Pondering Christian

- The Vikings' hands were tied. Ponder was their guy, and the feeling (which I agree with) was that he wouldn't slip past Miami (15) and Washington (16). That left them with only two teams (St. Louis and Detroit) as potential trading partners, and neither was interested. Kudos to Spielman and Frazier for sticking to their convictions in the face of local and national criticism.

- Way back on March 3rd, I asked draftnik Michael Schottey which quarterback, assuming Newton and Gabbert were gone, would be a good fit for the Vikings. His response:

"I think Christian Ponder is the prototypical quarterback for the Bill Musgrave Offense in this draft -- good athleticism, enough arm strength, tons of accuracy on the move. He could be a great second round pick..."

Ponder obviously vaulted up draft boards in the past two months, but Schottey nailed it.

- You can't help but notice of Ponder's resemblance to Joe Mauer. Mauer, who also wears No. 7, was ironically slated to play quarterback at Florida State before being drafted by the Twins.

- I was in attendance at the Winter Park Draft Party. Click here for interviews, analysis and fan reaction.

- Passing on Prince Amukamara really doesn't bother me, but seeing Nick Fairley go 13th to the Lions stings a bit.

- If we know one thing about Ponder, it's this: He's the smartest guy in the room.

- I have to wonder how new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave feels this morning. The former Falcons quarterbacks coach has a rookie quarterback on his hands, and last night he saw Atlanta add Julio Jones to their already-outsanding offensive core of Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner.

- You can follow Christian Ponder on Twitter at @cponder7.

- With a below-average offensive line and a rookie quarterback who comes into the league with injury concerns, the Vikings would be wise to add some protection at pick 43. After all, they'll play six games in a division that features Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji, Charles Woodson, Nick Fairley, Ndamukong Suh, Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

Don't Mock Me

I've had the pleasure of acting as the Minnesota Vikings' GM in a full 7-round Mock Draft made up of NFL writers and bloggers. Upon completion of the draft, all 32 teams will be graded by Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com and Aaron Aloysius of DraftBreakdown.com.

1.02 (via Denver) — Blaine Gabbert, QB; Missouri

The Vikings have traded picks 1.12, 2.11, and their 2012 2nd rounder to the Denver Broncos for pick 1.02.

Coming into the draft, we’d put a strong emphasis on the quarterback position, and we identified Blaine as the top quarterback prospect early on in the process. Knowing that he’d be in high demand for any of the teams drafting in the 3-8 range, we moved quickly and confidently when Denver made the No. 2 selection available. We are absolutely thrilled to be adding a player of his caliber at such an important position.

We view Blaine as the complete package — he has the tools and athleticism to excel at the next level, and he has the leadership and character that you look for in a franchise quarterback. Our new offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave, was instrumental in Matt Ryan’s development in Atlanta, and we’re expecting similar results here. We feel that Blaine has the ability to step in and deliver the ball to our offensive playmakers from day one, and we look forward to seeing him in purple.

4.09 (106) — Joseph Barksdale, OT; LSU
Joseph is a very talented prospect with first round potential. He needs to be coached up, and our staff is up to the challenge. At 6’5″, 325 lbs., he has prototypical size for a tackle, and has experience on both the left and right sides. Ideally, we’d like him to start immediately on the right side of our line next to Phil Loadholt, with the two competing for the right tackle position. We feel that either Phil or Joseph could slide inside to right guard, giving Adrian Peterson 670 pounds of beef to run behind.

4.17 (114, via Jacksonville) — Tyler Sash, S; Iowa

The Vikings have acquired pick 4.17 from Jacksonville in exchange for picks 5.08, 5.19, and 7.12.

Tyler will be able to play either safety position in our Cover-2, and he brings several outstanding qualities to our secondary that we’ve been lacking. First and foremost, Tyler’s a flat out playmaker — he’s a violent hitter, and as his 13 career interceptions suggest, he has a nose for the ball. Tyler’s a gamer who displays tremendous instincts, energy, fundamentals, and football I.Q.. He’s a maximum effort player who brings the kind of leadership we’re looking for, and we expect him to make an immediate impact in our secondary. We coveted Tyler, and when he was still available midway through the fourth round, we had to move. With Blaine Gabbert, Joseph Barksdale, and Tyler Sash, we believe we’ve addressed our three biggest areas of weakness with three Week 1 starters.

6.07 (172) — Kris O'Dowd, C; USC

The selection of Kris O'Dowd will go a long way in our continued effort to bolster our offensive line. A four-year starter at USC, Kris became the first true freshman starter at center in school history. He's a very intelligent, passionate player, and his impressive 31 bench press reps at the Combine represent the kind of raw power that we're currently lacking at the position. At 6'4", 304 lbs., Kris grades out as a 3rd-4th round prospect whose history of knee and shoulder injuries affected his draft stock. Still, we strongly considered him with one of our 4th round selections, and we expect him to compete immediately with incumbent John Sullivan.

6.35 (200) — DeMarcus Van Dyke, CB; Miami

Last year we took a flier on a prospect with rare athleticism at pick No. 199 (Joe Webb), and we think it's turned out very well. In many ways, we're taking a similar approach here. It's hard not to be enamored with DeMarcus' raw potential. His 4.25 40-yard dash was the fastest at the Combine, and the third fastest in the past decade. In addition to his blazing speed, he has excellent height for a cornerback (6'1"). We felt that DeMarcus' freakish height/speed combination were worth a shot at this point in the draft. At 175 lbs., he'll clearly need to spend some time in the weight room. Moreover, his actual football skills are incredibly raw. Minnesota is the perfect fit for DeMarcus. He won't be pressured to play immediately, new coach Leslie Frazier is a defensive backs guru, and veteran Antoine Winfield provides second-to-none tutelage. Our goal is to turn this amazing athlete into a football player.

7.33 (236) — Jonas Mouton, OLB; Michigan
We're thrilled to be adding a player of Jonas' caliber this late in the draft. Nicknamed "The Assassin," he was highly productive last season, leading the Big Ten with 111 tackles (including 8.5 for loss), two sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. A former safety, Mouton plays faster than his Combine numbers would suggest. He's a big hitter who plays with a lot of intensity, and if he can harness some of his aggression and become more disciplined, he'll develop into a very solid player at the next level.

The People's Choice: Jake Locker Leading the Way With 18 of 100 Fan Votes

Apparently Vikings fans like the way Jake Locker looks in purple. On January 24th I posted the poll in the right column, which includes opening day ages and valuation. Nearly two months later, my appraisals don't seem far off (with the lone exception being that I probably undervalued Cam Newton), and Jake Locker has risen to the top of your wish list. His stock has been erratic -- he's been most often linked to Seattle at No. 25, but he's ranging from an early first rounder to a late second rounder. With the Combine behind him and individual workouts in full effect, he's gaining steam -- he's currently thought to be in the mix for both Washington (No. 10) and Minnesota (No. 12). In fact, he's in town today working out for the Vikings.

In short, Locker is an outstanding duel-sport athlete with a big arm and loads of moxie. The Angels' 2009 10th round outfielder actually tied Cam Newton's 4.59 40 time at the Combine. Had Locker entered the 2010 NFL Draft after his Junior season, he may have been the No. 1 overall pick the draft. However, he returned to the University of Washington for his final year, and his stock took a hit as he struggled with accuracy and mechanics on a losing team. By most accounts he's made strong offseason impressions on scouts and front offices, restoring his reputation as a potential NFL star.

The next five fan picks shake out like this:

I must admit I'm a bit shocked. Draft experts have elevated Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton into their own tier, and many have Ryan Mallett (and others) ahead of Locker as well. Yet not only is Locker leading the overall poll, but he's thumping his fellow rookies among Vikings fans.

Joe Webb has surprisingly strong support coming off a small sample size, and it's become obvious that fans have no interest in Band-Aids like Donovan McNabb or Matt Hasselbeck.

With the ongoing labor negotiations killing trades and free agency, it's looking more and more like the Vikings will set the quarterback crosshairs on April's draft.