The Facts:
Ponder was at the Metrodome draft party with teammate Adrian Peterson when the Minnesota Vikings used their top draft pick on a player who can help both of them. "Both of us cracked a pretty big smile," Ponder said on Wednesday, six days after the Vikings selected Southern Cal left tackle Matt Kalil at No. 4 overall.
Reported by 1500ESPN.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
Kalil -- who will make his Vikings practice debut when rookie camp begins on Friday --is expected to start immediately at left tackle. That'll move Charlie Johnson to left guard, upgrading the protection unit if everything goes to plan. And as 1500ESPN.com's Tom Pelissero suggests, no one would benefit more from that than Ponder, whose struggles as a rookie were magnified by an increasing tendency to stare down the rush, rather than keeping his eyes downfield. "It is huge," Ponder said. "A lot of time last year, it didn't necessarily have to do with the protection. A lot of times I wasn't comfortable getting to my third, fourth reads, checking the ball down. Instead of just checking it down when a guy is wide open, I'd just run. ..." There's no doubt lack of protection was an issue for Ponder last season. It'll be interesting to see what he's capable of with more confidence in his blockers.
Profile
Home
