Last month, the Vikings reportedly were sulking because no one showed any interested in trading up for the third overall pick in the draft. At the time, however, the Rams had yet to deal the second pick and the draft had only two ultra-high-level players.
Now that the Redskins have pulled the trigger on a trade with the Rams and receiver Justin Blackmon has pushed himself closer to A.J. Green/Julio Jones territory and away from top-ten busts like Darrius Heyward-Bey and Michael Crabtree with a solid performance at his Pro Day on Friday, the Vikings could be in position to make a deal.
Unless, of course, the Vikings have decided they covet Blackmon.
That would be a surprise. With plenty of needs on both sides of the ball, the Vikings can’t afford to take a chance on a guy who plays the position that either attracts or creates divas. Instead, the Vikings would surely prefer to dangle the pick and hope that someone else has decided, like the Falcons did last year with Jones, to make a bold move by moving up to No. 3.
The dilemma for the Vikings will be to determine how far they’re willing to fall, if they hope to emerge with USC left tackle Matt Kalil. In the end, the Vikings could simply try to coerce the Browns (if they want Blackmon) into flip-flopping the third and fourth picks. That way, the Vikings would still be sure to get Kalil at No. 4, the guy whom they most likely would take if they sit tight at No. 3.
Either way, the Vikings now have extra time to make something happen -- something that wouldn’t have happened if the Rams had waited until late April to trade the second pick.