2012 NFL Combine: Vikings' Mock Draft Favorite Matt Kalil Among Fastest Linemen

The Minnesota Golden Gophers didn't have anyone invited to the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, and it's not a particularly surprising fact that they didn't. There was still some intrigue for the state of Minnesota though, Vikings mock draft favorite Matt Kalil absolutely blew his competition out of the proverbial water during the combine drills.

Kalil not only ran a sub 5.00 40 yard dash but his measurements were fine and he looked great on pretty much every drill, leading NFL.com to give him an official score of 94.0, far and away the top score of any offensive lineman and one of the better scores of anyone at the combine in general.

There's a reason why people were saying he was the third best prospect in the draft, and he proved everyone who was saying that absolutely correct at the draft. His name will be carved into stone at the rate it's going for the Vikings' third overall pick this April.

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The main meat of the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine is over now, with all of the big name players like Robert Griffin III already out of the way. Minnesota Vikings favorite Matt Kalil showed very nicely as well, almost guaranteeing his position as the third overall selection of the draft.

Monday at the NFL Combine will see groups 7-9 featuring the defensive linemen and the linebackers at the combine do their final day of workouts and then depart from Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the final groups featuring the defensive backs will be doing their testing and interviews preparing for the final day of the combine on Tuesday.

There's still some possible intrigue for the Vikings, as they could have their eyes on CB Morris Claiborne, who is projected as a top 5 selection. If they end up not liking Kalil for some reason, he could be the man to watch.

A full schedule of the Combine can be found here.

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The Minnesota Vikings would have an extremely difficult decision to make with the third overall pick in the NFL draft if Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III were available. After selecting Christian Ponder in the first round in the 2011 draft, the Vikings would nonetheless be hard-pressed to pass on a potential game-changer like Griffin.

RG III may make that decision moot for the Vikings as his stock continues to rise at the NFL scouting combine. Griffin ripped off a 4.38 40-yard time on Sunday morning, exceeding already high expectations now for his size and speed at quarterback.

As Kevin Seifert points out, RGIII's combine performance should take any decisions on the quarterback out of Minnesota's hands.

Without question, the Vikings would be in a better spot if Griffin were available at No. 3. But that's now a matter of fantasy, not reality. For posterity's sake, at least, the Vikings won't have the chance to be the team that passed on a rare talent because of needs elsewhere. Now, the Vikings should be able to draft USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil with a clear conscience.

Here is a clip of Griffin's 40-yard dash at the combine.

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Matt Kalil, standout left tackle from the USC Trojans, solidified his his status as one of the top overall prospects on the NFL draft board after an impressive workout on Feb. 25. Kalil ran the 40-yard dash in 4.96 seconds, marking the second fastest time among offensive lineman. While the number is unofficial, it only strengthens Kalil's already excellent draft resume.

Via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com.

I know that 40 times for offensive linemen have limited relevance, but for Kalil it's a reflection of his advertised athleticism and a justification for his limited weight gain during offseason workouts.

The real question now for the Vikings, who have been targeting Kalil with the No. 3 draft pick, is whether or not Kalil will even be available. If he is available, it is widely assumed that the Vikings will select Kalil, but the St. Louis Rams, who have the No. 2 draft pick, might just snatch him up first.

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Matt Kalil, the highly touted left tackle from the USC Trojans, will meet with the Minnesota Vikings Friday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Kalil, who has been in Indy since Wednesday, is expected to be the first offensive linemen selected in the upcoming NFL Draft, April 26-28, and a target of the Vikings.

On Thursday, Kalil was measured at 6-foot-6, 306 pounds and was able to speak to the media:

"It's up to the coaches and owners if they want me," Kalil said. "I will definitely focus on what I can do to become a better player. That's all I've really thought about."

"I definitely like to impose my will on my opponent, get after it," Kalil said.

It's a no brainier that the Indianapolis Colts will select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck No. 1-overall, however, it is still a mystery whether or not the St. Louis Rams, who's selecting No. 2, and Vikings, No. 3, will be the ones choosing Kalil.

Friday's interviews could go a long way to providing answers.

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The Minnesota Vikings have targeted former USC offensive lineman Matt Kalil with the third overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The NFL released the official measurements of the offensive linemen at the combine Thursday afternoon and Kalil measured 6-feet-6 and 306 pounds, while his arm measured 34.5 inches around.

Kalil is the No.1 rated offensive lineman on virtually every positional ranking, while he is the No. 2 overall player on Scout, Inc.'s Top 32. Kalil also spoke to assembled media Thursday at the NFL Combine, saying that he wants to pack even more weight onto his massive frame before the season starts. Via Keven Seifert of ESPN.com:

"Definitely [I would like] to put more bulk on my frame," Kalil said. "I'm so tall and slender, I could weigh 310, and it wouldn't look it. I can definitely add more weight, and I will be training the next few months -- getting bigger, getting stronger, working on my body."

Kalil is scheduled to meet with the Vikings brass on Friday for a formal interview.

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For as long as the NFL Combine has been going on, players have been subject to the Wonderlic Test. The Wonderlic test is a 12-minute, 50-question examination that is designed to test the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving. The test score is based on the number of correct questions given in the allotted time, with a score of 20 being an indicator of average intelligence.

In his book The Thinking Man's Guide To Football, Paul "Dr. Z." Zimmerman listed the average Wonderlic score of NFL players by position. Here's how they rank from highest average score to lowest.

Offensive tackle - 26
Center - 25
Quarterback - 24
Guard - 23
Tight End - 22
Safety - 19
Linebacker - 19
Cornerback - 18
Wide Receiver - 17
Fullback - 17
Running Back - 16

Now, that doesn't mean that a low Wonderlic score necessarily indicates that a player is going to fail at the NFL level. After all, Dan Marino only scored a 15 on his Wonderlic test, and I think that he turned out relatively okay.

In the history of the NFL Combine, only one person has ever scored a perfect 50 on the Wonderlic test. His name was Pat McInally, a punter from Harvard that was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He also had the distinction of being the first Harvard graduate to play in both a Pro Bowl and a Super Bowl, doing so with the Bengals in 1981.

McInally's greatest contribution to sports may have come off the field, however. . .in the mid-1980s, he came up with the concept for a line of sports action figures that he pitched to the Kenner toy company. In a very short time, the Starting Lineup series of action figures was known from coast to coast and border. So, even if he wasn't exactly a football superstar, McInally wound up putting his brain to pretty fine use off the field.

Another Harvard graduate, current Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, came close to acing the test when he scored a 48 back in 2005 (and did so in nine minutes). Former wide receiver Kevin Curtis (who has played for five different teams in his career) and current Cleveland Browns tight end Benjamin Watson also each scored 48 on the Wonderlic.

You can take a stab at the Wonderlic yourself, if you'd like. You can take a simulated test that gives you three minutes and 36 seconds to answer 15 questions. It's not exactly the same, but it might be as close as you're going to get to taking the test.

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The NFL Scouting Combine is filled with all sorts of different tests of agility, speed, and strength. Over the years, some individuals have turned in impressive performances. What follows is a list of the most impressive performances in Combine history.

225-pound bench press - Justin Ernest, Western Kentucky, 51 reps (1999)

The defensive tackle from Western Kentucky couldn't turn his big combine performance into anything major; he went undrafted, was signed by the New Orleans Saints, and didn't see the field in his one season in the National Football League.

40-yard dash - Chris Johnson, East Carolina, 4.24 seconds (2008)

The "fastest guy at the Combine" doesn't always work out for the NFL team that drafts him. In the case of Johnson, however, it certainly has.

Vertical Leap - Gerald Sensabaugh, North Carolina, 46 inches (2005)

Sensabaugh has been a serviceable safety for the Dallas Cowboys over the course of his career, and can certainly win his share of jump balls in coverage.

20-yard shuttle - Kevin Kasper, Iowa, 3.73 seconds (2001)

Another peak performance that didn't come to much on the field, as he managed just 24 catches in his career while playing for five different teams in five NFL seasons.

3-cone drill - Jeff Maehl, Oregon, 6.42 seconds (2011)

A drill to test agility, Maehl lit it up last season in Indy. He still went undrafted, but signed with the Texans as a free agent. He has yet to see the field in a Texans uniform.

Broad Jump - Scott Starks, Wisconsin, 11'5" (2005)

Starks never truly made the "leap" to stardom at the National Football League level, getting drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2005 draft. He played 54 games for the Jags in five NFL seasons, but only started one time.

Will any of these records go down at the 2012 NFL Combine? We're going to have to wait and find out.