The season may be winding down, but the hyperbole is just getting started. The much-lauded 2012 rookie class has featured the likes of such playmakers as Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, and Doug Martin, all of whom have been fixtures in league headlines for the last 16 weeks. But what about the rest of the gang? I’m not talking about the likes of Alfred Morris or Josh Gordon, going from draft day afterthoughts to key players in their teams’ seasons. I’m talking about the other big guns, the best of the rest who stood in the spotlight on the Radio City Music Hall stage with the commish, but have somehow ended up in the shadows during the 2012 season. Well, their […]

The 2012 season is just days away from kicking off and this looks like an exciting season with a lot of big-name rookies expected to make a huge impact. But you can’t talk about those rookies without the inevitable comparisons. Here’s a look at some of the top rookies and how they compare to their contemporaries.

To follow up on what we’re hearing, a league source reinforced that the Minnesota Vikings are leaning toward drafting LSU CB Morris Claiborne. Minnesota has Claiborne rated highest on their draft board and the team reportedly likes him more than USC OT Matt Kalil.

Also, Cleveland appears to be leaning toward taking Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden with the No. 22 pick, league sources said.

Several players in this year’s draft crop have family connections to the NFL, starting with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

The speculation has increased of late that Matt Kalil could fall past the Vikings at No. 3. But how far could he fall? According to SI.com’s Peter King, the Bills could be very much in play.

Many are assuming that the Vikings will take left tackle Matt Kalil with the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but comments that coach Leslie Frazier made to The Star Tribune on Sunday might cast that idea in doubt.

Considered by many to be the top tight end in the 2012 NFL Draft, an unnamed scout has taken aim Stanford’s Coby Fleener saying he “might be the most overrated guy in the draft.”

No one is quite sure what the Cleveland Browns are going to do with the No. 4 overall pick at the NFL draft next week, but one thing is certain, if the team isn’t in love with Ryan Tannehill they shouldn’t be considering Justin Blackmon, says NFL Network’s Mike Mayock.

Matt Kalil solidified himself as the player who will be the first non-quarterback drafted in April during Southern California’s pro day on Wednesday

The way Matt Kalil describes it, the top offensive line prospect in this year’s NFL draft almost played tight end instead.

What route the Vikings take with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft will determine their course of action in free agency.

Well, now. Here’s something Vikings fans maybe didn’t think about before: their team trading the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.