2015 NFL Draft: Pick By Pick Mock With Minnesota Vikings At No. 9

By Rick Stavig @rickstavig on October 31, 2014

The pick-by-pick mock of the 2015 NFL Draft continues and we’re nearing the end of the top-10.

A quick update of the picks so far: Leonard Williams (DE/DT, Southern Cal) was picked first by the Oakland Raiders; Marcus Mariota (QB, Oregon) was picked second by the New York Jets; Cedric Ogbuehi (OT, Texas A&M) was picked third by the Jacksonville Jaguars; Amari Cooper (WR, Alabama) was picked fourth by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Jameis Winston (QB, FSU) was picked fifth by the St. Louis Rams; Randy Gregory (DE/OLB, Nebraska) was picked sixth by the Tennessee Titans; Vic Beasley (OLB, Clemson) was picked seventh by the Atlanta Falcons and Shawn Oakman (DE, Baylor) was taken eighth by the Washington Redskins.

Who do the Minnesota Vikings pick ninth?

Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford.

It was tempting to take Todd Gurley (RB, Georgia) here to replace some of the power presence of Adrian Peterson (who’s likely playing elsewhere in ’15), but it’s just too hard to justify a top-ten pick on a tailback in this day and age. I also thought a WR would be nice to pair with Cordarrelle Patterson and Jarius Wright, but aside from Cooper there might not be another top-10 WR talent. The Vikes can never go wrong by continuing to add CB’s, but again, there’s not likely to be one in this draft worthy of a top-10 pick, so I go with Peat.

Phil Loadholt is embedded on the right side and has been playing up to his usual level as a top-10 RT in the league. No problem there. But on the blindside is Matt Kalil, who after a very strong rookie campaign, has regressed considerably. In fact, one notably stat site ranks him as the second worst OT in the entire league this year out of 72 eligible players. 6 penalties and giving up 8 sacks (most in the NFL) and 20 hurries (third worst in the NFL) isn’t exactly helping the Vikings win football games these days. Plus, Kalil only has one more year on his contract after this, so his days very well could be numbered in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Peat is a prototypical blind side protector at 6-foot 7, 315-pounds with very long arms and tree trunk-like legs. He has a good punch, gets good extension and hand placement, has good footwork and lateral mobility and mirrors well. He’s a smart, heady player who picks up the blitz well and can seal the edge. Plus, he’d once again be paired up next to OG David Yankey (5th rounder in ’14), who he played extraordinarily well next to at Stanford prior to ’14.

This pick likely wouldn’t be fan favorite, but it’d be a very smart personnel move and would help keep young QB Teddy Bridgewater upright and healthy.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.