vikings/nfl
Dan Wiederer began covering the Vikings in 2011, enthusiastically delivering insight on the team across the Star Tribune's print and digital products. Prior to joining the Access Vikings team, he spent seven seasons covering ACC basketball at The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He also covered the Chicago Bears in 2003 and 2004. Follow him on Twitter @StribDW.
Mark Craig has covered football and the NFL the past 20 years, including the Browns from 1991-95 and the Vikings and the NFL since 2003. Since 2008, Craig has served as one of the 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. He can be followed on Twitter at @markcraignfl.
If Vikings find new left tackle, Charlie Johnson likely to move to guard
Posted by: Dan Wiederer under The draft, Vikings, Leslie Frazier, Leslie Frazier Updated: February 24, 2012 - 11:54 AM
Will the Vikings use the No. 3 pick in April's draft on Southern Cal's Matt Kalil, who's widely regarded as the top offensive tackle available? That remains to be seen with general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Leslie Frazier trying to make a determination on how important the left tackle position is in the grand scheme of things.
But even if the Vikings opted to pass on Kalil, they're confident they might be able to land a quality left tackle later in the draft -- perhaps in the middle to late stages of the first round if they decided to trade back or even at the top of Round 2 if necessary. Behind Kalil, Iowa's Riley Reiff, Stanford's Jonathan Martin, Ohio State's Mike Adams and Florida State's Zebrie Sanders are all worth keeping on the radar.
So what does all this mean for Charlie Johnson, who started all 16 games last season at left tackle? There's a strong chance Johnson will be asked to move inside to play guard, a scenario head coach Leslie Frazier openly discussed this morning.
Johnson, Frazier asserted, was dependable when he spent some time at guard during his five-year stint with the Colts. The Vikings believe the veteran lineman has enough power and agility to handle standout defensive tackles up front while also being able to burst out to the second level to take on linebackers.
"We know he’s able to do it at this level," Frazier said. "So there’s not any trepidation about moving him to guard. We think he’d do a very good job at guard if we went that route."
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