Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier excited by addition of OT Matt Kalil - NFL News
Minnesota Vikings had one of the best draft days this year as they brought in two of the best prospective talents available in the first round.
General manager, Rick Spielman made some astute decisions on Thursday and brought in offensive tackle, Matt Kalil with the fourth overall pick while also bringing in strong safety, Harrison Smith with the 29th overall pick.
Spielman moved the Vikings down from its third selection to fourth after a trade with the Cleveland Browns and acquired three additional late round picks in the process.
The general manager also traded a second and fourth round pick to the Baltimore Ravens to acquire their 29th overall selection in the first round.
The dealings have been widely praised by analysts who have heaped praise on Spielman for his foresightedness.
Minnesota Vikings, head coach Leslie Frazier was also highly impressed with the drafts and in an interview with the franchise’s official website said that the new draft picks are a great addition to the roster.
“Going into the draft with ten picks, we knew we were in a great position and of course where we were picking at with those ten picks at the top of each round, but to accumulate more picks, yeah, he’s [Spielman] a little bit giddy. There’s no question about
it. He was pretty pumped up after Cleveland agreed. It’s good for our team and good for everybody.”
Frazier also went on to heap praise on new offensive tackle, Matt Kalil and said that he will become a great addition for the franchise for a number of years to come.
“To have a guy like Matt Kalil, really gives us a chance at a cornerstone for our organization for a number of years. So we are excited, extremely excited, about Matt, and his future here with the Vikings.”
The Vikings ended last season with a poor 3-13 record as the team struggled in offence with young quarterback, Christian Ponder struggling to make plays due to a lack of protection.
With the addition of Kalil to the offensive line, Minnesota hopes that Ponder will now get the protection he needs and deliver on his undoubted potential in 2012-13.
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