Corey Chavous played four seasons as a cornerback and safety with the Vikings from 2002 to '05 and made a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2003. During that time, he was an avid follower of the NFL draft and appeared on ESPN's coverage of the annual event. His playing days are over, but Chavous has turned that passion into part of a busy postcareer life via his website, www.draftnasty.com. With this year's NFL draft slated to start Thursday, the Star Tribune's Michael Rand caught up with Chavous.Q First off, I was just curious how you got so interested in NFL draft stuff?
A It was just my uncle [Barney Chavous], being in the league playing [13] years with the Broncos. ... It was seamless for me. I was 7, 8 years old getting a chance to go watch his games, and I was a huge sports fan.
Q But the draft didn't used to be the big deal it is now. When you were first into it, it must have been a lot different, right?
A Oh, yeah. It's funny you mention that. I used to come home and the [later] rounds weren't even televised. And it was 12 rounds. I'd watch Mel Kiper break it down on "SportsCenter" at night. So yeah, when we used to watch it back in the day or keep up with it, it was totally different.
Q It doesn't take much to call yourself a "draft expert." What separates the good from the bad when it comes to a casual fan looking for information, and what do you feel separates your site from others?
A I guess it depends on what you're looking for. I don't consider myself a draft expert. I'm a fan. We are the fans. But we're taking the time to write scouting reports, watching multiple games on each player.
Q You have ties to the Vikings. Do you have any thoughts on what they might do or what they should do in the first round?
A I think they have a tremendous personnel department. Whatever the case is, they'll take a good player. It's going to depend on what position they consider most important. Whether it's offensive tackle, quarterback -- maybe at [pick No.] 12 you don't have a quarterback that you have rated that high. But if you do, I think they pull the trigger. But there are a lot of different ways they can go with that pick.
