SIGNED

Player                           POS.                 EXP.                  COLLEGE

Jeff Baca……………………… G…………………. R……………………. UCLA

Travis Bond………………….. G…………………. R………… North Carolina

Jeff Locke…………………….. P…………………. R……………………. UCLA

SIGNED

Player                           POS.                 EXP.                  COLLEGE

Everett Dawkins………….. DT…………………. R…………… Florida State

Gerald Hodges…………….. LB…………………. R…………….. Penn State

Michael Mauti……………… LB…………………. R…………….. Penn State

Minneapolis, MN (May 13, 2013) – The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), the Minnesota Vikings and HKS Sports & Entertainment Group together unveiled the design of the State’s new multi-purpose stadium Monday evening in Minneapolis, a major milestone in getting the $975 million stadium built on time and on budget. The design package will now be submitted to the Minneapolis Stadium Implementation Committee and the City of Minneapolis for review.

Described as an authentic structure influenced by its Minnesota location, the new stadium exhibits a bold, progressive design that combines efficient functionality with stunning architecture. With a soaring prow, the largest transparent roof in the world, and operable doors that open to the downtown skyline, the facility’s openness and sleek geometric exterior will make it unlike any other stadium in the country.

“The design reflects the true story of the Minnesota community with its international style driven by climatic response and energy conservation,” said Bryan Trubey, design principal, HKS Sports & Entertainment Group. “The interior volume makes it the most versatile, multi-use building in the country with the most advanced digital age technology.”

Throughout the design process, HKS identified four major influencers that shaped the functional form and architecture of the building: climate, geography, history of important civic structures and technology. The recent pattern of modern and progressive physical form in Minnesota will continue with this facility, beginning with the roof. With ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) on the roof’s southern half, visitors will feel as if they are sitting outside without being exposed to the elements. Sustainable characteristics will be utilized to produce lower operating costs in winter and summer, and the stadium’s sloped roof will be the most efficient roof structure in the nation, a remarkable engineering feat considering the snow-loading requirements with Minnesota’s climate.

The new stadium will be capable of hosting more events than any other large stadium in the world. Despite its versatility, the stadium’s football configuration puts the fans closer to the field than in any other NFL stadium.

“Tonight’s unveiling showcases a bold, iconic design delivered by HKS,” said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. “Not only is this facility unique to Minnesota, but the stadium will also provide Vikings fans with the best game-day experience in the NFL, which has always been our goal.”

“Vikings fans will be closer to the action than any stadium in the country,” said Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf. “The combination of operable end walls with a clear roof and large windows throughout the facility will give fans the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds: an outdoor feel with protection from the elements.”

Just as important as the experience for all users of the stadium is the building’s impact on the surrounding neighborhoods. Following Monday’s design presentation, the MSFA voted unanimously to approve the design and submit the details of the stadium to the Minneapolis Stadium Implementation Committee and the City of Minneapolis for review.

“We wanted a design that encourages a connection into the neighborhoods, that will spur economic development and that will act as a destination rather than a barrier,” said Michele Kelm-Helgen, Chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. “The design, the amount of glass and light and the transparency makes this an iconic building that will attract a Super Bowl, NCAA basketball and baseball tournaments, world class concerts and other great events. The benefits to the state’s economy will be incredible.”

Groundbreaking for the new 65,000-seat stadium will take place in October 2013, and demolition of the Metrodome will begin early in 2014. The new stadium is scheduled to be open in time for the Vikings 2016 season.

“We look forward to bringing this wonderful design to life and beginning construction in a few short months,” said John Wood, senior vice president at Mortenson Construction, the stadium builder. “This stadium will be built for Minnesota by Minnesotans, and it will create an estimated 7,500 construction-related jobs and deliver substantial business opportunities for hundreds of local subcontractors and suppliers.”

“Chris has meant a great deal to the Vikings both on and off the field in his eight seasons here. He contributed to many victories and we wish Chris and his family the best and thank him for his contributions to the Vikings organization. Out of respect to Chris, we decided to release him now and allow time for him to sign with another team.” – Vikings GM Rick Spielman

Good afternoon guys. We wanted to be able to get outside today but the weather didn’t cooperate. But we were able to get some good work inside. It was fun to be around our guys and just see them move around. Our draft choices, some of the free agents that we signed, and even some of the guys that are here on a tryout basis; I thought they really handled themselves well. They got in last night, we had a chance to meet with them, took them through how we wanted to practice, how we wanted to get certain things done. To see them move around the way they did today, it was good. There are a lot of guys here that will be able to help our football team based on what we saw in that first practice. We’ll get them again this afternoon and twice tomorrow then come back and finish on Sunday, but so far from what I’ve seen, there are no throw-aways in this group. It’s a good group all the way around.

Q: What do you look for from the guys that are free agents?

A: We talked to them about that last night. For some of those guys you’re right, it’s just a small window, they have to jump out early and fast. Probably the way they handle themselves in the meetings, that makes a difference. Then if they can carry some of the things they grasp from the meetings to the field, and they need to make plays. They need to do something that the coaches will look at and go, ‘Wow, that guy, he caught my eye.’ You have to find a way to make a play. Whether you’re on offense, defense, whether you’re doing something on special teams as well. It’s a tall task but it happens. Marcus Sherels is a great example of it a few years ago. It can happen.

Q: As you were zeroing in on Cordarrelle Patterson in the draft process, what types of things did you want to see and go a little deeper on as you were evaluating him?

A: Well you always want to know how important football is to a guy when you’re thinking about taking him early in the draft like we were with CP. Once you find out that he loves the game and has a passion for it, then you want to find out how much his capacity for learning is. That’s going to be a big part of a receiver’s transition to the NFL. The talent was obvious on tape and then you know of course that he has to be the right character guy as well. Combine the talent, having the character, the passion for the game and then learning; it was obvious for us if we had a chance to get him he’d fit in to what we’re trying to get done.

Q: Was there a conversation that sold you on his passion for the game and his capacity for learning?

A: Just when I heard his story when we were at the Combine the first time I met him. I listened to him talk about his relationship with his mom and what it was like growing up and hearing his transition from high school to some other school that really turned out not the ideal school, then going on to the junior college. Hearing him talk about some of the things he had gone through to get to where he is now, you get a feel that this guys has a purpose, he understands what’s important. Just hearing the story kind of convinced me he would be a good fit for us.

Q: Was it hard to do research on him since he was bouncing around from team to team?

A: Between Rick [Spielman] and our scouts and what our coaches did in the offseason when we began to learn more about him, felt like we really read him well. We had a good understanding of who he was, understood his background, how he had gotten to Tennessee. We didn’t feel like we left any stones unturned. We went all the way back to high school and talked to a lot of different people. We felt pretty good about making the choice.

Q: Do you think he will benefit from having that stability of staying with a team for a while?

A: No question. We took that into some of the evaluation as well. The fact that he had been to a number of different places in a short period of time, that once we got him into our building and really began to lay a foundation with him, that would benefit him versus all the moving around he’s done over the last few years. That was definitely part of the evaluation.

Q: Do you have a specific plan for developing him?

A: It’s similar to what we have to do with all young receivers and what most teams have to do with young receivers in our League. There are just so few of those guys that come in and make an impact early on at the wide receiver position. We’ll have to make sure he gets indoctrinated early, just like we’re doing now, into our offense and just finding out what’s the best way that he learns and what do we have to do to make sure he has a chance to make a contribution in this first year. The obvious for him is the fact that he’s a good returner, but he’s a tremendous player with the ball in his hands so we have to figure out ways to get the ball in his hands and also do what we have to do offensively to include him in what we’re doing. We think we have a pretty good plan to get that done.

Q: Is there much more you have to teach on the return side or is a lot of it skill that comes naturally?

A:  Some of it is skill, but also there are some things that can be taught. We saw some things to do, even in catching punts that we know we can help him with when it comes to judging the ball, getting under the ball, protecting the ball. He’s done so much off of natural ability. There are definitely some things that we can help him improve on as a receiver obviously and even as a returner.

Q: Will Patterson move around at all or will he zero in on a split end position?

A: I think early on the mind set is put him in one spot, let him learn that spot and then eventually grow it a little bit. But just get him settled to begin with.

Q: Because he is so dangerous with the ball in his hands were you able to devise some easy ways to do that?

A: Yeah, you know we talked about some things prior to the draft, some ways that we could get him the football early on. We do have some ideas and some ways we want to use him early.

Q: With the punter you took in round five, what do you look for this weekend specifically as you’re just trying to get comfortable with the guy?

A: You just want to make sure that he handles some of the situations we’re going to put him in. Mike Priefer and some of our other people took him down to the Dome today to kick. Just want to put him in different situations and see how he responds.  

Q: Is it similar to what you looked at with Blair Walsh a year ago where you got a feel for how he handles the moment?

A: Very similar. Similar process, although a different position but yeah, try to test him a little bit and see how he handles certain things.

Q: What are some of the hallmarks in Sharrif Floyd’s game that he can lean on to make an immediate impact?

A: Probably starting off, his effort should always be there and I think it will be. He’s one of those guys who plays with a high motor at all times and that’s going to give him an advantage as he learns the game and begins to understand blocking schemes. The fact that he just goes 100 miles per hour, with his quickness, his athleticism, his power; as long as he’s doing that other things will come. He’ll be able to react to certain blocks, understand blocking schemes. His tempo should help him early on.

Q: The fact that he has moved around so much, has that stunted his growth in the pass rushing game?

A: Yes and no. We see it as a positive because we do some things in 3^rd downs where we move some guys around a little bit. We liked his versatility and the fact that he’s played multiple positions on the defensive line. We see it as a plus. On the other side of that, maybe the fact that he didn’t just root at one position it could have slowed him a little bit but not so much for us. We liked the fact that he’s played multiple positions.

Q: Would there be any scenario in which you’d use him at end? Could he play end in your scheme?

A: I wouldn’t say no, but that’s not why we drafted him. The fact that he’s done it and had some success, it’s always a possibility.

Q: As these guys head back to finish up school, what do you tell them about what they can do to get better in between?

A: We had our strength coach talk to them last night about the transition from this weekend, to going back home, then having to come back, I think they’ll be back on May 13^th. What they need to do from a conditioning stand point, I think a lot of the guys that we drafted, they’ve been on the circuit, going out, visiting teams, eating the dinners and not so much from a conditioning stand point. They need to get back into football shape. When they were training, they were training for the combine, to be able to run these 40’s, do these vertical jumps. Well now all that’s behind them. So we wanted to kind of bring them back to the football training aspect and that’s what we talked to them about last night. We’re introducing them to that this weekend, then they need to continue it because when they come back, that’s exactly how we’re going to approach it.

Q: What do you see in Duron Carter?

A: Well, he has great size that sticks out. He has good hands and he moves well so we’ll see how he does throughout this weekend. He had a good first practice so we’ll see what he does the rest of the weekend.

Q: Is Xavier Rhodes ready-made for the NFL based on his skill set and his position?

A: I think so. When you look at the way teams are drafting receivers, trying to get these big receivers across the League and particularly in our division, with his skill set, you would think it would be a good match. He did some things today in this first practice that really opened your eyes. I think he has the game that fits what the League is becoming. Now it’s a matter of how fast does he mature and how confident can he be when he lines up in that first ball game.

Q: Is cornerback not as much of an adjustment in the NFL than receiver?

A: Well there’s an adjustment because you face great receivers every weekend.

Q: Will Xavier have an adjustment schematically?

A: Schematically, there won’t be a big adjustment for him. They played similar defenses to what we do here. That part won’t be much of an adjustment and it is usually isn’t. It usually more the personnel adjustment and handling some of the different game plans you’re going to see week-to-week. We don’t play the same defense 16 weeks in a row. It’s a little bit different than what you see sometimes in college.

Q: Is Erin Henderson playing at the Mike linebacker position now?

A: We’ve been talking about it. We want to take a look at some things in this mini-camp and we’ll probably make a decision here after we get done and just talk about some things, but he’s definitely in the conversation.

Q: Who else is in the conversation at Mike?

A: Audie Cole is a part of that as well. Tyrone McKenzie is one of the guys we’ll take a look at and Michael Mauti, the guy that we drafted, as well. We have some options, but Erin is definitely one of those guys we’re talking about.

Q: How much does it put Michael Mauti behind that best case scenario he’s back for training camp?

A: There’s no question he’s behind as a rookie to miss all the reps he’s going to miss between now and training camp. It makes it tough, but he’s capable of catching up. He’ll have to. He’s definitely going to be behind when we make it to training camp.

Q: Who would be your top options at the weak side position if you end up moving Erin?

A: Well we still have Marvin Mitchell, who’s coming back, we drafted Gerald [Hodges], he’s a candidate as well. We have a couple of guys there who could possibly do it. McKenzie could do it if it doesn’t work out for him at Mike. We have some options if we have to go in that direction.

Q: What more do you want from the punter position than what you have already?

A: There are some things we want to take a look at with Jeff [Locke] and just see certain things we want to get accomplished. I don’t  want to be too specific, but there are some things we want to be able to look at and just see if he can get them done.

General Manager Rick Spielman

Opening Statement:

We are very excited about the weekend. We feel we have a lot of very good, young football players coming into our organization, into the program. I feel by what we were able to get accomplished on Friday, and what we got accomplished today, it’s going to create a lot of great competition and really stay true to our board. We had the one trade and got the seventh round (pick) back so small victory, but we’re very excited about the players that are coming in. I’ll kind of go through the list and kind of give you a couple of lines on each guy and then I’ll take your questions afterwards. I’m sure you guys have some. Gerald Hodges, the linebacker from Penn State, we thought he was a very unique athlete. He was a former safety that moved down and got a chance to meet with him at the Combine with a few other spots and he has the position flexibility to play a lot of different linebacker spots; either the sam, the will, we’ll look at him some as mike, coaches will figure that all out as he comes in. But the thing he really has is the athletic skill set. Not only how he played in space in Penn State this year, he was usually lined up outside, they put him over the slot at times, they stacked him a few times, but you can see the athletic skill set and the position flexibility he can bring. They even tried him at a punt returner, but I don’t think that worked out very well. The next choice in the 5^th round was Jeff Locke. We had him as the top punter. When you’re looking at the draft board and kind of where the kickers, punters started to go last year, we felt that at that time, if we were going to make a move on a punter to bring in some competition that that was the proper time to do that. As you see once we did that, punters and kickers started to come off the board right after that. Our 6^th round pick, Jeff Baca is a kid from UCLA who has played up and down the line; tackle, guard, center. He’s one of the Viking fit type, I know what Jeff Davidson looks for, very tough, competitive kid that has some position flexibility and very excited that he got in the mix and that’s when we moved down in the 6^th to be able to pick him up. Michael Mauti, the linebacker from Penn State, the middle linebacker, was having a very good year before he went through his ACL, blew it out I think. I know that was the third time he blew out his ACL and we were very strict on him at the Combine, I’ve asked [Eric] Sugarman 8,000 times, because he’s a heck of a football player and has a great attitude and great leadership. Is this guy healthy? What he’ll do is he’ll come in and we feel we’ll start rehabbing him but he should be ready to go by training camp. He was just too good of a football player, too good of character to pass up and I think you guys talked to him, but he’s very intense and he’ll be a great competition at that mike linebacker position. The next pick in the 7^th round was Travis Bond. He was the big guard from North Carolina. It was funny, I went to the North Carolina-Louisville game in September and I didn’t have any 2012 tape at the time, so I watched 2011 tape and I saw this big guard that was about 370 pounds or whatever he was and saw that he didn’t move very well. But then they came running out of the tunnel and I’m looking and looking to see this guy saying, I got to see how big he is, but I couldn’t find him. Then I saw they pulled half a man out of him and I was like, is this the same guy, the same number and I went over and talked to the offensive line coach and he had lost a tremendous amount of weight and then I’m sitting there watching him play live and he’s moving night and day from what I saw when he was too heavy. He has position flexibility, played on the right side between that right guard and I think that when Williams got injured he moved out to right tackle. Jeff Davidson went down and spent a lot of time with him down at North Carolina at the pro day and spent some time with him on the phone and got to know him so he fits the type of lineman we’re trying to bring in here. Guys that can move at the point especially with the running game we try to establish. And then the last kid, Everett Dawkins was the under tackle from Florida State. He was a little bit undersized, but a very quick up field one-gap penetrator. He was the highest rated guy on our board at the time, and felt he was just too good of a player not to draft and to pass up. So we’ll bring him in and feel that now, with what we added some at linebacker, what we’re able to accomplish here and college free agency, that list will be coming out here relatively shortly by tomorrow, once we get everything done. We’re going to have a very competitive training camp and by creating that competition, it’s going to really make players better. So I’ll take your questions now.

Q: What does the Jeff Locke pick mean for Chris Kluwe’s future here and does it involve his off the field stuff?

A: It has nothing to do with anything Chris Kluwe is off the field. When we’re making decisions, we’re purely making them, trying to bring in the best competition possible regardless of position. When we brought in the first three, we’re trying to create competition and see if they can upgrade us. This was just another normal personnel move. It had nothing to do with Chris Kluwe’s off-field concerns, I have no issues if Chris Kluwe wants to express his opinion, that’s his right, that’s his freedom of speech. This is just a football decision to bring in a guy to come in to compete.

Q: You took Blair Walsh last year and Ryan Longwell did not make it to training camp; is there any chance that history can repeat itself that Chris Kluwe won’t make it to training camp?

A: I’m not going to comment on anything right now. Right now we just finished the draft and finished signing college free agents so we’ll sit down with the coaches and analyze where we’re at with everything. But right now going forward, we expect that to be a competition.

Q: What has set him apart from the other punters you looked at?

A: One, the character. Two, he’s a left footed punter, which helps. Three, he’s a great directional kicker. Four, he’s excellent at getting the ball inside the 20. Very good holder, good athlete. So those were all the things, once we got into our draft meetings and then like last year we sent Coach Priefer out and did numerous private workouts and came back. When he came back and we were in our special teams meetings he gave his input into it and then once we gathered all that information, that’s why we made the decision.

Q: Jeff Locke can hold as well?

A: Yes.

Q: Did him being left footed help as well since that is unusual?

A: Well a left footed punter has a different spin on the ball. I know when we play teams that have left footed punters, we always bring in a left footed punter for a workout that week just so our guys can get accustomed to that different spin. If he was a left footed punted and wasn’t very talented, then we wouldn’t have drafted him. We’re drafting him because of his talent.

Q: With Michael Mauti, what were two of the 8,000 questions you asked Eric Sugarman to put your mind at ease with his ACLs?

A: Did we pass this guy? 2,000 times. They felt the repairs were excellent. I know our medial staff with Eric Sugarman and how we’ve had success rehabing guys coming off ACLs have been very high. I would match our medical staff and our rehab program against anyone in the NFL, I think we are the best at it. The results speak for itself from Chad Greenway to when we had Heath Farwell to Adrian Peterson; that all comes from our medical staff and they know what they’re doing and they know how to rehab those guys to get them on the field as quickly as they can. We’ve had great results so we had no hesitation because the repairs were actually very good and now it’s just our job to rehab that player and get him on the field as quickly as we can.

Q: Where is he in his rehab?

A: He is, if I’m not mistaken, about six months out, six-seven months out (from surgery). He’ll come in, we’ll get a full assessment of him. We saw him at the Combine, we saw him then at the re-check. We’ll see him this weekend and kind of get a better assessment of how far he’s out.

Q: Where do you think he starts in the mix of what you’re looking for?

A: We’re going to, like I said, sit and assess what we have. Everybody was a little bit tired so I wasn’t going to sit there and have a personnel meeting with the coaches tonight. We’ll get to that on Monday and kind of see where we’re at. We signed a couple linebackers and another linebacker in free agency, college free agency, so we’ll see where we’re at and then go from there.

Q: When Mauti has two ACL injuries in the same leg, does that increase the chances of an injury in that leg happening again?

A: You know Chad Greenway I think had two. I can go off what are medical staff says and I have one hundred percent confidence in what they are telling me.

Q: Have you ever heard of a guy with three?

A: I would have to go down the line and look, but I know that every repair has been excellent, and it just has been kind of a freak thing. Our medical staff feels one hundred percent fine with Mauti.

Q: You drafted three sets of college teammates again. Are you going to tell us that that is still just a coincidence?

A: Still just a coincidence. There’s a lot of good players at those schools apparently.

Q: You get a lot of production out of those guys you draft from the same schools don’t you?

A: Yeah, so I am kind of excited to see what we get out of this class here coming up.

Q: Did you ever talk to Travis Bond about his experience getting hit by a truck?

A: Well I know a truck hit him and I know he had the wrist fracture and I’m sure that the truck took just as much damage. I know he is a very tough kid, and I don’t think it affected him that much. That kid, when you watch him play, matches the criteria that we are looking for, and what Jeff Davidson is looking for on that offensive line. He definitely fit that.

Q: How do you make sure you keep him at an acceptable weight?

A: We will talk to him about that, and what is expected of him. Tom Kanavy does a great job with our guys. Very rarely do we have a problem with weight with the guys here.

Q: Do you view him more as a guard or with his size as a tackle?

A: That’s the unique thing because he is 6 foot 5 and his arms hang down to the floor. That is a huge advantage for an offensive lineman. He is another guy that has position flexibility and that is what we are looking for when we draft guys; they have to be able to play multiple positions. We can look at him at right guard and also at right tackle.

Q: Is Jeff Baca primarily an inside player?

A: Baca is more than likely an inside center/guard type.

Q: As the dust settles, do you feel like you were able to hit all of the needs you had?

A: Yeah I feel very strong about that and very strong about the competition that we have created. Our personnel never ends. We are looking forward to this rookie mini-camp coming up next week. We will continue to monitor where we see these guys. But our process of bringing in players never ends.

Q: Any comment on Lawrence Jackson?

A: I don’t know if his contract came in yet so once it’s officially announced I’ll comment on him.

Q: Where you surprised how late the quarterback run took place?

A: I didn’t pay much attention to it to be honest with you. We weren’t in the market for a quarterback and we don’t know how other teams felt about those players

Q: Did you set a pick next year for the trade with Tampa Bay?

A: No, it is just the pick this year.

Q: Hodges is a former safety, is he a deep coverage kind of guy?

A: He is very good in coverage. You see him, when you watch the tape; playing out in space and playing over slots. He has the unique background of being a defensive back and the unique skill set of once he got added on that weight and became a linebacker but he still moves around like a safety, yet he is physical enough to play as a linebacker

Q: Is he maxed out size wise?

A: We’ll see. I think all of those college kids when they come in are still maturing and growing. I know Tom Kanavy and our strength staff do an amazing job. They will do all of their body weights and get an idea of what their optimal weight is. We really do a nice job of getting to those optimal weights and body fats.

Q: Where will Hodges and Mauti play?

A: We will look at that one Monday.

Q: Will Locke kick off?

A: We feel pretty confident about Blair [Walsh] kicking off. That didn’t play a big factor into it. We do know if something ever happened we have a good fall back.

Q: What about Kluwe makes you pause in giving the job to Locke?

A: Chris has been a very good punter here. It was just a thing where we wanted to bring in competition, which we have done at every position. I know you guys are putting emphasis on the punter, but every position there is going to be competition and that is the only way you get better. When guys are in competition you see who’s the best and who is the best 53 that will make the team next fall.

Q: It has got to be hard to imagine not keeping a punter taken in the 5^th round?

A: Sure it is. We felt he is the best punter, and there will be competition.

Q: Do you see Everett as an attacking one-gap type?

A: We worked with him at the Senior Bowl, and you can see some of the quickness and penetration that he does have. We feel he has a chance to be a pretty good inside rusher because of his quickness and rushing skills.

5^th round choice, #120, LB Gerald Hodges

Q: What do you think about getting drafted by the Vikings?

A: There’s no other feeling in the world. I’m talking weight off my shoulders type of feeling. I’m just sitting here watching it and I just so happen to get in the shower to try to take the stress off me and as I’m getting out of the shower my phone was ringing. I wasn’t even rushing to get to the phone because I didn’t know what it was but I get over there and I see Minnesota and I look on the board and it says Minnesota pick and I just started crying. It’s a blessing.

Q: Did you expect to go a little earlier?

A: Yes sir. You know like I said, I expected to go earlier and I thought I was going to go earlier, but God has his plan for every person and God puts me where he wants to put me and who he wants to put me with and I let him take it in his hands and let him guide me. It’s just a real moment right now. It’s just a blessing and a lot of weight off my shoulders and my family too.

Q: Did Minnesota talk to you about how they might use you at all?

A: Yes sir. I just got off the phone with them and they told me they really liked me and you got a chance to really come here and make a real impact for us. So whatever you guys need me to do I’m ready to do it, I’m ready to be a Viking and ready to get started.

Q: Are they going to use you on the outside?

A: They didn’t say. I told them I can play either outside or inside. I can just play the linebacker position as well and I believe that I’m going to do nothing but get better at the linebacker position. I have had great coaches that made me ready, and I’m just ready to go.

Q: Were you the will backer in 2011, and the SAM in 2012?

A: Yes sir, that’s right.

Q: When’s the last time you played middle?

A: I never played middle. Sometimes coming in playing different teams I moved into the box sometimes but I never played a true middle-backer until practice.

Q: I see you were a former safety, how comfortable do you feel dropping in coverage?

A: I feel very comfortable. I feel like that was one of my strong points and that’s why I wanted to go a little bit earlier than when I went in the fact that I was great in the coverage. But like I said, God has a plan and the coaches see certain things in players that they want so I’d feel real comfortable in coverage and playing in the box at the same time.

Q: What was it like to get recruited and play for Coach Paterno?

A: It was a blessing. It was like being coached by, not a God because no one is higher than God, but it was like being coached by a legend while he was still coaching. That was a blessing to even be in his hands. He was more of a father figure than I would say coach. He taught a lot football, but at the same time, he taught us a lot about how to be a man and how to show respect so it was definitely a blessing being able to play for him.

Q: How difficult was it when players were leaving? Were you one of those players who tried to make sure as many players stayed as you could possibly get?

A: Yes sir. We didn’t really have to go around and tell guys because we had a big meeting through the players in which we talked to the guys. But like I said, God has a plan for everyone and we couldn’t do too much. If someone said they were leaving it’s not like we could chase them down and make them stay because they’re going to make a decision, but it was our job to let those guys know what it means to play Penn State football and what it means to be a part of a family. That was our main goal which was to let them know the true meaning of playing Penn State football. It wasn’t trying to make them stay or anything like that, it was to let them know what the situation was and how they should feel about it before they should go making decisions just because we couldn’t play in the bowl game.

Q: Why did they move you from safety to linebacker?

A: My freshman year, Navarro Bowman and Sean Lee, had a few injuries my freshman year so about the third or fourth game of the season, I went down there and I wanted to play a little bit more than I was playing and I went down there and told him I wanted to play line backer and he recruited me my whole high school career, that was my line backer coach so he wanted me to come in there and brought me down there. That’s what he wanted the whole time I believe. I was just ready to go play and go get on the field.

Q: You added 30 pounds since your freshman year, do you think you’ve maxed out on the bulk strength you can add?

A: No sir. I believe I’ve been keeping my weight just stable because I have been flying around through this whole process, but I believe once I get on my regimen I can put on weight or lose weight; whatever the coach needs me to do.

Q: With the off field stuff going on in the last couple of years, do you think it was a real maturing process for you?

A: Definitely. I believe throughout this last year it was truly a maturing process. With a new coach coming in and having to learn new defenses and having to learn against new offenses, NFL offenses at that, just being able to talk to younger guys and let them know how you feel about the program, it was a blessing to even be in the situation. I feel like it was also very maturing to them when everyone is trying to knock us down and just being able to have other guys in your class to be there by your side to help mature as a person, as well as a man.

Q: How did you monitor the draft Thursday night?

A: I just sat there and watched it with my mother and father and watched it progress. Each and every guy that I knew, congratulations, because at the end of the day we’re all trying to attain the same goal and we’re trying to be the best and maximize our potential. I wasn’t mad or anything, I was a little frustrated with more and more rounds and more and more picks that fell, but God has his plan for me and God now has me where he wants me.

Q: Did you take note at all on Thursday of what the Vikings did?

A: No sir. Like I said, when I talked to the Vikings at the combine and then on my pro day, I wasn’t thinking they were thinking about me, because for some reason there were other teams that were very interested in me and you think those other teams are going to draft you. But at the end of the day, not every team you interview with is going to draft you and any team can like you from what they see on film and know that you’re a good person at heart so I didn’t even know they were really that interested in me. It wasn’t until they called me when I was like, this is an amazing feeling.

Q: Which teams did you think were interested in you?

A: Teams like Tampa Bay, Dallas, New Orleans, teams like that when every time a pick came up there was no phone call, I was just waiting around and was thinking, well maybe someone will pick me up and then I hopped in the shower and when I came out my phone was ringing showing Minnesota and felt like it was such an amazing feeling.

Q: Did you say you played Mike at the Shrine game?

A: Yes sir. We were in a 3-4, where I played inside linebacker.

Q: Did you feel comfortable doing that?

A: Yes sir, I felt very comfortable. With my potential in being able to move quickly that could really improve my game and improve my work playing inside linebacker because of being able to move as well as I can inside the box and outside the box.

Q: What was it like returning kicks?

A: That was fun. That right there shows my loyalty that the coaches trusted in me, the loyalty they have for me and the respect they have for me, and for them to even put me back there as a linebacker shows the loyalty and the trust they had in me.

5th Round Choice, #155, P Jeff Locke

Q: What did you feel about being drafted by the Vikings?

A: Just very excited. I can’t wait to come out and work with Coach [Mike] Priefer and the rest of the staff and get to meet the team and get to work.

Q: Was this about where you were expecting to go?

A: You can’t really expect anything in this process. I was just kind of hoping to go. My agent had said around the sixth round so that’s all we had.

Q: Do you know Chris Kluwe? Have you ever worked out with him at all?

A: I met [Chris] Kluwe one time at UCLA and then he was at the USC game this year. I saw him on the sideline and shook his hand and talked for a little bit but we haven’t talked a whole lot.

Q: Do you expect to compete with him? Do you know what you’re walking into right now?
A: I just know I’m competing. Talking to Coach Priefer, he said just come in and be ready to work and that’s all I’m going with.

Q: What was the extent of your communication with Coach Priefer throughout the pre-draft?

A: Pre-draft we talked at the Senior Bowl and at the Combine. We had one-on-one sit downs and went over some stats and stuff and spoke at both of those events. Then he came out for a private workout at UCLA with me. We had dinner the night before and just did the workout and that was kind of the extent of our talking.

Q: Growing up, were you more interested in soccer or football?

A: Definitely growing up I was a big soccer player. I hadn’t really touched a football until I got to high school and then it kind of just took off from there when I started kicking and getting more serious about it.

Q: Will it be awkward at all competing with Chris Kluwe?

A: I don’t think it would be. I’m just going to come in and compete. Either way you’re competing with somebody in the NFL no matter where you go. I’m just going to come in and do my best.

Q: You know his off-field reputation of course it proceeds him wherever he goes; do you have any thoughts about that or are you just thinking about the football field and trying to kick?

A: Yeah, just what you said at the end. I’m just going to come in and do the best that I can. I haven’t done a whole lot following Kluwe with his off-the-field stuff that you were talking about, so I’m just ready to come in and play football.

Q: You were on the National College Players Association board; what sort of work did you guys do?

A: We organized some players; we tried to education players mainly on issues going around college athletics. We helped get a bill passed in California. It was just kind of an intern job and just what we call the Players Council. Just helping out the President of that organization.

Q: What have the Vikings told you about what they want out of you out of this position?

A: They just told me they want me to come in and come kickoff to the best of my abilities. I’m just going to come in and give them the best I have.

Q: Do you think you’ll be competing with the kickoff job because Blair Walsh is kind of a bomber?

A: I actually just misspoke before, I meant to say punt and hold. Blair Walsh is definitely great on kickoffs. I want to be available to kind of back up that role if necessary. But I’m definitely focusing on punting and holding, sorry for misspeaking before.

6^th Round Choice, #196, G Jeff Baca

Q: Is this where you thought you would be drafted?

A: Yeah, me and my agent were talking about (getting picked) on the third day. The call came in, and I couldn’t be any more excited; that’s for sure.

Q: Do you feel comfortable at guard and tackle?

A: Yes; absolutely. I haven’t heard much from coach about what position that I will be playing but I am excited to come in and compete. The more I can do, the better.

Q: Which of those positions (guard or tackle) do you feel stronger at?

A: I really don’t know. I think with great coaching from coach. I’ve heard nothing but great things about him and good coaching from him on technique. I think I can excel at either position.

Q: You looking forward to blocking for Adrian Peterson?

A: Yeah, definitely. I didn’t give it much thought until my brother said something and I’m extremely excited to be blocking for him.

Q: Did the Vikings have much contact with you?

A: They did. Not an overwhelmingly amount but we were in contact at the East-West Shrine game, and again at the combine, and also in contact this last month or so. 

Q: You played some center in one of the bowls too didn’t you?

A: Yes, sir. I played about three quarters of it in the bowl game.

Q: Do you feel like you can be versatile anywhere along the line?

A: Absolutely, and I believe I can play all three positions on the line. Like I said , with proper coaching, I think that is something I can absolutely do.

Q: You’re not the biggest, strongest guy. Do you expect to put on some weight?

A: I would love to grow some more (laughter). I wouldn’t be opposed to that. I haven’t talked to coach about what he wants me to weigh. I am about 304 (lbs) right now, so whatever he wants when he sees me next week or whenever we talk.

Q: What do you see is the strength of your game?

A: My athletic ability and my versatility. The ability to play multiple positions on the offensive line.

Q: You had the best time in the three cone drill among offensive lineman at the combine. Did that mean much to you?

A: It does, especially with the amount of time I have put in, doing those drills and getting coached up in Southern California by prolific athletes and Ryan Flaretty down there. The amount of work that we put in (is a lot) and I do take pride in that, and also showing off my ability to pull and hopefully that transitions to the field.

Q: What happened in 2010?

A: I was academically ineligible. I was a pre-med major my first two years at UCLA, and in the Spring quarter of 2010 I was taking Spanish, Biology, and Chemistry. I ended up failing two of the three classes. I got in over my head a little bit and didn’t realize the time commitment that the pre-med major was taking on me and got in a little over my head on that. I changed my major to political science, made the honor roll 7 out of the 8 semesters after that, and finished off and graduated.

Q: So it is easier to be a politician than to be a doctor?

A: Absolutely.

Q: With Locke coming here, do you expect to room with him early on?

A: Oh I don’t even know. I haven’t even really thought about that. I don’t know how they do the rooms or anything. I am just excited to bring my fellow Bruin there to Minnesota.

Q: How do you get all that hair into your helmet?

A: Its actually grown out a lot, so we will see. It might have to go.

7th Round Draft Pick, #213, LB Michael Mauti

Q: What do you think of being picked by the Vikings?

A: I think it is a great opportunity. It is a great organization. I couldn’t be happier.

Q: Did you slide a little further than you expected?

A: I really tried to go into this draft without expectations just because I understand my situation medically. It got more and more difficult as time went on. But I couldn’t be happier to get picked by such a great organization. I have always had respect for the Vikings and what they have been able to do, so I am just happy to be a part of it.

Q: With three knee surgeries, how much time would you said you’ve spent in rehab?

A: Way to much. With those recent injuries I’ve just been rehabbing and getting back; sprinting and things.  I feel great as far as agility and stuff like that and I feel like it’s going to be a good summer. I’ll get therapy, and get ready for camp.

Q: Coming from an NFL family would you say that is in your blood?

A: I would think so. Having my dad play 8 years in the league definitely helps. I did everything I could to be in this position and just a great opportunity I have in front of me and I’m just trying to make the most of it.

Q: Are you more of a middle linebacker at Penn State or did you play outside as well?

A: I think more outside, but I think at the next level I will be more of an inside guy. I have a lot of experience in the 4-3 defense, and I have played all three positions at Penn State. I have talked many schemes with the Vikings yet, but I am sure we will get into that more next week.

Q: How are the knees; are you able to come in and compete right away?

A: I think so. I will probably be a little more limited this year and in the OTA’s next weekend but once we get more into the preseason and I am running around and flying around a little bit I’ll be ready to go.

Q: When did each of the injuries occur for you?

A: My most recent one was in the beginning of November of last season. I got high low and there was nothing I can do about that one. I had one in 2011, and another one in 2009 on my right.

Q: Which knee (did you injure) twice?

A: The left.

Q: The Vikings have had pretty good success helping players through torn ACL injuries. Do you take heart in that you’re going to an organization that has had a lot of success working through this injury?

A: Yeah absolutely that gives me confidence. I spoke a little bit with the doctors at the combine and they were confident in the way the MRI’s looked. I had a great surgeon and Dr. Bradley with the Steelers did my surgery. So they understand where I am at, and I think it is going to be a great relationship as far as when I’ll be ready. I think I will be ready by preseason camp so that is my goal and where I plan on being.

Q: What was that whole combine experience like as a guy who was more poked and prodded than other players?

A: It was interesting. You kind of sit there while 32 doctors poke and pull on you. I kind of got the expectations from a number of players that have gone through the process so I had a little bit of an idea what to expect.

Q: A lot of scouting reports with you talk about your leadership skills. How important is that to you with the turmoil your program has been through over the years?

A: I think that just going through the situations that we went through at Penn State which were kind of unprecedented given the whole scandal we were able to take control over our whole program. We view that adversity as an opportunity to make a positive situation with our great senior class. It was the most fun season that I’ve had while playing and we had a great group of guys last year.

Q: As far as getting reunited with Gerald Hodges, how close were you guys through the injury process?

A: I couldn’t be happier to be playing with Gerald next season and the season previously. He’s a great support structure and he’s a familiar face to go through the new process with. I couldn’t be happier in this situation. We have a great opportunity in front of us.

Q: There’s a story that you sent out a letter to all 32 teams general managers, is that true?

A: Ya that’s true. I sent that back in December. I didn’t report that to the media, I just wanted that to be between me and the general managers. I wanted to let them hear from me about where I was and where my mind set was on getting back and healthy. I know I’ll be ready again and it’s all about how you rehab and fight back.

7th Round Draft Choice, #214, OG Travis Bond

Q: Travis what do you think about being a Viking?

A: I love it. I’m very happy with the pick. I feel like I have a lot to prove so I’m just going to come in and work as hard as I can.

Q: What was the extent of your contact with the Vikings during the pre-draft process?

A: I had met with the offensive line coach. He had came to meet me at Carolina to get to know me, find out what type of person I was and basically talk a little football. So that deal went well, worked out at pro day. He had a lot of information to give me about basically how to be an offensive lineman in the NFL. The meeting went well. That was the contact that I had.

Q: What are your strengths?

A: I love run blocking. We got Adrian Peterson, big-time running back. I just want to make sure he has a big hole to run through when he comes scoring touchdowns.

Q: When did Coach Davidson come down there to meet with your privately?

A: He came down in about March, March 25^th I want to say. One afternoon just came and met with me and taught me a little bit.

Q: Did he work you out too or just talked?

A: We just talked. The pro day was the next day he basically just did everything in pro day.

Q: Where is your weight at right now?

A: About 327.

Q: Where was it at its high point at UNC?

A: The highest I’ve ever been at, it was about 375, that’s not good at all. I felt like losing the weight helped me a lot in this process.

Q: How difficult was it to drop the weight?

A: It was kind of difficult because I’m a Southern boy, I live about three hours from Chapel Hill. When I come home, my mom and grandma, everybody loves to cook so that was the difficult part, just staying away from home.

Q: What did you have to give up at home?

A: Fried chicken, barbeque, corn bread, macaroni and cheese, pork chop; all of that.

Q: What do you expect to play at for the Vikings? Do you expect to put on a little weight for those guys?

A: I don’t know. Wherever they want me at I can get there because my lowest was 316 and my highest was 375 so I feel like anywhere they want me to play at, I can play at. I think I’m a good athlete for a guy at my size. I can dunk a basketball, I played basketball, so I feel like I’m a pretty good athlete.

Q: What’s it like to get hit by a truck?

A: Oh wow, that was a bit of a shock that night. Not a fun thing to do believe me. Being hit by that truck pretty much turned my life around when it came to riding a scooter, I gave that up easily.

Q: What were the circumstances that happened when you got hit?

A: Let’s see, I was just going to study hall one night and I don’t know, it just happened. Whoever the guy was driving, I don’t know if he was drunk or what, but I just know I got the worst of it. Me and his truck got the worst results.

Q: Did you do a lot of damage to the truck?

A: When I got up and looked at it I was a bit shocked. When I looked there was a dent on the front side on the driver side, there was a dent on the side of his truck. I was hurt in the process and his truck had a boo boo.

Q: When did this happen again?

A: This happened in February 2012, about February 5^th I want to say. It was like a Sunday or Monday.

Q: How quick did it take for you to bounce back?

A: I didn’t even know my wrist was broke. I was lifting weights, I wasn’t even going to go to the hospital but my tutor had told me to go to the hospital because they didn’t want me to just pass out or anything. So in the process of within the next few weeks I was bench pressing, I had quite a lot of weight up there and it just felt funny when I was benching. I had got it x-rayed the night I got hit but nothing showed up and I thought that was strange too. So when I got my MRI I came to find out my ulna and my radius were separated.

Q: So you still made it to study hall?

A: Yeah I got right back on the scooter, drove to study hall, my scooter was messed up too, and just drove on to study hall. Some girl came like when I got hit, she ran up to me and was just like, ‘Are you okay, are you alright?’. I was just like, ‘Yeah I’m okay’. She was just like, ‘I feel so helpless’. I said, ‘No you’re okay, it’s fine’. I just laughed about it and went to study hall and explained to my tutor why I was late. My friends were laughing at me because I joke a lot and they thought I was playing but I was like, ‘Dude, go look at my scooter’. Me and the scooter got the worst part of the deal.

Q: Do you remember how much weight you were lifting when you realized something wasn’t right in your wrist?

A: It was about 405 because I think we were doing something with maxing or something. It was about 405 and when I was lifting it just felt funny. I just got up from under the bench and I went and told my head trainer Scott Trulock that my wrist is really feeling weight right now. When I got the MRI, like I said my two bones were separated.

Q: How did you end up playing guard? You’re built like a tackle.

A: I talked to coach a few days ago actually and he told me the reason why I played guard was because we were a little short-handed at guard, which we were. We didn’t have a lot of inside players but we had quite a few tackles. So he felt like in order for me to get on the field, the best thing for me to do was to play guard. I thought about it for a minute and I had never played guard in my life. When I actually got there, I like being physical so when I actually started playing it was pretty fun. Like I said I like being physical, I like getting all up in the defensive tackle’s face. That’s the fun part about football, the battles won and the trenches. I felt like we’re always going to be on the dog when it comes to that situation. People that don’t know sports always think we’re nobodys on the field but we’re actually making the big plays.

Q: What do you think the biggest challenge will be in making the jump to the next level?

A: I would say the pace of the game. I think I’m big enough and strong enough to compete with anybody. It’s just going to be the pace of the game, getting used to my new environment. I wouldn’t say necessarily learning the plays, just the speed of the game. That’s what I would say because at Carolina we played a no-huddle type offense so that was pretty fast and the format to approach that offense in the NFL is going to be pretty much slowed down from that. I think the running process will be there, it will be pretty good for me.

Q: Were you a guard your entire college career?

A: No I played tackle as well. I didn’t start playing tackle the last year because I lost all the weight, but that helped me. Playing tackle was actually the best thing that a lot of people say happened to me because they say it showed how diverse I am.  Moving at games, sometimes being guard at one minute then stepping out at tackle the next minute at the same time in the game that I actually get to show people that I can transition my body from being physical to being more technical sound.

Q: Did Coach Davidson say whether he saw you as a tackle or a guard?

A: He did. He said you can play guard, we like you as a guard but we also like you as a tackle as well. So I guess whatever I fit at the best, that’s what he’s thinking right now. Anywhere is fine with me.

7^th round, #229, Everett Dawkins, DT, Florida State

Q: What do you think about being a Viking?

A: I’m loving it. We’ve got a great team. We’ve got Christian Ponder, Xavier Rhodes, Sharrif Floyd, Cordarrelle Patterson, a couple more players, Adrian Peterson. I’m ready and I’m loving it.

Q: Are you excited to play with Xavier again?

A: Yes sir. I know Xavier is a shutdown cornerback. You don’t have to worry about anything on this side of the ball because I’m ready.

Q: What type of role did you play there (Florida State)?

A: I played the three technique in the 4-3 defense. My body and my playing style is more of an attack one-gap style and that’s what Minnesota is. I’m loving everything about it and getting to go back to the way I used to play. Getting up the field, getting at the quarterback, and being able to make plays.

Q: Was it frustrating being asked to do something you are not suited for (at Florida State)?

A: Yes, sir. I wasn’t thinking about it at the time back in the college, but I’ve been thinking about it today and it really hit me today when I fell to the 7^thround. I expected to go in the 3^rd or 4^th round. It’s been a hard day for me, but I’m thankful and God put me in the position that I’m in for a reason so I’m just ready to work.

Q: What was it like when you finally did get the call?

A: It was a great feeling. I’d been sitting up here with my family since twelve o’clock and I even watched the draft for a little bit yesterday because I was thinking I might go in the 3^rd round, but it was a great feeling and I’m glad they pulled the trigger on me. I’ll make sure they didn’t make the wrong choice.

Q: What did you do between noon and now?

A: I’m in South Carolina and everybody here is a real tight knit group. We basically just sat around watching the draft and eating and everything waiting for the pick.

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Can’t tell you how excited we are to get two quality players like that when we were picking and can come in and make an immediate impact on our defense. With Floyd, I went through 1,000 scenarios and at 23^rd and 25^th pick I can tell you honestly, he was not in one of those scenarios. So for him to fall down to our lap, I know there were some conversations as he fell to potentially even move up, but as the names kept falling off the board, we had more than enough options than just sit there and have everything fall to us. When Floyd fell to us, it was something that was very unexpected that he would come that far because we had him that high on our board. He was an under tackle, he can play the run, rush the passer, played some end his junior year then when they moved him back to his natural position he really flourished and showed what he can be as a defensive tackle. When we were sitting there, got a lot of calls on trades for the 25^th pick, and then when Xavier Rhodes was sitting there in the corner, a big pressed shut down corner, that we feel is going to be a great match up with the type of receivers we have to face in this division. To sit there and get two quality players like that I can’t tell you how excited Coach Frazier and Coach Williams are right now along with our scouting staff which I can’t emphasize enough the job they have done over the past 9 months to put this together that really paid off for us tonight; but, we still have a lot of work to go and a lot of work to do over the next couple of days.

Q: Rick, what would happen that you didn’t expect to happen 1,000 times?

A: I think, we were, because of the entire offensive lineman there was a really big run of all of the offensive lineman in the first round. So some of the offensive lineman pushed down some of the defense, which worked in our favor because our needs we were trying to fill were on the defensive side of the ball. I think that the run on the offensive lineman had an integral role onto why those guys fell onto us.

Q: No personal issue related to why they were dropped?

A: No, fell very clean. Met with both of them numerous times and no personal or off-field issues, what we look for bringing into our building.

Q: What do you like most about Floyd’s skill set?

A: I think he has the combination not only to play the run, but to rush the passer inside as well and he’s a young player that is only going to get better. He’ll have a great opportunity to come in here and work with or defensive staff and with our defensive line whom we expect a lot of good things from not only next year, but future years as well.

Q: With Kevin still here, do you anticipate them being in a rotation?

A: I think Coach Frazier can answer that question and how that rotation will work out. Right now I’m just trying to gather them and we’ll figure the rest of the stuff out once they get here.

Q: With his skills, could he play those positions?

A: I think he has the flexibility to play inside, but I think his true position is a three-technique because of his natural quickness and athletic skill set.

Q: Was Rhodes a need pick?

A: No, he was very high on our board at the corner and I know we tried to emphasize getting bigger corners that was kind of our criteria and when he fell to us, we had talked about because we had four or five other players we were strongly considering, but him and Floyd were two of the players we would not trade out of and take those two players and fill the rest of the needs as we go through the draft.

Q: Do you consider Rhodes a person who has the instincts to play zone?

A: I think he has the instincts to play zone but he plays a lot of press and he’s a shut-down press corner; as big a corner as you can get. He can run, and he has ball skills and he can run support and he has all the things we are looking for in a corner for this scheme.

Q: How early did you project him? Was he a top 5?

A: I don’t know, I can’t remember. He was high on our board.

Spielman leaves podium to return to draft room, returns after selection of Cordarrelle Patterson at #29

Sorry about that. When I came down here, we were told that we were able to move back into the first round so now we have three first round picks. To go get Patterson, we felt besides Austin, he was the most explosive playmaker with the ball in his hand. We had talked about potentially moving up to try to get him tomorrow, but when something came up tonight when I was talking to you guys, we wanted to jump on that and were very, very aggressive to do that just because I know what he can do as a receiver and but especially what he can do as a potential punt and kick-off returner because he is magic in that area as well. When you’re looking at him, and we’re evaluating him, not only is he going to give you a receiver you can bring along under the guidance of Greg Jennings, under Coach Stewart, under Bill Musgrave, but also replacing someone who is very difficult to replace when we traded Percy, but we feel this guy can do just as much as Percy can as a returner. We are excited not only what he can bring as a receiver but also what he can potentially bring as a returner as well.

Q: So Rick that was a 2, 3, 4, and 7^th pick that we gave?

A: Basically, when you look at that we just flopped 1’s and 2’s and we gave a three, four and our last 7^th.

Q: Which 4?

A: Our first four.

Q: What’s your thought process when you’re thinking how much is too much to give?

A: You know we go off the point charts and stuff, but then to get another pick in the first round and to get a player of that caliber that was still there, we felt he can be that big of a difference maker for us to be there and get it done.

Q: Did this first round work out ideally for you?

A: I’m very excited. I don’t think it could’ve worked out any better for the caliber of players we got for the three players coming into our program.

Q: Was your presence down here for the first few minutes you didn’t think anything was going to get done in the final pick?

A: No, but you never know. I just wanted to try to get you guys out of here. It was something I wasn’t expecting but when we were able to get something done we had to cash in on it.

Q: What’s your general feeling about these rookie receivers over the years?

A: I think it’s a process with all these young receivers, but I know he has some unique skills when you watch the tape on him, when they put him in the back field and pitched him the ball and see him go down field, you’re talking about a 6’1 215 pound receiver that runs 4.3 that is electric with the ball in his hands and what he does after the catch and what he does as a returner. So that’s a huge added value not only to what he will grow into, and I know we have to bring him along as a receiver, but what he can potentially immediately add as a returner.

Q: What are the areas that you think you’ve brought along that are described as raw?

A: You know, it’s just like these young receivers, he’s going to be a little further behind because he was a JC kid and showed up on the campus at Tennessee in July and was basically only there for four or five months so this is a young kid and we feel like we have; and we’ve talked about this with coach Frazier, Musgrave and Stewart, if we’re able to land this kid, having a specific game plan of how we’ll be able to develop him and how we’ll be able to get him on the field and get the ball in his hands. Not only when you’re talking about players of what they can do on the field in evaluation, knowing his strengths and weaknesses having a game plan for that player when he comes in, I think that paid off dividends last year because we did a lot of the same thing with the draft picks that came in last year.

Q: If he had been taken a pick or two before, was there another player you would’ve picked?

A: Nope, no there wasn’t.

Q: How much did Jennings play into this too?

A: Greg is the ultimate, pros is pro. I don’t know if there is anyone who knows the game in that position better than Jennings so to have a player such as Jennings on your roster and to bring Patterson under his wing I think that’s a huge part of this as well.

Q: Was there discussion about taking Patterson with the 25^th pick and not giving up as much as you did?

A: If he weren’t in the discussion we wouldn’t have moved up at the first round. I also know that basically we gave up a 3^rd and a 4^th rounder and we had an extra 4^th round to give so we still have 2 7ths left as well.

Q: Did you not take a linebacker because of where they were rated or because of the position?

A: I think we will continue to look at linebackers and that we’ll look through this draft because there is some value as we go through on that third day, but we’ll continue to monitor what’s out there. Our roster is not going to be done on Sunday; it will continually build. In fact, we didn’t get AJ Jefferson until a week before we played our opener last year so we will continue to evaluate the roster and work to continue to add.

Q: Do you think there will be linebackers on the third day that could come in and start for you if they had to?

A: Do you know which ones? I have no idea. We’ll find out.

Q: So how did the three guys you took here fit into the philosophy of the smart guys you talked about wanting to play football, and wanting to get better?

A: We feel very strongly about all three guys coming into our program.

Q: Do you feel like you have three starters?

A: That will all play out once we get them in here and get them acclimated. I mean, we have a long way to go before we play in Detroit.

Q: How much extra time did you have to spend on Patterson given that you only had the one year?

A: We spent a lot of time with him. I mean he was here on our Top 30, we spent time on campus with him, we spent time at the combine with him and we have a pretty good feel of the type of player we are bringing in.

Q: Getting back to Floyd, when you have a player that’s that high on you board how tempted were you to try to get him?

A: My philosophy is really be patient. You can be patient when you have alternatives as well, so I felt very strongly about staying patient and make sure the way the board will fall that we could get significant players at 23 and 25 and we just happened to get another significant player.

Q: Was Rhodes’ size a factor?

A: Very important. I know Coach Frazier and our defensive philosophy is to try to have size and speed because of the cornerbacks we have to face and the type of receivers in this division.

Q: At what point was there a sign of relief and you knew Sharrif was yours?

A: When we were on the clock. Because you don’t know what is going to happen the pick before so when the trade is up and tries to move in front of you, I don’t take anything for granted until we’re actually on the clock and have players because that’s bad omens too when you start pulling tags beforehand.

Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier

I tell you, it’s been a good day for our franchise. Three number one picks who I think will all come in and help our football team in their first season. We’re excited, thankful for the fans that showed up at our draft party. We had a great turnout. You could hear the noise all the way out here at Winter Park, it was terrific. To culminate it with the picks that we had today, there’s no question in my mind we’ve gotten better. The draft is not over, we still have other picks and hopefully we can continue to build our roster and just continue to improve. I think our scouts and our coaches have done a terrific job of just working together to come away with the three picks that we have. As we go through this process, it’s showing more and more that the communication between our scouts and our coaches is really benefitting our roster. We’ve got a lot more work to do but we’re excited about what happened today.

Q: What was the scene like upstairs when you had a deal with New England and Rick Spielman was down here talking to us?

A: Well actually, I was doing radio so they came and started to signal, telling me to cut it short and I didn’t know why. Then I soon found out why I needed to get back upstairs, so we could discuss what was transpiring. It was well worth the discussion. Glad we were able to cut it short so we could get back up there, it worked out great.

Q: Were you happily surprised when you walked back into that room and found out you were getting a third guy?

A: I was happily surprised because before I left to go do the interview, I had just talked to Rick [Spielman] and some of our other people about what do we have to do to get back in the first, or do we have to wait until tomorrow to have  chance to go back and get Cordarrelle [Patterson]. They said, ‘Well, it may end up having to be tomorrow’, and it of course turned out to be tonight so that was great.

Q: Who is running the room when you and Rick are out?

A: Well we have some other people up there. George Paton is our Assistant GM, Scott Studwell is up there, we had some other people in charge and they were the ones that notified us that it was time to get back upstairs.

Q: Did the Patriots call you?

A: Well we were getting a number of calls from different teams about trading. We still had quite a few picks left, even though we had those two picks in the first round, we still had quite a few picks for tomorrow and the next day. So we had teams calling. It was just a matter of if someone came with something that could get us back in the first and New England was that team.

Q: Who plays middle linebacker now for this team?

A: Well we got some guys on our roster, but the draft is not over. I can probably answer that a little bit better on Sunday or Monday. But we have some guys on our roster that will compete for the position and we still have some time to maybe bring in a young guy as well.

Q: How do you perceive Sharrif Floyd and Kevin Williams co-existing as a three technique?

A: I think it’s going to be a great combination for us. Kevin is still a guy who is viable for us. We’re excited that he’s back for another season, and he’ll get a chance to tutor a guy who we think is going to be a very, very good football player for a long time. So it should be a good combination for our team.

Q: Did you expect to get any of these three players when you went through your mock drafts and your preparation?

A: I tell you, the scenario with Sharrif [Floyd], that one never really came up and we talked about so many different scenarios and went through a lot of different possibilities. I don’t think any of us foresaw that he would come down to 23. I just don’t recall us really talking about that and if he did, we all said it would be a no-brainer it turned out to be just that. There wasn’t any hesitation when we realized that he was going to be there.

Q: When you’re in that situation and think a guy is going to go that high, do you spend the same number of hours talking to him as a guy that you think is going to be there when you pick?

A: No, we put in the time. Rick [Spielman] and the scouts, along with our coaches, we go through the vetting process with all those guys just to make sure because you never know. Just like tonight, you never know so you want to make sure that you’ve done your homework and you’re prepared, if for some reason, things don’t go quite like you anticipated. Fortunate for us, we were prepared and we got a good football player.

Q: What do you like about Xavier Rhodes?

A: Well his size is obvious, that sticks out. He’s a guy who has great length, he has very good speed, he has some turnover ability as well. He’s competed at a high level against some very good competition in the ACC. We feel like he’ll be a guy that will come in and help match-up with some of the receivers in our division and our league as well. He should be able to help us early on. It was an area we needed to address and we were able to get it addressed.

Q: Does it give you an opportunity to play more man too?

A: We’d like to be able to do that at times and he’ll give us that opportunity. He comes from a system where they play a lot of man, mixing in some zone, but he should be a big plus for us.

Q: How big is it to have Greg Jennings on the roster now to tutor Cordarrelle Patterson?

A: That was a part of the discussion as we were going through this and just talking about the different receivers. If there was a chance of taking Cordarrelle [Patterson], or some of the other receivers too, that we thought because of their youth, having a guy like Greg [Jennings] in the room would be a plus for us. So it definitely factored in and we think because of Greg’s veteran experience, the way he is as a person, that should benefit a guy like Cordarelle, but not only him, our other young receivers as well.

Q: Were there any reservations about giving up as many picks as you did to get back up there and get him?

A: Not really. He was a guy that we talked about a lot, along with some other guys. So when the opportunity, as I mentioned a moment ago, we talked about it after our second first-round pick of the possibility of trying to come back and get him, and it worked out.

Q: How involved were you in scouting Xavier Rhodes or any of the other defensive backs?

A: I was involved like I am with all the positions on offense and defense. I sit down and watch tape, watch tape with the position coach, with the coordinator, so I was well versed on the corners as well as the receivers and other positions as well. I had tremendous familiarity with Xavier [Rhodes].

Q: How important is it to get guys like these who make big plays?

A: It is extremely important. In our league, that’s a big deal to be able to get big plays on defense and be able to get big plays on offense and even in the kicking game. That’s one of the things that Cordarrelle [Patterson] can provide. He’s one of those guys who can return picks, he was an excellent kick returner in college and has some potential to be a punt returner as well. What Sharrif [Floyd] and Xavier [Rhodes] are able to do, those guys are impact players and we’re trusting that they’re going to have an impact on our defense and our offense this next season.

Q: How important is it to have two big corners with Chris Cook and Xavier Rhodes with their height?

A: I think if it works out that way, it would be good for our team. They are two guys who, we’ve seen what Chris [Cook] can do. He can match-up with big receivers in our league and our division, we obviously believe that Xavier [Rhodes] can do that same, but we don’t want to discount Josh [Robinson], we think A.J. [Jefferson], those guys can compete as well and they’ll have a chance. We definitely wanted to address the size differential and be able to find the talent that we thought would be able to help us this next season.

Q: Do you still think Xavier Rhodes has the ability to address the need for the nickel cornerback?

A: We’ll move Xavier around a little bit but we think he’s primarily an outside guy. But we do think that Josh [Robinson] has that ability. We know that Marcus [Sherels] has done it for us in the past, and we have some other guys we’re going to take a look at as well. Brandon Burton is another candidate, we’ve got some other guys on the roster who can potentially go in there and play the position.

Q: How much of a learning curve do you have with Cordarrelle Patterson?

A: It seems with most wide receivers that come into our league, there is a learning curve. Just the route running, trying to get assimilated to a new offense, there is an adjustment. There are very few wide receivers that come in and make an impact, a big impact in their first year. But we’re going to do all we can to get him prepared and get him ready to have an impact on our football team and on this league. We know for a fact that has a kick returner, he’ll have a chance to have an impact early and we’ll bring him along as a wide receiver.

Q: What’s it like seeing Sharrif Floyd and the corners dropping?

A: Wow, it was good to see. I still believe that you win Championships with solid defense. You have to be able to score points and you have to be able to do it in a variety of ways. The way offenses are now and the way the rules are, you have to find a way to slow people down. I think today we added two pieces to the puzzle that will help us in getting that done.

Q: Do you start talking about packing some of your other picks to get back up into the second or third round?

A: I’m sure we’ll have it up for discussion. We’ll talk about a lot of things between now and tomorrow and try to figure out what’s best as we go forward.

Q: What would be your plan if you didn’t get a middle linebacker?

A: You know we’ve thought about some different scenarios, how we’d address it, but we still have some time to maybe find a guy. There are still a lot of linebackers on the board so we’ll see how it unfolds but we do have an idea of what direction we go if it doesn’t work out in the draft.

Q: Was this year unique because so many offensive linemen were going through early?

A: I think that had a lot to do with it. Usually there are quarterbacks that are going early and skill guys going early. That wasn’t the case this year. A lot of, as you mentioned, offensive linemen going and that pushed some other guys back. It’s a great year for us for that to happen. We definitely wanted to be able to improve on the defensive side with personnel and I think we were able to do that tonight.

1st Round Draft Choice, #23, DT Sharrif Floyd

Q: What were you thinking as the draft progressed and you kept sliding down?

A: I was sitting here waiting for my name to be called, at some point I knew it was coming and I was waiting for the best fit to pick me.

Q: What did you think when the Vikings called your name?

A: I couldn’t have been part of a better ball club and I’m excited to get out there and get started.

Q: The Vikings said they did a bunch of scenarios before the draft and in none of them you were still available when they came up, did you think you would still be there at 23 heading into the draft?

A: I didn’t really come into this thing thinking I was going to go to a specific place. I came in waiting for the best fit for me and you know that is how I looked at it. I didn’t look as I was going somewhere else, I was waiting for the best ball club to pick me and I’m happy Rick Spielman found it in himself to pick me.

Q: Have you been able to watch Kevin Williams play?

A: He’s a great player, a veteran. He’s been doing a great job. I’m more excited to learn from him and play under him.

Q: What type of flexibility do you have moving all around the line in a 4-3 defense?

A: I played all of the positions at Florida from the nose to the outside six technique so I’m willing to do whatever they need me to do to contribute to this team.

1st Round Draft Choice, # 25, CB Xavier Rhodes

Q: What do you think about coming to the Vikings?

A: I feel good about coming. It’s a dream come true to play for an NFL team.

Q: What do you think of the defense that the Vikings run?

A: It’s nothing that I won’t be able to play because we played it at Florida State.

Q: What was the extent of your contact with the Vikings in the pre-draft process?

A: I didn’t talk to them much after the Combine. I didn’t talk to them at all.

Q: What are your thoughts about going up against guys like Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall?

A: I’m going to have to continue to get better because those guys are great players. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Q: What would you describe as your greatest strength as a corner?

A: My size and my height.

Q: Do you know many of the guys here yet?

A: No, I really don’t.

Q: Were you surprised the Vikings took you?

A: Yeah, very surprised. Like I said, before the draft, I didn’t have any contact with them.

1st Round Draft Choice, #29, WR Cordarrelle Patterson

Q: What was your reaction when the Vikings traded up to draft you?

A: It was great, to hear your name called when you weren’t expecting it. I’m so grateful.

Q: Were you surprised that it was the Vikings or did you think they would be one of the teams interested in drafting you?

A: I wasn’t that surprised it was the Vikings, the receivers coach [George Stewart] said, “If you will still be there at my pick I’ll come and get you, but I don’t think you will be there.” He stuck to it and he came and got me.

Q: Have you even scratched the surface of how good you can be?

A: I really haven’t. I’m just trying to get better every day and it will come. I feel like I have a lot more to learn and I feel like I can get better.

Q: When Minnesota made its two picks and didn’t take you, did you think that was it for them?

A: I really didn’t because coach told me he was going to come and get me at 23 and they didn’t so I said, “What’s going on?”

Q: What stood out to you during your visit to the Vikings facility?

A: It was good, seeing those guys all having big smiles on their face, they were acting like they were happy to have me and I was happy to be there. I’m glad I’m a Viking. I’m excited to play with Kyle [Rudolph] and Adrian [Peterson].

Q: Did you hear what the Vikings gave up to come and get you?

A: It means a lot to me. Not expecting to be a part of the Vikings, then they gave up a second round pick, third round pick, fourth round pick, all of that. It’s great hearing my name called. I know they want me to be a great player, and I expect big things out of myself.

Q: Give us a scouting report on Cordarrelle Patterson, what are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

A:  My strengths is when the ball is in my hands. Whether it be on a kick return, on an end around. I feel like when the ball is in my hands, I’m a special player. I’m still working on my route running, learning coverages and stuff. I feel that Coach George [Stewart], he’s a great coach. Him and I sat down for about an hour getting to know each other. I know he will help me get to where I need to be.

Q: With your kick return ability do you think you have the ability to come in and make an impact right away?

A: It’s funny you say that. I love being the kick returner. You had Percy Harvin and I know I can’t replace him. I feel like I’m going to go in and work hard and try to be a stud on the kick return team. Whoever is there I’m going to try and compete with him and make each other better. I know it’s going to be great for whoever is up there.

Q: How would you describe your position at Tennessee and the type of routes that you ran?

A: At Tennesse they had me everywhere. It was great. It was great being a part of Tennesse! They had me at every [darn] place. All over the place, they had me at running back, I threw the ball one time, I caught some punts, I caught some kickoffs. Tennessee had me all over and I respect them for that. They got me on the field and we did some great things.

Q: Do you feel like you’re ready for the NFL after junior college and one year at Tennessee?

A: I feel like I’m ready, that one year at Tennessee, it wasn’t my fault I only played one year there. I had to go the juco route. That juco route made me who I am today and now I’m ready for the big leagues and I know I will do great things.

As always, the most important part is the people that are involved in this process because without their work, their dedication, how hard they work at this thing, we could not do, and I could not do this draft alone. It starts off with our support staff from our doctors to Eric Sugarman, our trainer, to Kelly Wilske, to our IT department, all the way down the line to our psychologists. Everybody is such a key part to this thing because what they give back determines a lot of the direction that we’re going to go with these players, but the most important piece to all this is our coaches and our scouts. I can tell you this, Coach [Leslie] Frazier, our entire coaching staff, has put in a significant amount of time, even more than ever because of the two picks we have in the first round. We had coaches out as late as last week going out to do some things with some players. Because of the situation we’re in with the needs that we have and the direction we can go, and they’re 8,000 different scenarios I’ll talk to you about that we can go in, our coaches put in a lot of time and effort into this. The whole key to this thing is definitely Scott Studwell, our college scouts and George Paton and the time they put into it because those are the guys that put this all together, that sets everything up as we go forward. I know those guys up there right now, we had another meeting for four hours today hammering through different scenarios, different hot spots, not only in the first round, but potential things we can do throughout the draft, and just looking at their faces right now you can tell everybody is just tired of me. Tired of me asking questions, tired of me asking questions, not for the first time, but probably for the 500^th time, ‘what are you we doing on this? Are we sure about this?’ It goes all the way down, but I know by the time Thursday comes around, and I know where we’re at right now, that everybody in this organization will be on the same page and we’re going to pick the best players we think we can pick that are going to be best for the Minnesota Vikings. Two other quick notes before I take questions, just to make a side note, Coach Frazier and myself will be doing something tomorrow with Heads Up Football with a bunch of youth football coaches. That’s something that’s an initiative of the NFL and that Coach Frazier, myself and our ownership take very seriously and want to be heavily involved in. The other thing is, I think we may have one our needs filled. I want to make an announcement for a potential signing, but it may only be for one day. We’re going to sign Pat Williams back as our nose tackle and then retire him as a Minnesota Viking. We’re very excited about that. Pat has meant, not only what he’s done on the field but off the field, he’s one of the great all-time leaders and great all-time players here for the Minnesota Vikings. There will be more to come on that. I know he’s going to be involved at our draft party down there [Mall of American Field]. We’ll sign him to a contract on Thursday and unfortunately we’re going to have to release him on Friday.

Q: You mentioned there’s 8,000 different scenarios, is there more uncertainty to the first round this year because no one knows how to handle the quarterbacks, all the injury plagues, the Jets trade?

A: I think this is going to be one of the most intriguing drafts that I’m going to be associated with because of the depth of the draft. To be honest with you, where we’re picking at 23 and 25, we’re looking at all our needs from the whole defensive side of the ball to needs on the offensive side of the ball, trying to distinguish what makes this potential receiver better than this corner, better than this linebacker, better than this defensive end, better than this defensive tackle. A lot of it will be predicated on who comes down to us, I think, and what happens with the quarterbacks. We’ve prepared ourselves for what if they’re no quarterbacks taken before our pick and what kind of scenario could we be facing. The phone has been, whether you believe me or not, I’m telling you it’s been the most active it’s been in awhile because of where we’re picking. I don’t know the reason why, but there are a lot of teams potentially jockeying from the top of that second round, there’s some teams jockeying potentially in the bottom of the first round to come up to one our picks at 23 or 25. That’s something that we’re going to be very open to because I think if we decide to go ahead and trade back in this draft, because of the depth at the positions of need that we have, we can still get a very similar player and potentially pick up some things either this year or next year.

Q: In your mock drafts how many different players have you seen on the board when you pick?

A: It’s kind of like putting Rubik’s Cube together. There are, I can literally say, two to three, sometimes four players that we’ve hammered through and I can tell you yesterday we were in with the defensive coaches and hammering through that one more time. What is the significance between it? The end result, by the time we got finished with the defense and offense and with the scouts, I can honestly say whoever we end up with I do know that they’ll be a major part of this franchise and a major part of this football team next year and going forward. The other thing that I will tell you about is because of the depth of this draft and if there is less depth at one position, we may take that position over another position where there is more depth at, even though those players may be equal in ability. The other thing I’m looking at very hard is where are depth is in 2014, as well. If there’s a player there that may not have as significant of a role in 2013, but can have a tremendous impact for our team in 2014 that is definitely going to come into consideration as well.

Q: Is the likelihood stronger that you would trade back, rather than trade up to get an earlier pick?

A: I don’t see us, right now, looking to move up in the first round, but that could change.

Q: You mentioned a couple times the depth of this draft. Does that make the second, third, fourth, fifth rounds that much more important this year?

A: I think so, but to me they’re important every year. There isn’t a draft that you don’t think your fifth round pick is not as important as your first round pick. You always have that mentality on who you’re picking, wherever you’re picking that you want that guy to make your football team and you want that guy to help you win ball games regardless of what round he’s in because once the draft is over, no one really cares what round they came in. You guys will write, but who cares if he’s a fifth rounder or if he’s a third rounder or if he’s a first rounder if he’s out there helping our team win football games that’s what we’re trying to do. 

Q: Are you guys doing anything different mechanically in terms of how you stack your board horizontally and vertically?

A: Nope, just a lot more options this year.

Q: How many players have you tagged potential Pro Bowlers and potential starters?

A: I won’t give you those. I wish I could predict that. I know we try to predict. I’m just trying to predict if the guy fits what we want from a football character standpoint, from a football player standpoint and from an off-field standpoint. We’ve had a lot of discussions on guys in this draft that may have off-field issues or has had off-field issues. We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time going to these players and out to visit with them individually, having our experts in those areas visit with them individually, whether they were here at our facility or we went out there. Guys that had issues, I could tell you we have been with them three or four times this spring. Now I’m not going to tell you what decisions we made on those players, but I feel comfortable enough to say that we would definitely feel comfortable with that player, or we’re not. Just because you guys read in the papers that they must be very interested in this player because they’ve visited with him, or went to dinner with him, or went to do this, or do that. That has nothing to do with whether we’re going to take the guy or not, it’s more honing in and making the decision on if the guy is the right fit or not the right fit.

Q: Are there more red-flag guys this year?

A: I wouldn’t say anymore than usual.

Q: Do you talk with guys on your existing roster that played with certain players in college about them and how important is that?

A: We’ve visited with some of them, we’ve visited with coaches, we’ve visited with a lot of people. I also know when you’re visiting with a player, or visiting a coach, or you’re on campus visiting with someone, take everything into account and you have to take it with a grain of salt, too, because some may see no holes. I’ve been on campuses where guys see too many holes where I didn’t agree with what they were telling me either so you just take all that information into account to come up with your decision.

Q: What kind of level of knowledge or comfort do you have in regard to the draft class of 2014?

A: To be honest with you, I couldn’t tell you who is coming out in ’14, haven’t even looked at it. We’ll start that process in May. I just know if there is a significant player at a position in ’13 that I know can be a significant player for us in ’14 and a potential starter, that has to come into play. I don’t know where we’re going to pick in ’14, who’s going to be available in ’14, so they will definitely come into play and they’ll come into play early.

Q: How good are the linemen, the offense and defense, and are they going to define that first round overall?

A: Yeah, I think both this offensive and defensive line class is very deep. I think the safety class is very deep, I think the corner class is very deep, I think the receiver class is very deep and I think the linebacker class is very deep. So, that’s why I feel very comfortable saying that let’s just take the best player available because I know we’re going to get a swing at a potentially significant player in the second round, in the third round, and it think they’ll be some significant players with both our fourth round picks as well.

Q: As your monitor runs at some of those positions with great depth, how do you walk that tight rope between waiting and being that team that actually starts the run at a position?

A: You just kind of take a feel for it and then knowing those teams needs. Last year it was the run on the kickers. It went two [kickers]; 5th, 5th and then we knew we had to take Blair [Walsh] to 6^th [round] or we weren’t going to get a swing at him. It was the run on the corners, bottom of the second top of the third, and we end up getting Josh Robinson because the Montana kid and Vanderbilt kid both went to Green Bay right before that. Those are things that you may go in planning to say, ‘Hey, let’s wait to see if we can get him in a second or third round’, but all of the sudden there’s a run on him. Then you say, ‘Well we better take him now or else we’re probably not going to, may not get another swipe at a guy we like later. There are always those different runs that happen during the draft and you have to be very flexible. You can have a pregame plan but you have to be flexible once the draft starts.

Q: Have any of your scenarios come up where somebody slides and you actually take the same position of those two first round picks, presuming you stay with the two?

A: Maybe, maybe not.

Q: What position is that?

A: All of them.

Q: Do any of these defensive tackles compare to Kevin Williams when he was coming out?

A: Yeah, there are a lot of good defensive tackles. I don’t want to compare any of these players to Kevin Williams because I think Kevin Williams is one of the greatest defensive tackles to play that under position I know here with the Minnesota Vikings, but maybe one of the best players to play that position in the NFL through his career. I wish I could predict that. I don’t know that but I know we feel very strongly about a lot of these defensive tackles in this draft.

Q: Since Kevin Williams was taken, the Vikings haven’t taken a defensive tackle above the fourth round. As you’re putting your board together, has there been any of those tackles that have fallen that you just couldn’t pass on?

A: Potentially.

Q: With the obvious hole at middle linebacker, what are the top qualities you’re looking for with the guys you look at in this draft?

A: Besides everything we feel about the chemistry and everybody we want to bring in the locker room from a football standpoint. I know from a schematic standpoint we’re trying to get a three-down linebacker, a guy that has the athletic skill set to play all three downs. I know you see the cover-2 in a lot of stuff that we do on defense. Can he flip his hips and cover down a seam, do a lot of things like that?

Q: Is Erin [Henderson] strictly still on the will at this point?

A: No, that’s flexible. That depends what happens in the draft. What if we go outside and Erin can slide inside? What if we go inside and Erin can play outside? That’s what is great about this linebacker thing; we have the flexibility to go either way.

Q: With 11 draft picks, how much flexibility does that allow you, should you want to make a trade?

A: I think that’s why we try to do that, to have as many of those draft picks as we can. As we go through this draft, don’t be surprised if we accumulate more. Because like I said, if I think we can move down to X spot in the first round and still get the same quality of player and accumulate another pick or accumulate another pick for next year, we’ll definitely be looking to do that.

Q: Is there a point for you this year where you’d say, ‘We have too many players coming in, we don’t have enough spots to put them on the roster this year?’

A: No because like I said, the best thing we can do is bring in the best players possible to create the best competition possible. If you bring that in, then you have everybody pushing to make the 53. You want those 53 decisions to be very hard decisions. That’s what we’re trying to do. I never go into a draft saying, ‘Well we feel very comfortable with this position, let’s not take a guy because we feel comfortable’. You can’t predict an injury; you can’t predict anything like that. That’s why you bring in the best guy and let him compete and then keep the best. That’s only going to continue to make your football team better.

Q: What have you learned about this years class that has changed since the combine?

A: I’ve learned a lot more about what these players are made of. I learned a lot more now that we have the coaches’ evaluations involved from a schematic standpoint; if they can fit, if they can’t fit. We put a value on those players. We keep them in the same areas of the draft, but if one is a better schematic fit than the other, we can kind of jockey that a little bit. That’s just tying everything in that we have in place now that we had before the combine. Plus, we have all the medicals and all the ancillary things that we do now. Now that’s all in place and ready to roll.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing, with Christian Ponder when you took him and with quarterbacks in general; what do you look for when you go through that assessment of that position?

A: Just the continual progression of him getting more comfortable out there. There is no doubt, I think in anyone’s mind, where Ponder kind of started out and then dipped a little bit. But for him to do what he did those last four games and to do that last game under those circumstances with all the criticism coming his way and him to perform like he did, I think that’s what you’re seeing if he can take the next step and build off of that. 

Q: Were you try to bring in a player that is just like somebody who is no longer here so that what was developed last year can continue?

A: No, I mean we try to fit players into our scheme. If they’re not an ideal fit from what we’re trying to accomplish from a scheme standpoint, and that comes back on the coaches when the coaches’ opinions come in. We can say, ‘This guys is not going to be as good of player in this scheme. As he goes to another scheme he’s probably going to be a better player because that suits his skill set better.’

Q: As you go through your scenarios do you kind of envision the other teams, there may be a lot of jockeying going on in that first round?  

A: Oh yeah, I think it’s going to be a very active trade, this years draft in the first round.

Q: How does the small college crop look, even the Ivy League guys, it seems like there are more in this draft?

A: Yeah, there are some rumors out there about some guys that didn’t go to the combine that were there. There are a couple very good Ivy League players this year. Kevin Murphy, the offensive tackle from Harvard. Those guys, you know when you watch those guys on tape you’re projecting a little bit. The one thing that does pop out a little bit, and we’ve done this with some players as well, is okay you’ve seen maybe one of these small school corners and seen him against that level of competition. Then all of the sudden he pops up at the Senior Bowl and he just plays lights out at the Senior Bowl. All of the sudden that solidifies something in your mind that yeah, this guy is on the move and this guy has a chance to be a pretty good player. We don’t really down grade guys at those All-Star games, but we have elevated some guys once they got to that level of competition and maybe did not see that level of competition during their collegiate career.