The value of Minnesota's first round draft pick may have increased significantly on Wednesday when Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III announced he was leaving school to enter the NFL draft. While the Vikings aren't looking to draft another quarterback in the first round, several other teams may want to jump up the draft board to secure Griffin.
The dynamic quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner has been impressive both on and off the field while handling the burst of publicity that followed being named the top college football player. According to Griffin, he had done enough at Baylor and didn't want to utilize the additional year of eligibility he had after redshirting in 2009 due to a knee injury.
"I just felt it was time for me to go," Griffin said.
Griffin had a breakout season, throwing for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns as the Bears finished 10-3 and he won the school's first Heisman Trophy.
SBNation.com's latest 2012 mock draft has Griffin going No. 4 to the Browns. This scenario sets up perfectly for Minnesota if they aren't completely sold on their options with the third overall pick. Instead they can try to stockpile picks from a team that covets Griffin and must jump the Browns to select him.
And who knows, if Griffin really wows the NFL world throughout the draft process, maybe Minnesota will re-evaluate their trust in Christian Ponder and take Griffin themselves.
For more on the Minnesota Vikings heading into the offseason, check out Daily Norseman. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.