EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The pick: After trading down one spot with the Cleveland Browns for the second time in three years, the Minnesota Vikings filled one of their biggest holes on defense by selecting UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr with the ninth overall pick.

My take: The Vikings needed an impact linebacker, and Barr certainly has the potential to fill that role. He's certainly raw (he played only 27 games at linebacker in college) and will need work to turn into the kind of disruptive force the Vikings are hoping to get at the position. But it's tough to argue with his physique -- he's 6-foot-4 and ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. His 15 repetitions in the bench press at the combine were the worst among linebackers, but he'll get stronger as he enters the league. It was important for the Vikings to get speed and athleticism in their linebacking group, and they've got it now.

Trading with Browns again: The Vikings acquired the 145th overall pick in the draft to move back one spot, trading with the Browns two years after they slipped back from No. 3 to No. 4 and took Matt Kalil. This time, the Browns moved up to get Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert after trading from No. 4 to No. 9. The Vikings now have nine picks in the draft; Spielman usually likes to have 10, but he's got extra flexibility now if he wants to make a move back up.

What's next: The Vikings have three picks on the second day of the draft -- Nos. 40, 72 and 96. They've traded back into the first round the past two years, though, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Rick Spielman make a deal later on Thursday night.