Will Gators center fall into Vikings' lap?

Remember the name -- center Maurkice Pouncey, a 6-5, 312-pound All-America center from Florida. His coach, Urban Meyer, believes Pouncey was as good as any lineman in the country last year.

Pouncey worked out for some Vikings coaches, including head coach Brad Childress, when Childress recently spoke at a Florida clinic. He could be the Vikings' top draft choice Thursday if he is available -- and a top cornerback isn't still on the board -- when the team drafts at No. 30. Pouncey might be the best player available when the Vikings draft.

This is a much different draft for the Vikings than when Adrian Peterson was drafted in 2007 and Percy Harvin last season.

In 2007, the Vikings had Peterson rated much higher than most NFL teams. They were willing to gamble the shoulder problem the running back had throughout his college career at Oklahoma was not going to continue to hamper him.

So they were hoping Peterson would be there when their selection at No. 7 came up. And he was.

In the case of Harvin, most teams passed on the wide receiver because of some previous personal issues.

But Childress went to Florida to meet Harvin and his family and work him out.

The Vikings might pick one of those undervalued players again this year. If they are, they have done a good job of keeping it quiet. That pick could be Pouncey, who might not be available this time.

So all of you geniuses with your mock drafts, when the Vikings pick at No. 30 about 10 p.m. Thursday and there isn't a top-notch cornerback available and Pouncey is still there, don't be surprised if the Vikings select the 2009 winner of the Rimington Award, given to the best college center in the country each year.

He also can play tackle or guard, where the Vikings need depth, and he would give the team a super football player who is going to play a lot of years in the NFL.

I recall when Paul Brown, the owner/coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, had the second overall choice in the 1968 draft and he took center Bob Johnson of Tennessee, after the Vikings took eventual Hall of Fame tackle Ron Yary with the first pick. Johnson played 12 years for the Bengals.

Slowey happy Kevin Slowey, the Twins righthander who stopped Cleveland on one run and five hits over eight innings Tuesday, said how lucky he is to be in the position he is after suffering a serious wrist injury last year.

Slowey, who had a 10-3 record with a 4.86 ERA last season before missing the rest of the year, was worried he might not be able to pitch again after the injury.

"Anytime you have a significant surgery there's a concern you're not going to get back out there, but all my fears have been kind of put to rest now and I'm ready to go," Slowey said.

Jottings All of the Gophers coaches, men and women, took the same one-year, 1.5 percent salary cut other University of Minnesota employees recently took. Other athletic department employees took three days off without pay.

Even though the Gophers football team finished 6-7 last season, there is a good chance wide receiver Eric Decker will be drafted as high as the second round. Linebacker Nate Triplett also should get drafted. There is a good chance linebacker Lee Campbell and defensive linemen Garrett Brown and Eric Small will sign with a team as free agents. Even cornerback Marcus Sherels, who had a great workout during Gophers pro day, might get a shot.

Gophers basketball player and ace three-point shooter Blake Hoffarber recently had surgery for a sports hernia that might have given him some problems last year. ... Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith has told freshman guard Justin Cobbs to take some time to think about staying or leaving the program. The odds are he might still leave, but it's not definite yet.

Gophers track coach Steve Plasencia believes there is a good chance for his team to defend its 4x1,600 relay title at the Drake Relays this weekend. The Gophers' anchor is Ben Blankenship, who has run a 3-minute, 57-second split. The Gophers also have an opportunity to win the 4x800 relay, anchored by Harun Abda.

Former Gophers offensive lineman Ben Hamilton has been a starter for the Broncos pretty much since he was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL draft in 2001. He was a unrestricted free agent and signed with the Seahawks on Tuesday. I'm surprised the Vikings didn't look at Hamilton to improve their depth on the offensive line.

Minnesota alum Antonio Vega placed 12th in the 114th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday. Vega, who lives in Oakdale, clocked a personal-best time of 2:13:47. Vega, a 2007 Minnesota graduate, also was a three-time NCAA cross-country championships competitor and a four-time all-region honoree.

Edina native Anders Lee, a Notre Dame recruit, was named to the All-USHL first team after compiling 35 goals and 31 assists in 60 games for the Green Bay Gamblers during the regular season. He also recently was named to the USHL all-rookie team. ... Gophers recruit Erik Haula of the Omaha Lancers was named to the All-USHL second team and the all-rookie team after finishing tied for fifth in the league in scoring after notching 28 goals and 44 assists for 72 points. He also had a plus-36 rating, which was fourth-best in the USHL. ... Gophers recruit Nate Schmidt of the Fargo Force was also named to the all-rookie team after scoring 14 goals and 23 assists in 57 games. His 14 goals were tied for third among league defensemen, and he was third in shots with 175.