NFL Draft Rumors: Vikings may trade back to draft Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
By Josh Hill
The Minnesota Vikings are sitting at No. 8 overall in this week’s NFL Draft but they may not end up staying there to make a selection. While there is talk of the team trading up, they may end up trading back to both compile picks and draft a project we haven’t yet been mentioning with them.
Ben Goessling from ESPN.com opines that if the Vikings trade back, drafting Ha Ha Clinton-Dix from Alabama might not be the worst idea as he’d be paired with Harrison Smith.
"I think linebacker is a bigger need, but would there be a linebacker available at that point who would fit better than Donald or Clinton-Dix? Putting the safety next to Smith is a tantalizing option, and let’s not forget where defensive backs coach Jerry Gray spent the 2010 season: He was in Seattle, coaching a pair of rookie safeties named Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor."
Linebacker is indeed a greater need but Goessling points out something interesting when noting that Jim Gray helped craft the tender of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas — a Super Bowl winning secondary — and pairing Clinton-Dix with Smith could lead that way.
There’s no saying that will be the case but the Vikings need secondary help as well as linebacking assistance and pairing Clinton-Dix with Smith is a tantalizing idea.