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With the NFL draft starting Thursday in Philadelphia, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman is preparing to proceed without a first-round pick.
The last time the Vikings didn't make a first-round selection was in 2010, before Spielman assumed his role in 2012, and that was because the team traded out of the first round in a deal that netted cornerback Chris Cook in the second round and defensive end Everson Griffen in the fourth round.
That first round has been something of a haven for Spielman; he has made nine first-round picks in five drafts.
So does he think there's any chance of the team taking some of its eight draft picks this year — the Vikings have a second-round pick, two third-round picks, two fourth-round picks and fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks — and trying to move up?
"I don't know. I never know," Spielman said. "We'll go through all the scenarios. … I know we want to build up that youth in the back of our roster with the youth of last year's draft class. The picks are going to be very important.
"I think with the depth of this draft class, you're going to get some very good players in the second and two thirds and two fourths, I can't tell you how excited we are and how invaluable that is, especially in this type of class with the depth there. At certain positions that we need, we think we'll get some quality players there."
Interviews have been key
These past few weeks have been crucial for members of the Vikings' scouting department, as they have been able to conduct one-on-one interviews with potential draft picks at Winter Park.
Spielman talked about how those meetings compare with the NFL combine, college pro days and events like the Senior Bowl.
"It gives us an opportunity to really sit down and spend more than 15 minutes with them at a combine or 20 minutes at a Senior Bowl or out at a pro day," he said. "Those kids go through about 10-12 interviews the whole day [at those other events], so they're getting grilled pretty good. We even have the people that escort them through the building evaluating them … so you get a pretty good read on the kids when they come through the process."
Spielman said that the psychological aspect of grading players is as important as anything else the team does in evaluations.
"I tell each kid they wouldn't be here if we didn't think you had the physical ability," he said. "But I know we're really trying to home in, and I know since myself and [head] Coach Zim [Mike Zimmer] have put together what we want on our football team. We want high-character guys that are smart, tough and have a passion for what they do."
QB depth grows
Easily the most hectic part of last season, and the reason why the Vikings don't have a first-round pick this year, is because of the late injury to Teddy Bridgewater, which left them looking for a short-term and potentially long-term starter at quarterback.
Sam Bradford came in and played the position at the highest level the team has seen in some time, but Spielman knew the Vikings still needed to add depth, so the team recently signed backup Case Keenum.
Keenum will compete with former undrafted free agent Taylor Heinicke, who showed some promise before getting injured a year ago, for a backup spot.
"Case, we studied him over the last couple of years, and with [offensive coordinator] Pat Shurmur's system, we felt he would be a good fit," Spielman said. "He gives us a veteran that can come in and he can run the offense, he's an accurate thrower. He doesn't have great arm strength down the field, but very accurate underneath and has enough athletic ability to move around.
"What we're trying to do right now is put the best 90-man roster together that we can, and we'll continue to add even after the draft. There are a few guys that we have our eye on that we'll probably try to add to our roster, as well."
D-line questions
It seemed going into the offseason that the Vikings were fairly set on the defensive line. But because the Vikings are unsure whether Sharrif Floyd will play for them again after missing all of last season, Spielman broke down what they're looking for along the line in the draft.
"We're excited with Brian Robison and Everson [Griffen] and Danielle Hunter and Stephen Weatherly, the progress that he made last year," Spielman said. "We have to have some inside pass rushers. Zim wants cover guys, and he wants pass rushers.
"We'll look at all our options. [Datone] Jones is in here from Green Bay [as a free agent], and we put him in a three-technique because we do feel he has a lot of the natural athletic traits we're looking for in that position, and putting some weight on him because he was playing linebacker at Green Bay, and that's kind of what he played at college as an under tackle and base defensive end. We're excited to see where he comes. We feel pretty good about our depth right now."
Jottings
• Scott Ellison, the associate athletic director in charge of facilities for the Gophers, reports that the university is talking with the Super Bowl committee about using either the current football practice facility or the practice facility under construction for one of the Super Bowl teams here in 2018. "We've committed that we will host a team. They need a locker room, they need meeting rooms, they need all of those different things that we have available. … But for sure it's going to be great timing for us and the Super Bowl."
• Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher talked about the news that the NHL is removing its players from the Olympics. "That's kind of a level above me," he said. "It is a pretty big disruption when you shut down your season for three weeks in February. I think we're the only league that does that. The NBA allows their players to go to the Olympics, but obviously the basketball is in the Summer Olympics so that's outside the NBA season. There's just a lot of logistical challenges to putting this together either way, whether you go or don't go."
• Gophers linebacker Blake Cashman, on how Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant improved his career: "He was great. Ever since we were in association days back in fifth grade, he was always involved with every kid at every age. He guided us all the way through." Cashman won a state title every year he was at Eden Prairie.
• While U.S. Bank Stadium got good news that it will host an NCAA basketball regional in 2021, the Gophers, because they are the host school, will not be allowed to play here if they reach the tournament.
• What a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series for former Gopher Phil Kessel, who starred for Pittsburgh in its 4-1 series win over Columbus. Kessel finished with eight points, the second-highest total in the playoffs so far, on two goals and six assists in five games. He is also one of nine former Gophers to have won a Stanley Cup.
Sid Hartman can be heard Mondays and Fridays on WCCO AM-830 at 8:40 a.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. E-mail: shartman@startribune.com