The NFL Scouting Combine is held next week, which means the draft is right around the corner. There will be no shortage of opinions on what areas the Vikings need to address in the draft, and ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper offered his thoughts during a conference call Wednesday.

At his season-ending press conference, Vikings coach Brad Childress agreed with a question about the organization's need to establish a long-term plan at quarterback some point soon, and that's regardless of whether Brett Favre returns for another season.

Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen are the two top-rated quarterbacks in the draft and could be selected in the Top 10. With the Vikings sitting at No. 30 overall, I asked Kiper if he thinks Texas' Colt McCoy could be a possibility at that spot.

Kiper said he sees McCoy more as a second- to fourth-round pick and that taking him 30th would be "a little early."

"In terms of the Vikings I think they could go for Maurkice Pouncey, the center-guard out of Florida," Kiper said. "[They] could go corner and take Devin McCourty out of Rutgers or a Patrick Robison out of Florida State. Those will be the two areas I think they will draft.

"I think [for] Colt McCoy that's a little early," Kiper continued. "I think maybe second round, third round, or fourth round is not out of the question. Dan LeFevour from Central Michigan has moved ahead of McCoy based on my board and some people in the league I talk to. So I think LeFevour might be more viable for the second round right now than McCoy is."

I also asked Kiper about the draft prospects for Gophers wide receiver Eric Decker, who suffered a bad foot injury this past season and is not able to workout at the combine.

"I think Decker would have been a solid second-round pick had it not been for the injury," Kiper said. "That kid is a heck of a player. He's an outstanding football player. It's a shame he had the injury. A kid who would have been a second-round pick probably now a third or fourth round pick at worst. But the guy is going to play in the NFL and I think is going to have a heck of a career in the NFL."