Your Vikings Draft Party Thursday Night Could Mean Nothing
Dustin Baker
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Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah kicks off his second draft as the team’s boss Thursday night, and a generalized enigma shrouds the event.
The team could select a quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver, defensive lineman, or linebacker, and few would be surprised.
Your Vikings Draft Party Thursday Night Could Mean Nothing
And to commemorate the night, Vikings fans will gather at each other’s homes, bars, and even a team-hosted event. But here’s the deal: there’s a reasonable chance those parties mean nothing regarding new players.
Why? Well, the Vikings, under two brands of leadership with Rick Spielman and Adofo-Mensah, have traded back from a 1st-Round pick in three consecutive drafts — and 2023 could be no different. The “Thursday night could mean nothing part” alludes to the possibility of two trades before the Vikings even make a pick, with Adofo-Mensah wheeling and dealing out of Round 1 into Round 2 for the first rookie selection.
It’s not a far-fetched idea.
Minnesota has just five draft picks on the itinerary, and the simplest way to increase draft capital is trading back from No. 23. Adofo-Mensah might trade with a team like the New Orleans Saints at No. 29 — and pick up the phone and trade again with, for instance, the Houston Texans at pick No. 33. He could add two more mid-round lottery tickets while remaining on the outer fringe of Round 1 at No. 33.
If you think the theory is manure, examine Adofo-Mensah’s habits last year. He was brazen enough to trade down 20 spots — with a division rival, no less — and he wouldn’t lose any sleep flipping around the board a couple of times while sacrificing the precious sanctity of drafting a player in Round 1. Should the Vikings believe the draft’s sweet spot is from picks 20-100 for value, then it makes sense to pile the grocery list into that range.
So, yes — this would mean all draft parties are just for vibes, potentially deprived of a new player on Thursday night. The consolation is a bonanza of picks on Friday and Saturday, so maybe draft parties can seep into To Be Continued territory.
There is one saving grace, though, pouring cold water on the theory. At the Vikings pre-draft press conference two weeks ago, Adofo-Mensah seemed to imply quantity of picks isn’t necessarily his target, “It’s not necessarily about the number of picks. It’s about the impact of those picks that you have.”
“So, if you can find an impact player with your first pick or whatever, you don’t have to trade back to get two players who might not add up to that same impact,” he added.
Trading out of the 1st Round is assuredly no guarantee. But for the team with comparatively low draft capital, the only natural alternative — outside of trading existing players on the roster — is trading back in a domino effect.
You’ve been warned. The Wall Street GM could do Wall Street things.
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.
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