Cincyjungle Mock Round 2 - The Minnesota Vikings Select...

For pick No. 43 pick in the second-annual Cincy Jungle Mock Draft, our own Paul Cannon selected for the Minnesota Vikings, who have only a first and second-pick after trading their third-round pick to the New England Patriots for Randy Moss. Here is the pick...

With pick No. 43 pick in the 2011 Cincy Jungle Mock Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select...

Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas

This was the exact scenario that the Minnesota Vikings didn’t want to find themselves in. The team is in desperate need of a quarterback heading into the 2011 NFL year, but that doesn’t mean they have to sink to desperation. What the Vikings should want to get out of this draft is a quarterback capable of coming in, handing the ball off to Adrian Peterson, make the simple throws, and be a leader both on and off the field. Christian Ponder of Florida St. would be an ideal fit, but he’s off the board already. I like Andy Dalton from TCU, but it would be a reach to grab him here with better talent still on the board. So I chose Ryan Mallet. While Mallet has all the physical tools that he needs to be successful, what he lacks is the leadership qualities that you would look for from a guy heading into an unstable organization. So if truth-be-told, Ryan Mallet is probably the last guy that the Vikings should want to fall into their lap in the second round.

Knowing that the Vikings have a lot of holes to fill this year, I was targeting some other positions of need after Christian Ponder was taken off the board with the No. 35 pick by the Bengals. And with Rahim Moore still there, with only one pick left to go, I was set to pick up the top rated safety to help stabilize the backfield tandem of third-year safety Tyrell Johnson, and former Bengal Madieu Williams who had a miserable 2010 campaign. However, as fate would have it for this snake bitten franchise, Moore was snatched up one pick in front of them. I considered other positions. DE is a need with the possible exodus of Ray Edwards, but eight of them have already come off the board in this mock – not much value there. I also considered CB, but there wasn’t much value there either with Jimmy Smith, Prince Amukamara and Patrick Peterson all gone at this point. I even thought about taking an offensive guard or center, but I had already chosen Tyron Smith with the Vikings first round pick, and didn’t see much value in adding even more O-lineman. There was really only one position left where I could find value and match a need: quarterback.

Of all the QBs in the 2011 crop, Ryan Mallet is probably the best pure passer in the draft. He is incredibly talented at delivering the long ball, and hits his targets with accuracy and a lot of zip. He has the ability to make every throw on the football field, and does so routinely. There are concerns about his footwork, but those are the kinds of things easily addressed by the coaching staff. He’s not a mobile quarterback (though he does have good pocket awareness), and most analysts suspect that he is going to need a good offensive line at the NFL level. Tyron Smith should become Mallet’s best friend if the draft unfolds this way. Mallet’s biggest adjustment will be acclimating to the pressure cooker that is the NFL. He’ll have to prove that he can be a leader both on and off the field and in front of the cameras. Without a doubt, the Vikings are getting a steal by picking up Mallet in the middle of the second round. Now it’s up to him to live up to his talent level.

Ryan Mallett Highlights:

Draft Overview: