Vikings Assigned Pedestrian Grade for Latest Trade
Dustin Baker
|
Few saw it coming, but the Minnesota Vikings pulled off a trade late Sunday night with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, gaining a 2024 6th-Round pick for the draft cabinet in exchange for OT Vederian Lowe.
Vikings Assigned Pedestrian Grade for Latest Trade
Lowe gains a chance at meaningful regular season playing time in the AFC East, and the Vikings have a bit more draft capital to spend next April.
And in the immediacy of the trade, CBS Sports was quick to assign “grades” for the swap, handing the advantage to the Patriots before any regular season games or drafts occur to adjudicate the transaction. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin claimed New England received the better deal with a B- mark, and the Vikings fetched a C-.
Benjamin wrote about the Patriots side of the deal, “Hey, it’s something, right? Whereas Sunday’s earlier trade netted a lineman with zero game-day experience, Lowe has at least taken snaps in four games, including at left tackle. There was also a time this summer he appeared poised to play a key reserve role for a Vikings team that employs a pair of solid bookends. For a sixth, why not? They need all the help they can get.”
Lowe played in four Vikings games in 2022, tabulating 33 offensive snaps and experiencing action on 20 special teams plays. The 6’6″ 320-pounder saw playing time against the Lions, Colts, Giants, and Bears to round out the season.
For the Vikings, Benjamin opined, “Recouping a sixth for a 2022 sixth-rounder is solid, considering Lowe may have ridden the bench all year anyway. But by all accounts, this was a beloved locker-room story with unteachable traits at 6-foot-6 with second-level athleticism. In other words, Lowe offered upside at a position of importance. They must be comfortable with the other depth pieces in place.”
Trading Lowe to the Patriots all but guaranteed a roster spot for veteran Oli Udoh, who some Vikings-themed analysts tossed on the roster bubble — despite his 76.8 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus last year. The Vikings almost must sign an extra OT sometime soon or slide offensive lineman Blake Brandel back to tackle after a stint at guard this summer. We shall see.
Here’s the Vikings OT unit sans Lowe as of August 29th at 9:30 am CST:
- Christian Darrisaw
- Brian O’Neill
- Oli Udoh
And this is the Vikings current draft pick piggybank for 2024:
- 1st-Round Pick
- 2nd-Round Pick
- 4th-Round Pick
- 4th-Round Pick (from DET)
- 5th-Round Pick (from KC)
- 5th-Round Pick (from CLE)
- 6th-Round Pick
- 6th-Round Pick (from NE)
Generally speaking, most NFL trades are silly to grade until a few years after the swap.
Lowe turned 24 in April and was a Patriots fan as a youngster.
Chiefs Trade Former Vikings WR
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,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.