USC Trojans All-American left tackle Matt Kalil will soon join his brother, Carolina Panthers All-Pro center Ryan Kalil, in the National Football League. The only question is just how high and where Kalil the younger will be drafted. Most prognosticators have the junior offensive lineman going somewhere in the top five in their 2012 NFL mock drafts, somewhere behind quarterback Andrew Luck and lumped in with quarterback Robert Griffin III and wide receiver Justin Blackmon.
In the latest mock draft on SB Nation, Kalil is projected by Ryan Van Bibber to be selected third overall to the Minnesota Vikings. "Minnesota took a quarterback in the first round last year with Christian Ponder. Now, they give him an insurance policy with one of the best tackle prospects to come along in years," wrote Van Bibber. "Kalil is as can't miss as it gets in the draft this year."
High praise indeed for Kalil, the winner of the Morris Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12 Conference.
Van Bibber has the Cleveland Browns trading up to the No. 2 spot, giving a king's ransom to the St. Louis Rams for the right to take Griffin. As part of the proposed trade, the Rams would get the No. 4 from Cleveland, among other things, and use that pick to take Blackmon, giving Sam Bradford a prime target to whom to throw for the next decade or so.
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