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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The plot is thickening on the Minnesota-Percy Harvin story.

As we discussed in the Weekend mailbag, the Vikings have spent a suspicious amount of time talking publicly about the Florida receiver/running back -- a trend that is especially notable considering how much lip service the Vikings annually give to passing over players with character questions.

	Charles Sonnenblick/Getty Images
	Percy Harvin would be a weapon on offense and special teams.

FOXSports.com reported this week that Harvin tested positive for drugs at the February scouting combine, news that has been rumored for weeks. But the story's latest twist came Thursday, when the National Football Post reported that Vikings coach Brad Childress met with Harvin on campus this week.

In separate interviews Thursday, Childress and Vikings vice president Rick Spielman refused to comment on the report. Each declined multiple opportunities to deny it happened, however.

Spielman acknowledged the Vikings have eliminated more than 78 players from their board for medical and/or character issues, but importantly he added that a positive drug test alone was not necessarily grounds for removal.

Spielman: "I'm going to just say that we look at each individual case. We look at history, look at character. So a red-dotted guy on our board can be one thing. It can be a combination of medical and character, character-only, medical-only. Other issues -- football character that we're looking for that doesn't fit what we want. It moves. It's not a set, etched-in-stone thing. You have to do your due diligence and I can guarantee you we're doing our due diligence on all this stuff before we make that decision to red-dot a guy or not."

Asked about the report of Childress' trip, Spielman said:

"Again, what I would say, if you're doing that, just in general, if a team is going out to do stuff, they're doing just some last-minute things. I know there are a couple teams that are out this week. You can't bring the players into the facility. That ended this week. So the only chance you have if there is something that popped up in a meeting or something that you definitely wanted to confirm, then you have to go out to where that players is. So a lot of teams will do that this time of year."

Speaking in general terms, Childress said he typically makes anywhere from two to four trips to visit college players during the draft season. He wouldn't talk specifically about Harvin, but noted the Vikings have added two players -- defensive end Jared Allen and nose tackle Fred Evans -- who ran into legal problems prior to joining the team. Neither has had any trouble since.

Childress: "Facts are facts. Sometimes you don't go by the facts. Sometimes people get second chances like a Jared Allen, like a Fred Evans."

I have believed the Vikings would be more likely to draft an offensive lineman with the No. 22 overall, but if you read between the lines Thursday, you could conclude the Vikings are seriously mulling the possibility of drafting Harvin. The drug test result means he almost certainly will be available, and his football skills are unique and exceptional on several levels. Director of college scouting Scott Studwell said the Vikings project him as a receiver as well as a kickoff and punt returner.

But Harvin represents a difficult decision for this franchise on many levels. Owner Zygi Wilf has made character one of the organization's highest priorities following an embarrassing run of off-field issues earlier this decade, and Childress has spoken often about creating a culture of accountability. At the very least, drafting Harvin would represent a test of that philosophy.