Vikings trade down, draft left tackle Matt Kalil
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings moved down in the draft and still found their man.
The Vikings took USC left tackle Matt Kalil on Thursday night after trading their third overall pick to the Browns for the fourth overall selection.
With quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III already spoken for, the Vikings held the early key to the draft. Cleveland came after it. In addition to swapping spots in the first round, the Browns sent picks in the fourth (118th overall), fifth (139th) and seventh (211th) rounds to give the Vikings a whopping total of 13 selections.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
The 6-foot-7, 306-pound Kalil left college after his junior year, giving the Vikings an obvious upgrade for their offensive line to better protect young quarterback Christian Ponder's blind side.
Despite recent speculation the Vikings would choose LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne or even Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, they ultimately wound up with the player who's been most widely projected to land in Minnesota all along.
Long arms. Big hands. Tall frame. Mobile body. Strong bloodline. Hard worker. Nasty streak. Those are the prevailing descriptions of Kalil, who needs to get stronger to develop a better finishing technique when he's run blocking and hold his ground more consistently against bull-rushing defensive ends.
The bust rate at this position is clearly lower than quarterbacks, wide receivers or defensive ends. Jake Long, Joe Thomas and D'Brickashaw Ferguson are some of the stars who've emerged after being taken in the top five over the past several years. Kalil has family on his side, too. His father, Frank, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1982 and played in the USFL. His brother, Ryan, is the center for the Carolina Panthers and has been to three straight Pro Bowls.
The Vikings made another draft-day trade, moving up for a second first-round selection to take Notre Dame free safety Harrison Smith.
The Vikings also signed Jerome Simpson, the former Cincinnati wide receiver recently convicted on a felony drug charge.
The contract was completed Thursday, hours before the Vikings began the NFL draft.
Simpson was sentenced earlier this month to 15 days in jail, three years of probation and 200 hours of community service plus a $7,500 fine and court costs. He previously pleaded guilty to a prohibited act relating to controlled substances. Authorities said they tracked a shipment of 2{ pounds of marijuana to his Kentucky home in September and that they found another pound of the drug inside the house. Simpson had a breakout 2011 season for the Bengals. The highlight was his head-over-heels flip into the end zone for a touchdown during a December game.
The Vikings haven't selected in the top three since 1968, when they drafted offensive tackle Ron Yary first overall. Yary, another USC product, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Vikings haven't even been in the top five since 1985, when they got defensive end Chris Doleman, a soon-to-be Hall of Famer. They haven't picked in the top 10 since 2005, when they made the ill-fated selection of wide receiver Troy Williamson with the pick obtained in the Randy Moss trade.
