My old man brought me and a friend to a Minnesota Vikings draft party at Mall of America back in 1995, when The Purple atrociously drafted defensive end Derrick Alexander over Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp (Sapp went the pick after Alexander). I’ll never forget it.
I’ve been hooked on the draft ever since, but never participated in any mock draft competitions until two years ago. I finished second last year by one selection.
The rules are simple. Get some friends together next year and start a tradition:
• 1 point for correct position
• 5 points for correct player
• Points double for correct trade prediction
• Points halved for incorrect trade prediction, but correct player and/or position
This is what I’m going with this year, plus a few tidbits about The Purple. Tim Tebow is the name getting thrown around most in the inner circles of the Vikings, but nothing is ever official in an NFL Draft until a name is read (whether the pick is late or not, Mike Tice).
Jim Johnson’s 2010 Mock Draft
1) St. Louis - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
2) Detroit - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
3) Tampa Bay - Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
4) Washington - Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
5) KC - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
6) Seattle - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St.
7) Cleveland - Joe Haden, CB, Florida
8) Oakland - Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
9) Buffalo - Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
10) Jacksonville - Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
11) Denver - Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma St.
12) Miami - Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan
13) San Francisco - Earl Thomas, S, Texas
14) Seattle - C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
15) N.Y. Giants - Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama
16) Tennessee - Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
17) San Francisco - Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho
18) Pittsburgh - Taylor Mays, S, USC
19) Atlanta - TRADE - Philadelphia moves up and grabs Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise St.
20) Houston - TRADE - Dallas moves up and grabs Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
21) Cincinnati - Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
22) New England - Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas
23) Green Bay - Charles Brown, OT, USC
24) Atlanta (from Philadelphia) - Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
25) Baltimore - Jared Odrick, DE/DT, Penn State
26) Arizona - Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, TCU
27) Houston (from Dallas) - Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama
28) San Diego - Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno St.
29) N.Y. Jets - Terrence Cody, NT, Alabama
30) Minnesota - TRADE - Philly moves up and grabs Nate Allen, S, South Florida
31) Indianapolis - Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida
32) New Orleans - Sean Weatherspoon, ILB, Missouri
By trading down to No. 37, the Vikings gain an extra draft pick or two and select ... Tim Tebow. I don’t like it, and will only kind of like it if we trade back out of the first round and select the Florida hero after grabbing extra picks. This could also lead to a “We didn’t trade for Donovan McNabb, but we traded for the draft pick acquired for McNabb,” story. Either way, there are better options than Tebow in my opinion. Here they are:
Who I want to see in purple with pick No. 30 (barring a trade):
• Terrence Cody, NT, Alabama
• Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee (if he falls that far)
• Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
• Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida St.
• Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame (Absolutely don’t expect this much talent to fall to No. 30, but the California product will slip if Buffalo doesn’t select him at No. 9. The Vikings should trade up if he slips and the price is right. Plus, he’s a much better option than Tebow).
NOTE: There will be very good talent at the skill positions late in the first round, but I don’t expect the Vikings to bite. The defense is getting too old and an offensive lineman (Maurkice Pouncey?) would be a better option.
Players I want to see in purple with pick No. 62 (second round, barring trade):
• Chad Jones, S, LSU (probably just the baseball guy in me, but this LSU 2-sport star, who rejected a large signing bonus from the Houston Astros to play baseball and football for the Tigers, would be an immediate upgrade deep in the secondary).
• Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota (Another baseball man crush, but it takes a lot to make Adam Weber look decent. Decker is good.)
• Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Mississippi (The next Darren Sproles could help fill Chester Taylor’s role. Can’t be covered by a linebacker.)
• Brian Price, DT, UCLA
• Linval Joseph, DT, East Carolina (6-5, 328 pounds ... ’nuff said)
• Brandon Spikes, ILB, Florida
• Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida (I would even settle for Hernandez late in the first round or early in the second if they trade down)
• Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
• Cam Thomas, DT, North Carolina
Players I want to see in purple with pick No. 93 (third round, barring trade):
• Anyone named prior to this ... plus,
• Tebow (I’d be fine if Tebow went in the third round. Not a fan any time before that)
• O’Brien Schofield, OLB, Wisconsin (hate Wisconsin, but mom’s maiden name is O’Brien)
• Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama
• John Skelton, QB, Fordham
• Myron Rolle, SS, Florida State
• Pat Angerer, LB, Iowa
• Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan
• Walter Thurmond, CB, Oregon
• Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson (fastest at the 2010 Combine at 4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash)
