Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 NFL Draft is finally just hours away and The Viking Age has a draft day challenge for you!

We want to test your draft day acumen over the next three days.  Each day we want you to comment on the Open Thread of your projected picks for the Vikings for that day only.  So between now and the draft tonight at 8pm EST, we need your projected picks for the First Round Only.  Following the conclusion of tonight’s draft a new Open Thread will go live for Day Two (Friday) and you will need to post in the comment section for picks for that day.  The same will happen for Day Three (Saturday).  When you post on today’s Open Thread we also need you to answer the tie-breaker question, which will help us announce a true winner should anyone successfully project the entire Vikings 2013 Draft Class.  The tiebreaker question is what specific pick will LSU’s maligned CB Tyrann Mathieu (aka Honey Badger) be taken in the 2013 NFL Draft.

What we don’t need is your full mock draft all before the draft begins tonight unless you want to do it that way.  You will be able to post each day allowing time to re-evaluate the players that have been selected and the teams draft needs.

Hopefully that is not too confusing, but if it is here is a schedule that should help clarify.

TVA’s Vikings Draft Day Challenge Schedule

First Round picks are due by 8pm EST on Day One Open Thread (Thursday, 4/25)  ~ Pick that are due today are #23 overall and #25 overall

Second and Third Round picks are due by 6:30pm EST on the Day Two Open Thread (Friday, 4/26) ~ Picks that are due by 6:30pm on Friday are currently* #52 overall and#83 overall.

Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh round picks are due by 12:00pm(noon) on the Day Three Open Thread (Saturday 4/27) ~ Picks that are due by Noon at Saturday are currently* #102 overall, #120 overall, #155 overall, #189 overall, #213 overall, #214 overall and #229 overall.

Here is what your post should look like each day.

SAMPLE: 
#23 Overall – Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma

#25 Overall – Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State

Tiebreaker – Honey Badger picked with the #107 overall pick

Then, if you have a twitter account, tweet out those picks with the hashtag #TVAmockchallenge and we will retweet your selections to the twitter-universe.  Both Dan (@TheVikingAge) and myself (@DraftVikingDT) will do the best we can to retweet all of your picks.

At the conclusion of the draft we will make a personal announcement on the website and via Twitter of who has earned bragging right for winning the 2013 TVA Draft Day Challenge.

Hopefully you all have fun will have as much fun with the Draft Challenge and the experience in general as we will.  Even if you don’t want to do the posts stay tuned in on The Viking Age Open Thread and the website for Draft Day updates, trades and projections. Remember to keep the comments clean and respectful as always.

I personally will be online interacting throughout the day on the Open Thread as well as Twitter.

SKOL!!!!

Nov 11, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright (17) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Jerome Simpson (81) during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at the Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

The Vikings are now 5-1 at home and 2-0 against the Lions. How did they do it? By getting back to the formula they used so successfully early in the season. Lots of Adrian Peterson. Christian Ponder playing sound, mistake-free football. And the defense doing enough.

The game was a little bit more of a high-scoring affair than people probably expected. The key for the Vikings was getting up early and staying up. The Vikes struck right away when Christian Ponder hit Jarius Wright – yes, that Jarius Wright – on a 54-yard bomb down the middle of the field. Wright scored a couple plays later to put the Vikings on top. And they would stay on top the rest of the game.

It wasn’t always pretty for the Vikes but then again it never is. Much of the game was just a matter of grinding out yards, getting a field goal here and there, and trying to play sound defense. The Lions helped out with an overly conservative game plan in the early going. The Vikes tried to get physical with Calvin Johnson again and it worked for awhile, but the Lions eventually got their passing game going and threatened the Vikings defense. The Vikes’ pass rush was not up to snuff to be honest, and that helped Matthew Stafford operate. Calvin Johnson ended up having a big day and the Lions were able to momentarily crawl back into it.

And then Adrian Peterson did this and it was game over. Actually it was game over on the ensuing Lions series when Jamarca Sanford forced Megatron to fumble and the Vikes recovered. A big play on offense followed by a big play on defense to put the dagger in.

Peterson was great, the defense was good enough and the O-line was better, but the story today was Christian Ponder. After weeks of struggles Ponder finally looked like the player we saw earlier in the year. He was crisp in his decision-making and accurate with his throws. He stepped up in the pocket a couple times to make plays. He pulled the ball down and ran when he had to. With Percy Harvin out, Ponder found a new go-to guy in Kyle Rudolph.

What made the difference? Was it Bill Musgrave’s tweaks? The route running? The pass protection? Ponder’s confidence going up after the early big play to Jarius Wright? A combination of all of these? The Lions certainly helped out with some bad tackling and worse coverage. But the Vikes don’t have to apologize for beating what is obviously not a great defense. The offensive guys did their jobs. And when they needed the dagger, AD stepped up. The Vikes move to 6-4 on the year and will go into the bye week still alive in the playoff race.

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August 10, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright (17) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

The Vikings knew they needed to find another weapon with Percy Harvin on the shelf. Well how about Jarius Wright? The rookie 4th round pick finally made his debut for the Vikes against the Lions, after weeks of being deactivated for mysterious reasons. And what did Wright do? Oh nothing much. He just caught a 54-yard bomb from Christian Ponder and followed it a couple plays later with a TD catch.

Yes, I said 54-yard bomb from Christian Ponder. It was a great throw by the embattled Ponder. He stepped up in the pocket, side-stepped the rush like a veteran and delivered the pass. Wright’s pure speed made the play happen. He simply flew by the defense. Is it possible the Vikings had their long-sought-after deep receiving weapon sitting on their own bench all these weeks? Or was Wright’s big play simply a matter of the Lions not being prepared?

We’ll see if Ponder can consistently make it happen with Wright. One series doesn’t make a career. But so far Jarius Wright looks like exactly what the Vikings needed. Another receiving weapon they can use to complement Adrian Peterson and, when he returns, Percy Harvin.

Like The Viking Age on Facebook.
Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.
Get the all-new FanSided iPhone app.
Want to blog about the Vikings? Fill out the blogger application and join the team. Serious homers, negative types, tape wonks and general wack-jobs all welcome.