TheGoldSeat

The Vikings have an interesting situation at the safety position.  We have two veteran starters who underachieved last year (Sharp and D-Smith) , an in-the-box-type presence coming off a season ending knee injury (Tank), and a young kid who showed a lot of upside last year (Greg Blizzle).  Unfortunately, in 2 or 3 years (the next time Childress expects the team to be in contention) both vets will be gone.  For this reason, LaRon is worth a serious look with the 7th overall pick.  Who knows, if we draft him he might just beat out Dwight Smith by the end of training camp; which will leave Dwight more time to focus on housing women in stairwells (alledgedly)…Scouts Inc lists Landry as the 7th best player in the draft:

Laron Landry
S | (6′2″, 202, 4.49) | LSU

Scouts Grade: 96

Strengths: Possesses good height, decent bulk and the frame to get bigger. Shows good fluidity and top-end speed. He consistently gets a quick break on the ball and diagnoses the run very quickly. He shows good toughness and strength in run support, especially for his size. He fills hard and shows adequate power at the point of attack. Sideline-to-sideline playmaker versus the run. He displays better-than-average range in zone coverage and he also can match up one-on-one versus slot receivers in the NFL. He is an instinctive playmaker with adequate-to-good ball skills. He has a good mental capacity and coaches rave about his ability to pick things up quickly. He is a good leader in the secondary and does a great job of getting everyone in position. He has tremendous experience as a four-year starter at the highest collegiate level. He also has been extremely versatile in LSU’s secondary throughout his career.

Weaknesses: Lacks ideal bulk. Until he gets bigger he will not be able to match up as easily in-the-box at the NFL level as he has in college. He will misjudge the ball in the air on occasion and he still can improve his recognition skills when playing in deep-middle zone coverage.

Overall: Landry played in all 14 games (10 starts) as a true freshman in 2003 and recorded 80 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, four pass-breakups, and one blocked kick. He was knocked out of the Arkansas game (11/28) with a concussion. In 2004, Landry started all 12 games finishing the season with 92 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, four interceptions, six pass-breakups, and one forced fumble. He once again started every game (13) in 2005 registering 69 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and eight pass-breakups. In 2006 he started all 13 games, earning first team All-American and first team All-SEC honors (both media and coaches), after collecting 74 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one blocked kick, and three interceptions. Over the past four seasons, Landry has seen time at free safety, strong safety, and cornerback.

Landry is as close to the complete package as it gets for a safety prospect coming from the collegiate ranks. He projects as an immediate starter at free safety in the NFL; he can hold up in the box, in deep-middle zone coverage and one-on-one versus a slot receiver. In our opinion, Landry is the top safety in the 2007 class and he should come off the board in the first-half of the first round.

Freshman

Landry made an immediate impact at LSU, starting 10 games as a true freshman in 2003 while helping the Tigers win the BCS National Championship. He recorded 80 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, four pass-breakups, and one blocked kick. Landry was named to the Freshman All-SEC team, Second Team All-SEC and the First-Team Freshman All-American Team.

Sophomore

During his sophomore season the Tigers finished 16th in the nation, but Landry’s standing remained high again. He was named to the Second-Team All-SEC and he made the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He started all 12 games, finishing the season with 92 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, four interceptions, six pass-breakups, and one forced fumble.

Junior

In 2005, LSU won the SEC Western Division and the Peach Bowl over Miami. Landry registered 69 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and eight pass-breakups.  Landry was named a First-Team All-SEC and Third-Team All-American by the associated press and First-Team All-SEC by the SEC coaches.

Senior

He chose to forgo the lure of the NFL to return to LSU for his senior season even though many analysts projected him as a high draft pick. He was considered the top free safety in the nation and a potential All American for the season Landry lived up to these expectations, starting all 13 games, earning first team All-American and first team All-SEC honors after collecting 74 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one blocked kick, and three interceptions^.  His senior season was capped with an invitation to the Senior Bowl and as a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award.

Career

Credited with 48 straight starts for the Tigers, Landry finished his career with 315 tackles and 12 interceptions. His 12 interceptions left him with the third-highest total in school history, while his 315 tackles rank seventh in LSU history.

Trivia

He is the brother of former Georgia Tech football player and 2006 fifth round NFL draft choice of the Baltimore Ravens Dawan Landry.

Landry played in all 52 LSU games while at Baton Rouge, starting 48 consecutive games.

Honors

• 2006 First-Team All-American (AP)
• 2006 First-Team All-SEC (AP)
• 2006 First-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
• 2006 Thorpe Award Semifinalist
• 2006 Senior Bowl
• 2005 Third-Team All-American (AP)
• 2005 First-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
• 2005 Second-Team All-SEC (AP)
• 2004 Second-Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches)
• 2004 SEC Academic Honor Roll
• 2003 First-Team Freshmen All-American (Football Writer’s Association, Collegefootballnews.com)
• 2003 Second-Team All-SEC (AP)
• 2003 Freshmen All-SEC Team (SEC Coaches, Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Sporting News)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bip9KlMxd04