Patient Vikings Well-Equipped for Mid-Round Success
BJ Reidell
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Thirty-two picks down, 221 to go.
Rick Spielman and the Minnesota Vikings began the 2017 NFL draft with eight selections — Nos. 48, 79, 86, 121, 129, 160, 199 and 232. Whether by choice or as a result of a failed trade attempt, the Vikings general manager will open the second round with the same eight-pick collection.
Draft selections are no ordinary resource, however. Each pick is assigned a numeric value (chart below) based on how close it is to the top of the list and the round in which it falls. While these figures establish a base point for trade negotiations, they do not account for situational influence.
Draft Pick Value Chart — Courtesy of NBC Sports
For example, No. 1 overall picks, from a general standpoint, are assigned a value of 3,000 points in order to reflect a constant and significant value. This figure, while helpful in a general sense, suggests that all No. 1 overall picks are of equivalent worth. Applying situational context (IE: Year) to an objective figure (IE: 3,000 points) forms a subjective dynamic (IE: 2012 No. 1 Pick [Andrew Luck] vs. 2016 No. 1 Pick [Jared Goff]), effectively downgrading the draft value chart from canon to guidelines.
In summary, each pick is assigned a numeric value (constant) and a situational value (variable). This dynamic is the basis of what makes draft selections such a unique resource; their value is inherently ever-changing and the equation’s subjective element allows for independent evaluations and, subsequently, disagreement.
Spielman began Thursday evening with resources of insignificant relative value both individually and collectively. By the end of the night, however, these same eight picks had grown enough in value for the Vikings general manager to, in theory, engineer a trade if need be.
Minnesota, one of nine teams scheduled to make three (or more) picks in Rounds 2 and 3, will certainly be a much greater factor moving forward thanks largely in part to its conservative approach in Round 1. With plenty of outstanding prospects still up for grabs and a wealth of mid-round ammunition, the stage is set for Spielman and the Vikings to end their draft-week silence with a colossal bang.
Patience is a virtue, you know.
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