Let’s Talk about Draft Pick Trades

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Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Day 2 for the Vikings started with another controversial trade. They traded back with a division rival after doing the same thing in round one. Obviously, Vikings fans are up in arms about helping the Packers get a wide receiver.

However, we really need to take a deep breath and think about this. Take all of the emotions out of the deal and think about this as a financial deal. The Vikings are trading assets. It just happens to be with a divisional opponent.

Is this really a bad thing to do? Or do we perceive it as bad because of who the Packers selected? Would we have been able to prevent the Packers from drafting Christian Watson? What about the Lions? Could we have prevented them from drafting Jameson Williams?

Again, let’s break this down without emotions. We will start with the Lions.

Valuing the Lions Trade

The first deal that Kwesi made in his first draft was to trade with a division opponent. The Vikings traded picks 12 and 46 in exchange for picks 32, 34, and 66. Then with the 12th overall pick, the Lions selected Jameson Williams, who might be the best wide receiver of the 2022 class.

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jameson Williams. Syndication The Enquirer

The Vikings, on the other hand, passed up opportunities to draft Kyle Hamilton, Jordan Davis, Kaiir Elam, and Trent McDuffie. Although, they did draft Lewis Cine, who has great potential. Perhaps the difference between Kyle Hamilton and Lewis Cine is not as big as we fans want to believe.

If that is the case and Lewis Cine ends up being great, did the Vikings lose out on the trade? This is where the trade charts come into play. The answer: it’s mixed.

According to the traditional charts, the Vikings lost value in this trade. However, the new-age analytic charts have the Vikings winning by a wide margin. So, maybe we just call this one a draw? Or perhaps we save our decision on this for a couple of years and see how the players develop.

Either way, the Vikings probably could have gotten more from the Lions. But for now, they still got a safety if that’s what they wanted.

Kwesi Robbed the Packers in Round 2

Ok, now we get to where the real controversy begins. Kwesi decided to trade back in the draft with the Packers, who came up for Christian Watson. However, it is likely the Packers would do that no matter what.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

If the Vikings don’t say yes, who do they trade with? Or do they select Andrew Booth Jr., Roger McCreary, or Kyler Gordon? Either way, the Packers probably trade up with the Titans in the same deal to get Christian Watson. The Vikings were never going to stop that from happening.

So, Kwesi did the next best thing. He absolutely robbed the Packers. Every single trade chart has the Vikings winning this trade.

The Packers lost a second-round pick, and the Vikings gave up nothing in exchange. We still got our guy later in the draft.

Ask yourself this. If the Vikings would have traded back with any other team and still drafted the cornerback they were after, would you be mad? Or are you just upset because it was the Packers? If Kwesi will rob a team in a trade, wouldn’t you want it to be the Packers?

To sum this up, they probably should have gotten more from the Lions. But do we even take the Lions seriously? However, stealing tons of value from the Packers is a plus.


Mitch Massman is a life-long Vikings fan. His first heartbreak was the 1998 NFC championship game. His full-time job is as an economic development professional in rural Minnesota. He fantasizes about the Vikings winning a Super Bowl one day, but until then he will write about the Vikings. Follow him on Twitter @skol_vikings3

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