2012 NFL Draft Grades: Rick Spielman Gets an A+ for His First Round Trade

Last week I thought Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was crazy. Now I know he is—crazy smart.

Last week he stated that the Vikings had USC tackle Matt Kalil, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon and LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne equally rated at the top of their board. This was an insane. Surely Spielman was just putting up a smokescreen in an attempt to keep from revealing what directions the Vikings were going.

The consensus among most draft experts—with the exception it would seem of Mel Kiper—was that Kalil was the top rated player in the draft, after quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. To make any other pick was pure madness. 

Then Spielman indicated that the Vikings would be willing to deal the third pick in the draft—more pure madness. Spielman must have fallen off his rocker. How do you pass up the opportunity to draft the best player available?

Then he made the draft-day trade, swapping picks with the Cleveland Browns.

While giving up the third pick for Cleveland's fourth, he also received their fourth (no. 118), fifth (no. 139) and their seventh (no. 211) in this year's draft, giving the Vikings a total of 13 draft picks.

Spielman is a genius.

He fleeced the Browns, getting get three picks while giving up nothing.

Somehow, he was able to convince the Browns that either Tampa Bay or someone else was in the process of making a deal with Minnesota to leap frog ahead of Cleveland. They took the bait and overpaid for the privilege of drafting Alabama running back Trent Richardson. 

Cleveland is happy they got the player they coveted.

The Vikings are happy they got the player they coveted, plus.

With the fourth pick in the draft, the Vikings selected Matt Kalil, the player they were planning on selecting anyway.

Yes, Mr Spielman is crazy—crazy as a fox.