Read More: nfl draft, nfl trade rumors, vikings trade rumors, Robert Griffin III (QB – Baylor), Justin Blackmon (WR – Oklahoma St.), Andrew Luck (QB – Stanford), Matt Kalil (OT – Southern Cal), Trent Richardson (RB – Alabama), Morris Claiborne (CB – LSU), Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, St. Louis Rams

The 2012 NFL Draft is still over one month away, but this weekend’s trade between the Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams has brought about NFL trade rumors that include the Minnesota Vikings. It seems that Matt Kalil is the safe pick but there are still some that believe the Vikings could make a move.

The Vikings didn’t have much leverage before the big trade this weekend, but if the Rams feel they moved too far back, Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press thinks the Vikings might be willing to make a deal.

The Rams now have Washington’s No. 6 overall pick. St. Louis would love to have cornerback Morris Claiborne of Louisiana State or wide receiver Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Rams at least try to make a deal with the Vikings for the No. 3 pick. If St. Louis were to offer the No. 6 pick plus one of its second-round picks, Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman, who then would have the No. 6 pick and two second-round picks, certainly would find such an offer enticing.

There’s also the possibility that still another team would want to trade with the Vikings to move up to take running back Trent Richardson of Alabama.

Both Claiborne and Blackmon have been rumored to be other targets for the Vikings, but if they traded down to the sixth pick, there’s still a chance all three could be off the board along with quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. If that would happen, the Vikings would be in an unfavorable position even with the extra picks.

For more Vikings coverage, check out Daily Norseman. For all things related to the NFL Draft, visit Mocking the Draft.

Read More: Cedric Griffin (CB – MIN), Anthony Herrera (G – MIN), Steve Hutchinson (G – MIN), San Diego Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings

Yesterday it was reported that the Minnesota Vikings, in an effort to get younger and shed salary, released offensive lineman Anthony Herrera and Steve Hutchinson. According to the Minnesota VIkings in an official press release, they also cut the once highly touted cornerback Cedric Griffin:

With these three moves, the Vikings are now better positioned to make a splash in the upcoming free agency period, which against begins on Tuesday, March 13 at 3 p.m. CT. Could the likes of Chargers WR Vincent Jackson be in the Vikings future? How about Titans CB Courtland Finnegan? With lots of cap space and the No. 3 pick in April’s NFL Draft, things are certainly looking up for a team that hasn’t had a lot of things go its way since that fateful night in New Orleans 26 months ago.

Griffin tore his ACL in that NFC Championship game and then tore it again the next season; Hutchinson is now 34-years-old and has been battling shoulder injuries; and Herrera also suffered an ACL injury and has not been the same since. It’s been downhill since the aforementioned game, but things do seem to be looking up for the Vikings, especially with a new stadium in the works.

For more Vikings coverage, check out SB Nation’s Minnesota Vikings blog Daily Norseman. Follow NFL free agency on SB Nation’s NFL hub.

Minnesota Vikings defensive back Jarrad Page would seem like quite an all-around athlete. The Vikings player was originally drafted into the NFL in 2006 as a seventh round pick for Kansas City. He also played for the Patriots and Eagles.

Surface of an American football ball.
Wikimedia Commons

He seems to have some serious baseball skills as well, as after an open tryout, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Page to a Minor League contract to play outfield. Jarrad Page played baseball at UCLA and was drafted three times by MLB teams as a center fielder. He chose to play football and did not sign with any of the MLB teams. I think the open tryouts the Dodgers hold in Arizona are always exciting, as you never know who is going to show up and surprise everyone.

I think it would be great for Jarrad Page to actually make the Dodgers and start for the team, it would certainly be good for publicity and attract attention. Unfortunately, I think he’s going to be cut by the Vikings for lack of results and when you look at his college baseball stats, he wasn’t that good.

The six foot tall, 225 pound safety went to school at UCLA and is listed as an “unrestricted free agent” with the Vikings. He played only five games for Minnesota in 2011, after playing six games in Philadelphia. The Eagles cut him after he missed four tackles during one game. He spent 2010 with the New England Patriots and his previous four seasons with the Chiefs.

Page was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002, the Colorado Rockies in 2005 and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2006. In 2002 he went in the fifth round, in 2005 it was the 32nd round and in 2006 it was the seventh round. At UCLA, he didn’t have great statistics, he only had a .199 average with four homers and 28 RBIs in 199 appearances at the plate.

It will be interesting to see where this goes. If really successful, Page would be the first NFL player to later be named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. There have been eight former MLB players who went on to be inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame, including Deion Sanders.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

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Buried in the state’s preliminary agreement to use public subsidies to build the Minnesota Vikings a new stadium is this:

Once the team gets a new stadium, the Vikings want permission to play at least one home game a year “off site.”

Over a 10-year period, the team wants the ability to play up to four regular season home games and two exhibition home games off site.

National Football League spokesman Brian McCarthy said the language is all about the league’s ongoing attempt to expand the NFL to Europe and other countries. McCarthy said the provision is meant to boost the league’s “international series”, which in recent years has been scheduling one game annually in London.

The language, said McCarthy, is necessary “in the event the team plays in a game as part of our International Series.” The Vikings, he said, last played in an international game in 1994.

The actual language states:  “The Team shall have the ability to play a limited number of League mandated home games off-site or specialty games off-site, but not more than one (1) game per year or more than four (4) regular season games and two (2) preseason games over any ten (10) year period.”

Ted Mondale, Gov. Mark Dayton’s chief stadium negotiator, downplayed how often the Vikings would play home games away from the team’s new stadium, whose funding package is expected to be considered by the Legislature in the coming weeks. He said “it could, but [would] not likely” involve a regular season home game.

“It’s language to allow them to play in Europe or China or somewhere for exhibition purposes,” Mondale said. The preliminary stadium agreement calls for the Vikings to sign a 30-year lease at a new facility that would be built at the site of the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis..

In 2011, the Chicago Bears played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a regular season game in London.

The last NFL pre-season game played overseas, said McCarthy, was in Tokyo in 2005.

Despite its lack of proven talent, the quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings is among the most stable. If all goes as planned in the next few days, the position could gain even more stability.

According to Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press, the Vikings and backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels have mutual interest in making a deal that will keep the veteran in Minnesota during the 2012 season.

Brought in late last season after the Vikings released Donovan McNabb, Rosenfels acted as the emergency third-string quarterback behind 2011 first-round pick Christian Ponder and Joe Webb. Despite injuries to Ponder, Rosenfels never saw the field as Webb took the late-season reins.

During his 11-year NFL career, Rosenfels has become a bit of a journeyman. After spending his first few seasons with the Miami Dolphins, he transitioned to a spot-starter role with the Houston Texans for three years. Since 2008, he has played for four different teams, including two stints with the Vikings.

In those 11 seasons, Rosenfels has completed 351 of his 562 passes (62.5 percent) for 4,156 yards, 30 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. Of the 44 games he has played in, he was named the starter in 12.

If the Vikings did re-sign Rosenfels for another season, he would more than likely serve again as their third-string quarterback behind Ponder and Webb.

Rosenfels’ presence on the roster would also decrease the chances for young gunslinger McLeod Bethel-Thompson to make the team. Bethel-Thompson signed a futures deal with the Vikings on Jan. 13 after spending his rookie 2011 campaign bouncing around from one professional football league to another.

Once considered a legitimate starter, Rosenfels has since fallen upon the role of veteran backup who roams the sidelines waiting for his chance to play. Seeing as he hasn’t thrown during a regular season game since 2008, it’s unlikely that he’ll get that chance with the Vikings in 2012 barring multiple injuries. Regardless, the fact that the Vikings are interested in his return shows that he still has something to offer at the NFL level.

Plus, who wouldn’t be interested in being paid millions of dollars to hold a clipboard and get front-row seats to 16 NFL games?

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook became so jealous when he discovered his girlfriend was talking to another man that he squeezed her throat until she couldn’t breathe, a prosecutor said Wednesday during opening statements in Cook’s domestic assault trial.

But a defense attorney said the woman lied about being choked in October. David Valentini told jurors that Chantel Baker was angry and drunk when she punched Cook multiple times, and the 6-foot-2, 212-pound football player reflexively struck her after she hit him in the back of the head.

”Just because he’s bigger doesn’t make him the aggressor,” Valentini said. ”He has a right to protect himself.”

Cook, 25, is on trial in Hennepin County on felony charges of domestic assault by strangulation and third-degree assault. Authorities were called to his home early on Oct. 22 and said they found his girlfriend of 10 months crying and bloodied. They said the marks on her neck and hemorrhaging in her eye were consistent with strangulation. Medical records show her eardrum was perforated and she lost hearing for two weeks.

Cook missed that weekend’s game against the Green Bay Packers because he was in jail. Assistant County Attorney Sarah Hilleren said Cook called Baker from jail and said it was her fault. Baker felt responsible and apologized, Hilleren said, and more than two weeks later, she went to police and said she had lied about being choked.

Hilleren said despite Baker’s recanted statement, the evidence – including photos of her injuries – will prove Cook choked Baker.

”This case is about the defendant’s jealousy and rage, and it is about Ms. Baker’s misplaced guilt,” Hilleren said.

Cook and Baker are both from Virginia, and Cook regularly flew Baker to his home in Eden Prairie. According to opening statements, Cook, Baker, Cook’s roommate and another man went to dinner and drinks and visited a strip club on Oct. 21.

Hilleren said Cook was disrespecting Baker that evening and became defiant, leaving the strip club without him and refusing to get out of the limo. Hilleren said Baker was texting another man, and Cook got angry.

Valentini gave a different version, saying Baker was drunk and told another man via text that she loved him. Valentini said Cook was deflated because he intended to propose to Baker that weekend.

At Cook’s house, Baker threw a lamp at Cook, but missed him. Hilleren said Cook tossed the woman on the bed and began choking her, but Baker fought back. When she got up, Cook ”walloped her so hard on the side of the head” that she hit the wall, Hilleren said.

Hilleren said a neighbor called 911 after hearing bangs, screaming, crying and Cook repeatedly yelling, ”Are you talking to him? Why are you talking to him?”

In Valentini’s account, Cook was trying to talk to Baker when she sucker-punched him in the face. Then, Valentini said, Cook was struck in the back of the head. Thinking Baker had a weapon, Cook whirled around to bat it away but instead hit Baker, Valentini said.

”Mr. Cook is blessed with quick reflexes and strength,” Valentini said.

Valentini said Baker tripped and fell into the wall, then got up and began punching Cook in the face. Valentini said Cook held Baker’s hands together near her throat in an attempt to get her to stop punching him. Valentini said that could have caused Baker’s neck injuries.

”Mr. Cook never put his hands on Ms. Baker’s neck and squeezed it to cut off any blood supply or air to her,” Valentini said.

Cook and Baker are both expected to testify in the case.

Cook has been free on supervised release pending his trial. He missed the last 10 games of the season. The Vikings have said they won’t make a decision about his status until after the trial, and Cook could face discipline from the NFL under the league’s personal conduct policy.

—

Follow Amy Forliti on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/amyforliti

The Minnesota Vikings are in the midst of a youth movement that will involve completely rebuilding their roster this offseason. Not only will disappointing players be let go to make way for younger talent, but veteran starters could also get the axe to make salary cap space for the incoming fresh meat.

That, however, doesn’t mean that the Vikings are ready to part ways with every veteran player. Of their numerous unrestricted free agents this offseason, only a choice few are expected to return for the 2012 season. Although their plans have been kept under wraps for most of the offseason, it’s becoming apparent that the Vikings aren’t interested in seeing outside linebacker Erin Henderson leave via free agency.

According to Tom Pelissero of ESPN1500, the Vikings have made it clear that they intend to have a contract in place for Henderson before free agency begins on March 13. The two sides have reportedly made progress on a “bridge” deal that could keep Henderson in Minnesota for another two or three seasons.

As of Tuesday night, no handshakes were in order as Henderson continues to contemplate testing the free agency waters before tying himself down to Minnesota for a couple more years. Pelissero, however, believes that the length of the contract could be a sticking point for Henderson.

Since joining the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland back in 2008, Henderson has slowly asserted himself as a quality contributor at the weakside linebacker spot. After spending his first few seasons with the Vikings mostly on special teams, Henderson finally broke the starting lineup in 2011 and made the most of his opportunities. He finished the season with 70 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Although he struggled at times and received limited playing time, he played with unmistakable passion and was one of the few consistent components of the Vikings’ disappointing defense.

Despite the Vikings’ interest in keeping Henderson around, his big brother E.J. might not be so lucky. Considered an injury liability at age 31, the older Henderson brother is set to be a free agent and might not get a new contract from the Vikings given his price tag. That could also be a factor in whether or not the younger Henderson opts to stay in Minnesota.

It’s obvious that the Vikings realize what they have in Henderson. There’s no need to leave another gaping hole in their defense when there’s a worthy candidate who simply needs a new contract.

With just under a week to come to terms with Henderson on a new deal, the Vikings should be able to get it done.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook arrives for his first court appearance Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

The woman Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook is accused of assaulting last year testified Wednesday that he never choked her and that the whole fracas was her fault.

And that was her testimony as a witness for the prosecution.

In a voice at times inaudible, former girlfriend Chantel Baker, 21, of Norfolk, Va., described the fight in October at Cook’s Eden Prairie townhome that led to his arrest and trial on two felonies.

Baker, who at the time had been dating Cook for 10 months, told jurors she initially claimed he choked her because she was mad at him.

“At that time, that night, I wanted him to go to jail,” she testified.

Her claim Cook twice placed his hand around her neck? A lie, she said.

Her statement to

a police officer that she couldn’t breathe? Made up, she said.

Her silence while police held a ruler to her neck to photograph a red mark? She was confused and the mark was a hickey Cook gave her, she told jurors.

The testimony was no surprise to Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Sarah Hilleren, but she tried to show that the witness was trying to protect Cook and his football career.

“Are you saying you deliberately lied?” Hilleren asked her of her earlier statements to police.

“Yes, I did,” she replied.

Cook, 25, whose first season with the Vikings was in 2010, is accused of domestic assault by strangulation and third-degree assault in the incident Oct. 22, on the eve of the Vikings game against the archrival Green Bay

Packers.

Cook missed that game because he was in jail.

The third-degree assault count, the more serious of the charges, carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

In her opening statement to the eight men and five women who make up the jury and an alternate, Hilleren said Cook became enraged when he found her texting an ex-boyfriend.

“Are you talking to him? Why are you talking to him?” the prosecutor said Cook demanded of Baker.

In the fight that followed, she said, “He

walloped her so hard in the side of the head that he put her into a wall face-first, perforating her eardrum.”

She warned jurors they would hear Baker tell a different version of the story she had given police.

“This case is about two things: the defendant’s jealousy and rage, and it’s about Ms. Baker’s misplaced guilt,” Hilleren said.

In a feisty and theatrical opening statement, defense attorney David Valentini said Baker was the aggressor, not Cook. The player was defending himself against a woman who got angry when she drank.

Valentini said his client’s actions “were reasonable. He gets to defend himself.”

“Mr. Cook is blessed with fast reflexes and strength. It’s his job. There are no weaklings in the NFL, ladies and

gentlemen,” he told jurors. “He reacts – defensively, instinctively – after he gets assaulted from behind.”

And when Hilleren called Baker to the stand, that was the story she told.

She testified that she is a student at Old Dominion University and met Cook two or three years ago at a party at the University of Virginia, where he played college ball.

She said they started to date 1-1/2 years after they met. After he was drafted by the Vikings and moved to Minnesota, Baker said, he paid for five trips from Virginia for her.

One of those trips was on the weekend beginning Oct. 21. She arrived in town, and the plan was to go out that evening with Cook’s roommate and the roommate’s brother.

After dinner, they went to Shiek’s Palace

Royale, a strip club in downtown Minneapolis. Baker and Cook got separate lap dances, but Baker began stewing that Cook’s time with the stripper lasted longer than the girlfriend thought it should have.

“I didn’t like that at all,” she testified. When Cook came back, they argued.

“I guess he didn’t understand why I was upset, and that led to the argument,” she said. They sat on a couch together and got a lap dance together.

The group then headed to a nightclub, but Baker was angry and stayed in the limo. She was sending tweets on her phone when Cook saw her and grabbed it.

Apparently, Cook found texts on the phone that disturbed him. In his opening statement, Valentini said Cook had planned to propose to Baker that weekend – he

even had a ring — but he found texts in which she told her ex-boyfriend she loved him.

As they rode to Cook’s home, he told her, “We’re through,” she testified, so when they arrived, she went inside to pack. “I knew we were going to have an argument,” she said.

“I got mad, and I proceeded to throw a lamp across the room,” she told jurors.

She said Cook grabbed her arms and threw her on his bed and got on top of her. To fight him off, she punched him and pulled out a handful of his shoulder-length dreadlocks.

She testified she still has one of the locks of his hair.

“Was his hand around your neck?” Hilleren asked.

“No,” she said.

When Cook eventually climbed off, she said, she hit him from behind.

“And that’s when he hit me in the left side of the head, and I hit the wall face-first,” she said.

“It’s a foolish question, but did that hurt?” Hilleren asked.

“Yeah,” she replied.

The Vikings’ roster lists Cook at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 212 pounds. Baker testified she is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds.

She ran outside, but not before telling Cook he was going to go to jail. Cook followed and grabbed her and carried her back inside. She threw another lamp, she said.

A neighbor called 911, and Cook was arrested. Over the several hours, Baker told police, ambulance attendants and a doctor about her injuries, all of which eventually healed.

She said she went back to Cook’s apartment after getting out of the emergency room and later in the morning, saw stories about Cook’s arrest on ESPN and “felt pretty bad.”

“Why did you feel bad?” Hilleren asked.

“Because he was in jail because of an incident involving me.”

“Did you feel responsible?”

“Yeah.”

On cross-examination, defense attorney John Lucas asked her about changing her story.

“It took a lot of courage to come forward and say that you lied about the choking, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” came her quiet reply.

The trial was scheduled to continue today.

David Hanners can be reached at 612-338-6516.

The Minnesota Vikings have the daunting task of completely overhauling their roster ahead of them this offseason. Although free agency and the 2012 NFL Draft will certainly help them achieve that, there is still one other talent pool that they can tap into before the beginning of the 2012 season: undrafted free agents.

On Monday, the Vikings began the process of scouting some potential undrafted free agents when GM Rick Spielman and several other team officials attended the University of Minnesota Pro Day.

Among a sea of 27 local NFL hopefuls were eight former Golden Gophers, including running back Duane Bennett, offensive lineman Chris Bunders, defensive tackles Anthony Jacobs and Brandon Kirksey, tight end Eric Lair, wide receiver Da’Jon McKnight, cornerback Kim Royston and linebacker Gary Tinsley.

Joining the Vikings’ staff among the spectators were scouts/coaches for the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.

Even though most of the participants had exceptional workouts, a few Gophers really made their presence felt.

One of the biggest standouts was Jacobs, who impressed scouts with a 4.7 40 time, 10.1 inch broad jump and a 35.5 inch vertical jump. For a player of his size (6’2”, 291 pounds), those numbers really say a lot about the type of athlete that Jacobs is.

Bennett also made scouts take notice when he put up 28 reps during the bench press, equaling the highest mark by a running back at the recent 2012 NFL Scouting Combine.

“I was banking anywhere 25 or greater,” Bennett said. “But when I knocked out the first 15, I was kind of like ‘Oh, wow. I’m really going up there.’ I kind of caught myself off guard.”

The other standout of the day was Lair, who posted consecutive 40 times in the 4.5 range and turned in a 36.5 inch vertical jump. Despite admittedly begin nervous, Lair turned in a terrific workout and was pleased with the results.

“Today went fantastic,” Lair said. “Better than I thought it would be. I did well in my position drills, even though I didn’t catch many balls over the break. But yeah, I did better than I thought I would.”

When all was said and done, a number of prospects had increased their draft stock and given themselves reason to believe that they might hear their names called on draft day. Until then, all they can do is stay in shape and prepare mentally for what their futures hold.

“All these kids are going to be late-round, free-agent type guys,” Spielman said. “Hopefully, there will be some guys that we’ll definitely invite or maybe sign in college free agency.”

Although it’s unlikely that many former Gophers will get drafted in late April, the Vikings will give a number of them an opportunity to tryout during their rookie camp the weekend after the draft.

“I think that’s huge as far as the relationship with all the state of Minnesota and all the states that are our neighbors,” Spielman said. “If they have some players that we can help out or take a look at, we should definitely do that and we do do that.”

As evidenced by the Vikings’ signing of former Gophers cornerback Marcus Sherels back in 2010, those rookie tryouts can be just the stepping stone a budding NFL talent needs.

For those 27 potential NFL prospects, the waiting game begins.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a life-long follower of the Minnesota Vikings and the founder of TheVikingDen.com. For more Vikings/NFL coverage, follow him on Twitter or “like” The Viking Den on Facebook.

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Read More: 2012 nfl mock draft, nfl mock draft 2012, new nfl mock draft, Justin Blackmon (WR – Oklahoma St.), Matt Kalil (OT – Southern Cal), Riley Reiff (OL – Iowa), Morris Claiborne (CB – LSU), Minnesota Vikings, USC Trojans

The latest 2012 NFL mock draft was posted Monday morning at SB Nation. In a move that will not surprise anyone, the Minnesota Vikings are once again project to take USC Trojans offensive tackle Matt Kalil.

Kalil had an impressive showing at the recent NFL Combine and is basically a lock to be there when the Vikings select with the third overall pick. Our own Christopher Gates wrote that getting “stuck” with Kalil should be the plan and SB Nation’s Ryan Van Bibber agrees:

Franchise quarterback (hopefully), meet franchise left tackle. Kalil will help right away. If Adrian Peterson can rebound, the Vikings should be more than a punchline in 2012.

Whether Christian Ponder is indeed a franchise quarterback is still up for debate by some Vikings fans, but AD should heal just fine — he’s already going through rehab — and Kalil would obviously be a welcome addition to the offense.

In other news surrounding possible picks Minnesotans have had in mind, the LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne is projected to be picked fourth, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon at six and Riley Reiff at No. 11 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

For more on the Minnesota Vikings, go to Daily Norseman. You can also get all of your professional football news over at SB Nation’s NFL hub.

By National Football Post

The Minnesota Vikings and head coach Leslie Frazier have some needs to fill at the offensive tackle position, outside the numbers at wide receiver as well as in a defensive secondary that was exposed routinely in 2011. With the No. 3 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Vikings will have options. Let’s take a look at the prospects that fit the roster in Minnesota.

Minnesota Vikings

2011 record: 3-13
First round draft position: No. 3

Top Priority: OT

Matt Kalil, Southern California: There are some negatives concerning his overall anchor strength. However, you have a “plus” athlete at the position with good foot quickness, natural change of direction skills who knows how to bend. Might need a year to get stronger. But has the skill set to play in year one and develop into one of the league’s better offensive tackles as he matures physically.

Riley Reiff, Iowa: Showcases the ability to bend with good foot quickness and range in pass protection. Also displays an explosive element to his game as a run blocker. Needs to be more consistent with his footwork and would like to see him develop a bit more as a puncher in order to keep himself clean. Nevertheless, has the athleticism, flexibility and pedigree to mature into a solid starting left tackle in the NFL.

Secondary Priority: WR

Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State: The lack of straight-line speed will limit him and, when comparing him to first round receivers A.J. Green and Julio Jones last year, I don’t think he’s in their class. Nevertheless, he’s got the skill set to line up all over an NFL offense and make plays on all levels of the field.

Rueben Randle, Louisiana State: Possesses that sneaky strider speed down the field and has some savvy to his game. However, lacks great burst out of his breaks and isn’t going to be effective running sharply breaking routes. Looks like a potential NFL starter only.

Mid-Tier Priority: S, CB

Janzen Jackson, FS, McNeese State: A talented kid who can run, track the football and can be a violent striker on contact. However, isn’t the most sound of wrap-up guys, is raw with his footwork and has character concerns. Nevertheless, has the talent to play in the NFL and should get a shot because of his ability to run and strike.

Trenton Robinson, FS, Michigan State: Is coordinated and can keep his feet under him, but looks tighter when asked to turn and run. Tackles well and looks like at best a low-end starter who needs to play in tighter areas to be effective in coverage.

Robert Golden, CB, Arizona: Might be limited to more of a cover two/click and close type corner, but he does have some developing press coverage skills. Also, has a lot of value as a safety, as he can anticipate in the deep half, drive on throws under him and play over a receiver in nickel situations.

Mike Harris, CB, Florida State: Looks like a physical slot guy to me who can play in both man and zone concepts, and will tackle the football.

Click here to see the NFP Big Board.

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