Vikings Draft 2012: Is Dre Kirkpatrick Now in the Picture?

This crap will be coming fast and furious all day. Most of it will be just that – crap – but you never know, amid all this nonsense there could actually be a valuable nugget of information. All we can do is keep sifting and home something that looks vaguely golden plops out. Here’s a little tidbit that could change the Vikings’ draft plans: Dre Kirkpatrick is falling.

Not long ago Kirkpatrick was flirting with the top 10 on draft boards but now he’s taking a little spill (or it could just be that he was never valued that high to begin with and now reality is just asserting itself). Despite his sagging value, Kirkpatrick was still thought of as an option for the Bears at 19…but apparently the Bears aren’t interested in him either. So that means Kirkpatrick will at least fall into the 20s.

But will he fall all the way to the Vikings at #35 overall? It seems unlikely. There’s one thing that could help push Kirkpatrick all the way out of the first round though, and that’s the emergence of a surprise late first round cornerback prospect.

There may be such a surprise prospect. Actually he’s not a surprise at all. Everyone knows Janoris Jenkins is a great talent. The question on Jenkins is all about character. These concerns about what’s in Jenkins’ head had him tumbling all the way out of the first despite top-5 talent, and completely off some teams’ draft boards if you believe reports.

Nevertheless, Peter King still believes somebody in the late first will take a shot with Jenkins. If that’s the case, Kirkpatrick will likely drop from the first round entirely. The Vikings may well be targeting a cornerback at 35, with names like Trumaine Johnson and Josh Robinson high on their board. But if Kirkpatrick, a guy who’s thought of as an excellent zone corner, lands in their laps? I have to believe the Vikes will be unhesitating in snapping him up, despite his own off-field issues.

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