FanHouse

We're less than a month away from the draft. The combine is now ancient history and most prospects are finishing up their pro days. A quick survey of some of the reputable mock drafts finds that there is a consensus building on who the Vikings are hoping to nab. Here' s the results from 14 mock drafts:

The Sports XChange: Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco: Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
CBS Sportsline's Clark Judge: Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
Rivals.com: Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt
Scout's Notebook: Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
New Era Scouting: Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
ESPN's Hashmarks Blog: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
NFL.com's Pat Kirwin: Philip Merling, DE, Clemson*
NFL.com's Vic Carucci: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
SI.com: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
Scout.com: Philip Merling, DE, Clemson
NFL Draft Countdown: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
Pro Football Weekly: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida
* After trading down two spots

If you're scoring at home, that's five mocks that have the Vikes taking Philip Merling, while another three have them taking another defensive end, Derrick Harvey. Picking Merling would be a little scary, since he has just undergone sports hernia surgery and won't have recovered by the time of the draft. There's some concern that Harvey will be popped before the Vikings pick, and Campbell Because of that, several mock drafts mention the possibility of the Vikings trading down.

Of the other possibilities, picking Brohm would definitely shake things up, but it's hard to see it. The Vikings need a quarterback to compete with Tarvaris Jackson, but it needs to be a veteran--this team is not built to wait two years for a rookie quarterback to develop. Leodis McKelvin or another cornerback also makes sense--if you can't fix the pass defense through the pass rush, at least improve the secondary.

Limas Sweed makes less sense. With the signing of Bernard Berrian, the combo of Berrian, Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade should be fine for a Vikings offense that still will be focused on the ground game. While another receiver would be nice, it doesn't seem worth spending a first-round pick on.

And the Chris Williams pick seems laughable. Unless Bryant McKinnie's recent run-in with the law results in a Pacman Jones-esque suspension (which no one seems to believe) draft Williams, a pure left tackle, makes no sense. Williams is a pure pass blocker without much skill at run blocking. On a team with Adrian Peterson, it pays to have tackles who can run block.

And of all the picks,