College basketball’s March Madness is now over, as the Kansas Jayhawks outdueled the Memphis Tigers for the national championship. But the crowning of a new champion in college basketball does not spell the end of the madness. With the NFL draft quickly approaching, Mock Madness will continue this week with its fourth edition.
The draft will occur in late April and only then will we find out the next generation of Vikings players. But until then we have the mystery of who the Purple will select and the chance to take a guess at who that selection will be.
Who will be there for the Vikings at pick #17? Will Minnesota select an offensive player or will they instead choose to fortify their defense?
While no one can provide a concrete answer to those questions just yet, everyone can certainly take a guess. And instead of spending an endless amount of time searching the internet for ideas on what will be available when the Vikings are on the clock, you can check vikings.com each week to get an update on what everyone is projecting.
Without further ado, here is Mock Madness 4.0!
NFL.com – Vic Carucci/Pat Kirwin/Mike Mayock
The NFL.com experts all agree that the Vikings will take a defensive end in the first round, but there is a slight disagreement on which one will be wearing purple in 2008. Last week, NFL.com projected the Vikings might trade out of the 17th spot and move down to 19th, with the end result being Phillip Merling as the team’s first pick. This week, Carucci and Mayock project Derrick Harvey as the team’s pick, while Kirwin foresees Calais Campbell as the team’s selection.
Last week: Phillip Merling
ESPN.com – Mel Kiper, Jr.
ESPN’s draft expert also sees the Vikings addressing defensive end in the first round. However, a familiar name reemerges in Kiper’s mock draft. Merling, the 6-4, 277-pound defensive end, has a complete game and would add depth to the Vikings defensive line.
Last week: Calais Campbell
ESPN.com – Todd McShay
It’s always fun to add a new name to the mix, and McShay does just that by projecting defensive back Mike Jenkins as the Vikings pick at #17. Jenkins would strengthen a position group that already includes Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin and Marcus McCauley. McShay says Jenkins’ “services certainly can be put to use in their defensive secondary. Jenkins possesses the speed and athleticism to frequently hold up on an island in coverage.”
Last week: Phillip Merling
Scout.com – Chris Steuber
Scout.com’s Steuber hasn’t changed his selection for the Vikings and sees Merling landing with the Vikings in the first round. Originally, Steuber had Campbell going to the Vikings but now Merling has emerged as Steuber’s selection. Steuber says that “despite having sports hernia surgery, Clemson's Phillip Merling is one of the best all around DEs in the draft and is a perfect fit for the Vikings.”
Last week: Same
You can read Steuber’s mock draft of the second round by clicking here…after you finish reading this story, of course. http://min.scout.com/a.z?s=63&p=2&c=744790&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fmin.scout.com%2fa.z%3fs%3d63%26p%3d2%26c%3d744790
VikingUpdate.com – John Holler
Citing defensive end as a priority position for the Vikings to address in the draft, Holler projects Merling as his pick as well. Last week, Holler had Harvey slotted here, but this week Merling is the team’s pick at #17.
Last week: Derrick Harvey
DraftInsiders.com – Frank Coyle
A new player appears on the list as Coyle sees offensive tackle Chris Williams going to the Vikings at #17. Coyle says the offensive tackle pool is deep this year and the Vikings could dip into it early.
Last week: Same
SI.com – Don Banks
Originally, Banks predicted the Vikings would take a receiver with their first-round pick, but now Banks projects Williams as his pick as well.
Last week: Limas Sweed
Check back next week for more Mock Madness!