The Waiting Game

With the rumors beginning to fly, the Vikings find themselves sitting at No. 17 in the first round with two picks each in the second and third rounds. But for how long?

With the days winding down before the NFL draft, the Vikings find themselves in the middle of a dilemma -- should they stay or should they go?

As it currently stands, the Vikings have five picks in the first three rounds. However, if they want to move up in the first round, they have the ammunition to trade a couple of the early-round picks to move higher. The question now is whether they're willing to do so.

With a new regime in place, the Vikings have a group that is wanting to make a big splash -- rebuilding the team in its own image. The trade of Daunte Culpepper -- who was the face of the franchise -- speaks loudly to that.

This team has the opportunity to do one of two things -- stockpile young talent through the draft on Saturday by adding five players that can contribute now or in the near future or package some of those picks to jump up and grab a "franchise" type player.

But the Vikings aren't alone. With almost one third of the league with new coaching staffs in place, there is likely to be a lot of activity on draft day, as teams moves up and down in an effort to try to find the player or players that can help them reach their Super Bowl dreams. For many teams, the promise of draft day won't come to fruition, but with five picks in the first 95, the Vikings have a chance to control the destiny of how draft day shakes out -- for themselves and for other teams.

While there remains the belief the Vikings are going to trade up to get their hands on a franchise QB, nothing is set in stone. We may have to wait until the draft is underway to see if it happens. Either way, it's going to be an important day for the franchise as the new-look Vikings take the first step in the next chapter of the franchise.