on their hands.

Trade the Pick to the Miami Dolphins

Jeff Ireland's job is on the line in Miami. The Dolphins have whiffed at almost every free agent on the market, and the team's fanbase is ready to explode if the Dolphins don't get a game changer in this draft.

The name that has been linked with the Dolphins has been Ryan Tannehill, but the question is, will he be available when the Dolphins pick eighth?

That could lead to a desperate man doing desperate things, and the Vikings could cash in on this. While the Dolphins only have the No. 8 overall pick in the first round, the Vikings could demand that the Dolphins give them several later-round picks in an effort to add more youth to their roster.

It's not as far-fetched as one would think. With the new collective bargaining agreement, teams are going to be more inclined to reach for a player because they won't have to pay as much to do so. That led to the bold move last year in which Spielman took Christian Ponder 12th overall.

It wouldn't be as juicy as a Cleveland Browns trade, but perhaps Ireland is ready to sell the farm in order to get his guy. Whatever happens, the Miami pick may be just as intriguing as the Vikings pick.

Trade the Pick to a Mystery Team

As you can tell by now, any effort to trade the third overall pick will revolve around Ryan Tannehill. While the usual suspects in Cleveland and Miami will be interested in dealing up for the pick, there is always a mystery team that could get involved.

Ah, the mystery team. That is the most exciting prospect in any offseason NFL acquisition. The thing that makes a mystery team so great is that they usually wind up getting the prize. That's what could happen here if a team digs in deep enough.

Perhaps a team like the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills will be so desperate to have a quarterback of the future, they'll offer multiple first-round picks to get their hands on Tannehill. In that case, even if the Vikings are in love with one of the three players they've identified, the offer would be too good to refuse.

Either way, the Vikings pick will be one of the most intriguing in the draft and in all likelihood will get them something to help the team for years to come.