It has been reported that the Vikings were bluffing about multiple teams being interested in the third overall pick. Mike Holmgren is aware of the reports, but doesn't buy into them a few days after the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Cleveland wanted to get Trent Richardson, so they traded up to the third pick to ensure they wouldn't lose him to another team. "Contrary to what was written and said yesterday, we had to compete," Holmgren said. "We weren't the Lone Ranger in that deal.' ... You don't want to be up there, really, but we were up there so it was very, very important who we chose there. That's why we targeted Trent. We didn't want to lose him."

The Vikings are leaning towards cornerback Marcus Claiborne with the third overall pick, according to sources. Minnesota reportedly likes the LSU product better than USC tackle Matt Kalil.

Jerome Simpson, who agreed on Tuesday to a one-year deal with the Vikings, will be suspended for three games under the league's substance abuse policy, according to a league source. The free-agent wide receiver had visited the Vikings and the Rams as he sought a new team. Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman confirmed Tuesday the team's interest in Simpson, but declined to acknowledge a deal.

The Vikings are getting a lot of calls about the third overall pick in Thursday's NFL draft. "That front has really heated up over the last 24 hours," Rick Spielman told The Star Tribune. "And I'm sure it will continue to heat up as we head for Thursday night." Spielman confirmed Minnesota is considering a trio of players at No. 3 -- Matt Kalil, Morris Claiborne and Justin Blackmon. "I really believe in being patient and settling and seeing what comes to you," Spielman said. "(We're) not soliciting, going out there and making calls. There have been X amount of teams that have already started to call. Everything’s intriguing this time of year."

The belief is that the Vikings will select Matt Kalil with the third overall pick later this week, but coach Leslie Frazier may be trying to throw teams off their trail. "You've got to really weigh your options," Frazier said. "Because the philosophy (in the NFL) has always been to get the game-changer. And left tackle is not necessarily the game-changer. Usually game-changers are the guys who can score you points. Receivers. Quarterbacks. So what are we measuring that left tackle against? It's a loaded debate."

Jerome Simpson's visit to the Vikings over the weekend went "incredibly well," but there's no real timetable in the wide receiver's decision, according to a report. Both sides are interested in a potential deal after the four-year veteran visited with Minnesota over the weekend.

A Minnesota Senate committee narrowly approved a public subsidy on Friday to help the Vikings build a new football stadium. The development revives the team's struggling effort just hours after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell visited the Capitol to jump-start what had been a stalled stadium debate. The Senate's Local Government and Elections Committee passed the bill on an 8-6 vote after a hearing that stretched nearly four hours. While the stadium bill still faces a long haul in the waning days of Minnesota's legislative session, the committee's vote gave the $975 million stadium proposal new life four days after a companion bill's defeat in a House committee sparked near panic among supporters.

The Vikings will host free-agent wide receiver Jerome Simpson for a visit on Saturday, according to a source. The Rams have maintained interest in Simpson, other teams have called as well, while the Bengals haven't ruled out bringing him back.

The Vikings have narrowed down their list of choices for the No. 3 pick in next week's NFL draft to three players. Vikings GM Rick Spielman, according to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, has submitted among his staff three names for consideration with the team's top pick -- USC left tackle Matt Kalil, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

Gov. Mark Dayton said Thursday that commissioner Roger Goodell and the owner of the Steelers will come to Minnesota to meet with state lawmakers and urge progress on the effort to build a new stadium for the Vikings. Dayton said he'd convene a Friday meeting in his office with Goodell, Art Rooney and the Legislature's four caucus leaders. Rooney leads the NFL's stadium committee.