NFL Draft Rumors: Minnesota Vikings Would Be Crazy to Pass on Matt Kalil

Morris Claiborne apparently now occupies the top spot on Minnesota's draft board. While I think the LSU cornerback has a nice future ahead of him, the Vikings would be insane to pass on USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil when they are on the clock with the No. 3 pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

Steve Wyche of NFL.com claims a source with knowledge of the situation has told him the Vikings have Claiborne on top of their draft board. The team apparently likes him more than Kalil. I'm not sure who Minnesota has evaluating players, but whoever it is should be fired.

Claiborne has the potential to be a shutdown corner and is excellent in man-to-man coverage, but the Vikings have long played a Cover-2 scheme that rarely relies on tight man-to-man defense. Head coach Leslie Frazier came up under Tony Dungy, so the Cover-2 is the defense he will certainly use as long as he is the team's head coach. 

However, forget the poor fit Claiborne will be with Minnesota's defense—the Vikings are passing up an elite talent who should be a perennial Pro Bowler. 

After watching hours of tape and studying all the players in this draft, I have Kalil graded evenly with Andrew Luck as the best players in this year's class. Luck obviously goes to the top of the list because of the relative value of a quarterback. That said, Kalil is as good a prospect at left tackle as Luck is at quarterback. 

Kalil is superb and polished in both pass protection and when run blocking. His intangibles are off the charts, and at 6'6" and 306 pounds, he has an outstanding body and elite athleticism for the position. He is easily the best offensive lineman to enter the league since Joe Thomas in 2007, and all Thomas has done is reach the Pro Bowl in each of his five NFL seasons.

The Vikings risked a lot by making Christian Ponder their first-round pick in 2011 and installing him as their franchise quarterback. Now they need to surround him with talent and, more importantly, protect him. Kalil will be one of the NFL's best offensive tackles in a short time and should be a dominant force at the position for the next decade. 

Minnesota simply can't afford to pass on a sure-fire future Pro Bowler at their biggest position of need.