Did Vikings general manager Rick Spielman give a clue to what the Vikings will do with the eighth overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft?
Look at what Spielman said when Sports Illustrated’s Peter King told him that one NFL coach described drafting a quarterback this year as “torturous.”
“The torture part of it,’’ said Rick Spielman, the Vikings’ GM, “is you see a player sitting there when you pick who you know can help you right away, a significant player at another position, an impact player as a rookie. Then you ask yourself, ‘How do we feel about our options at quarterback in the second or third round? Is it close? Is there a big separation? Or is it close?’ We’ve broken them down in al the ways we could think of. Analytically—measuring them against their five toughest opponents, indoor-versus-outdoor, by psychological testing, and it is such a mixed bag.
“That’s a big reason why we made it a high priority to sign Matt Cassel back. Every one of these quarterbacks … nothing is a sure thing. There’s no Andrew Luck, no Peyton Manning. It is such a mixed bag with each player—every one of them has positives, every one of them has negatives. And if that’s the way you end up feelings, why don’t you just wait till later in the draft, and take someone with the first pick you’re sure will help you right now?
“I agree with that coach, whoever it is. It is torturous this year.”
Spielman clearly says the best option is probably waiting to draft a quarterback. Now, the veteran GM could just as easily be setting up a smokescreen for a player they’re in love with.
Spielman told Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that one of the reasons they brought Matt Cassel back was so they could use their first-round selection (No. 8 overall) on the best player available, which Hartman says, isn’t a quarterback.
Pioneer Press columnist Charlie Walters says it’s clear the Vikings will do one of two things with their first-round: Trade down to acquire more picks or take the best defensive player available.
Whether they wind up taking a guy like Johnny Manziel in the first round or Tom Savage in the umpteenth round, Spielman said he would prefer to give his rookie a year to learn for taking over as the starter.
Only 17 more days of speculation before the NFL Draft begins.
