With the first round pick the Vikings take

[admvp]

Manti Te'o is Lofa Ta-2.0

This is brilliance. Am I the only one that appreciates this?

Kudos to you, sir. That was a fantastic play on words.

And for the record, I agree with you. LB is one of the less valuable positions on the field, much like third base or left field in baseball.

[admvp]

I doubt Teo will drop to us. We should be looking at the likes of Hunter and Allen.

If by Hunter you mean Justin, then I disagree. As a Tennessee Vols fan, I believe Hunter will be something of a flop in the NFL. His former teammate, Denarius Moore, went in the third round (I think), and I'm willing to bet Moore ends up the better pro. No, my Vol-hood doesn't make me an expert talent evaluator, nor does it make my opinion more relevant than yours. But I will go on record with that prediction. Hunter drops a lot of catchable balls, and tends to go through dry spells during important games. He often looks uninterested out there, though that's just from watching on TV.

I want Jarvis Jones, but there's no way he'd be available. He has the Suh-Fairley ability (at times) to control and disrupt entire games from the DT position, something that I'll never understand how those guys do.

[dkoby]

The best Olineman available followed by a reciever then a LB. Then another OL in the sixth. (hoping for another gem) A little more time for Ponder in a better pocket might be just what we need.

[CyminologyVIKES]

^ Agreed. I'd love to progress just with physical, strong prospects on defense and the offensive line. Our defense is playing much better this year and is a big reason why our record is so much better.

Would love to have a really, really tough defense. 1st round pass rusher, 2nd round corner, 3rd round OL, 4th round LB, etc.

Although my goodness, do we need WR's.

[Rus]

DT and LB is way more important then DB. I think Robinson/Cook/Jefferson/Possible FA or late round rookie will suffice for now. We need a lot of help at DT and LB though, especially with Williams on the decline.

Here here. It's painfully obvious when you watch the Vikings that they have problems up the middle. They've got three good DEs, but Williams has lost a step and might be better off shifted over to the nose. Guion doesn't impress me at all. You want a guy there who can stuff the run and plug up holes. You want a guy with real explosion at the UT position to collapse the pocket and set up the ends. Also, I get the feeling that Greenway (along with Winfield) has been putting up monster numbers this year primarily because he's compensating for a couple other linebackers who just aren't that instinctive and good at tackling. He needs some help. Winfield isn't going to be there forever to pick up the slack...and honestly, I'd rather have the corners able to focus on opposing wide receivers.

OL can be filled in free agency or the second/third round. We've got the LT, you can find a really good guard in the second or third. Same goes with wideouts. But a real stud UT? There's a reason there is always a run on those guys between the 8th and 20th pick...it's because those guys make a huge difference. Williams didn't have to rack up 10 sacks a year to obviously be a big influence on how opposing offenses gameplanned against the Vikings. They literally gave up running on the Vikings for years and focused completely on passing. It was a real shame though that the Vikings DB situation was shaky at best most of those years.

[S197]

Saint Louis grad huh?

Yeah, I miss those days cheering for Noga, especially since he was a part of that dominate line. Like a dream come true actually.

As far as drafting a LB in the 1st round, He's a playmaker, you draft him if you have a chance. Would you pass up on Seau, Lewis or Willis?

Yup. Same year as Raiola.

Up until a few years ago I used to play basketball with Al Noga. He would show up at the UH gym quite often. Still looks like the incredible hulk.

[petev_sj]

It depends on which veteran this team will let go next year. If it's Winfield, I don't know if there is any secondary, draft or FA, that has the will to make the types of tackles he makes. I am hopeful the team keeps him, even in limited amount of plays.

Other than that, best available works for me. It never hurts to have more pass rusher since this is such a QB driven league.

[Eliot]

Kinda few days late but I say we draft a WR

I doubt Marcus Lucas declares (he is a junior. I was going to go to his high school before I moved to Iowa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCXEFAbQvsU I can only find High School highlights

http://walterfootball.com/draft2013WR.php
Here is some ideas

[Lash Man]

I like Hankins from The OSU , we have had good luck with Buckeyes and Golden Domers so if there is a chance to the kid from ND at LB that wouldn't be a bad thing but I believe he's top ten and Hankins might go high as well .

[MNinIA]

A Wide Receiver. Cut the rest of them except Harvin. Simpson and Burton can't catch colds.

[Eli]

Wide receiver. There's just less and less question about that with every game. Unless, of course, they backtrack on all the BS about being committed to Ponder and decide to take a QB.

[Just Me]

Wide receiver. There's just less and less question about that with every game. Unless, of course, they backtrack on all the BS about being committed to Ponder and decide to take a QB.

WR seems to be an 'undisputed' need and the QB class doesn't seem to be that strong. Also, if we have decent receivers and Ponder still struggles, there will be no legitimate excuses for Ponder to perform poorly...

[VikingLord]

Thing is, the draft is really for 3-4 years down the road. Pretty rare to snag a legit starter even in the 1st round of most drafts. Drop down in the 1st round and it gets even more unlikely to find that impact guy.

Even if the Vikes don't win another game they're going to drafting no higher than 5th or 6th (probably closer to 10th), and if there is a bonafide impact player at WR in the draft he'll already be off the board by then.

Better to go BPA with the 1st pick and look for help at WR in FA. Might have to overspend this time around, but FA usually has one or two legit impact guys at WR each year.

[CalVike]

Always BPA. Skip the reaches like Ponder till Round 3. Much easier to bench upon failure when it's not a pick 12 reach. The bottom with Ponder is SO LOW that I see no hope. Better off playing Joe Webb now.

[PurpleKoolaid]

QB. We dont have one (unless its Bethel). No reaches, just draft one that will start. We are rebuilding, get a pure pocket passer (like Mallett), a few OL and a late WR.