In SportingNews' annual beat writers Mock Draft, Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune selected USC left tackle Matt Kalil for the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 3 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Via Craig:
With several needs, the Vikings would prefer to trade down and acquire more picks. If they stand pat, Kalil is the best player available and fills a need by helping Christian Ponder.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman recently announced that he and his staff had whittled their list down to Kalil, former Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon and LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne if they keep the pick. Spielman has not ruled out the possibility of trading the pick, thought its unclear if any teams are interested in moving up to No. 3.
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