NFL.com Foresees a Vikings Trade Up the Draft Board

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell at a Minnesota Timberwolves game in 2022.

Put those Minnesota Vikings “trade-down” theories to rest for a little bit because NFL.com is predicting the inverse.

Because Minnesota has paltry trade capital (five draft picks) — on top of the fact general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded down last year — oodles of Vikings loyalists believe the club will trade back from its No. 23 pick on April 27th.

NFL.com Foresees a Vikings Trade Up the Draft Board

But Chad Reuter from NFL.com isn’t buying it, instead forecasting a glistening trade up to the No. 10 spot with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Foresees a Vikings
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports.

Reuter published an article Monday profiling five splashy draft trades, and Minnesota made the cut. He maintained the Vikings will trade their 1st-Round and 3rd-Round pick from this year’s draft, plus a 1st-Rounder from 2024, to the Eagles for their 10th overall pick in three weeks.

He explained the rationale, “Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell might covet one of the top quarterback prospects in the class, with the idea that said prospect will take over for Kirk Cousins, who turns 35 in August and is headed for free agency after the 2023 season. Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman has made at least one trade involving a first-round pick in all but one of the past seven drafts.”

Trade for Vikings in
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

“If the Eagles aren’t interested in something like the above deal, the Vikings could still call other teams in the middle of the first round if they like one of the available signal-callers,” Reuter continued.

If the Vikings pull off the Reuter trade or anything close to it, they’d be in possibly prime territory to draft Anthony Richardson (Florida) or Will Levis (Kentucky) to lead the charge at QB1 after Kirk Cousins presumably departs in 2024. Cousins usually lands an extension during the offseason, but 2023 was different. He and the Vikings could not find middle ground, so for now, he’ll play out the final year of his contract in 2023.

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports.

It’s unlikely that both Richardson and Levis will be available at the No. 10 spot, but one could somewhat easily fall. Some recent mock drafts even predict Levis falling all the way to the Vikings organic 23rd spot.

Reuter detailed the Vikings theorized plan for life after Cousins, comparing Minnesota to the 2017 Kansas City Chiefs, “Kansas City had a solid veteran on the roster (Alex Smith) when trading up — a similar situation to the one in which Minnesota finds itself. Not that I’m projecting Levis or Richardson to be as successful as Mahomes, but they both certainly have the potential to be longtime starting quarterbacks in the NFL.”

Kirk Cousins Riddle
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

The Vikings and Eagles finagled a trade eight months ago involving Jalen Reagor and draft picks.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.

Share: