Vikings Gain a Couple of Draft Picks

4 Potential Trade Partners for the Vikings in the NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, after a 20-17 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 9 of the 2022 regular season.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the general manager of the purple team, selected wide receiver Jordan Addison in his second draft in charge. Addison will be an instant impact player from Week 1 and help Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins facilitate a dynamic passing attack.

Addison is the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner as the best receiver in the nation. In the second and third rounds of the draft, Adofo-Mensah had only one draft pick, the 87th overall.

Vikings Gain a Couple of Draft Picks

Vikings Gain a Couple of Draft Picks
Nov 20, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks with head coach Kevin O’Connell prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports.

The second move of Adofo-Mensah’s second draft is not a selection but a trade. The 49ers, his former employer, and the GM facilitated a trade. He sent pick number 87 to Califonia and received picks 102, 164, and 222.

Minnesota still has a few holes to fill, and the more player the team selects, the better the chance that one of them is actually good. They entered the draft with only five selections, now they have seven, the usual number.

Hockenson Chatter
Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) reacts after a play against the New York Giants during the second quarter of a wild card game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

The Vikings have so few picks because they have already spent some of them. T.J. Hockenson cost the Vikings their second-rounder, Akayleb Evans was drafted after a trade for the fourth-rounder, Ross Blacklock cost a sixth-rounder, and Jalen Reagor this year’s seventh-rounder.

According to the Fitzgerald-Spielberger trade chart, the Vikings almost double the value of their draft pick. They gave up 737 points and the 49ers sent 1,334 points in return. The Vikings received a third-rounder, a fifth-rounder, and a seventh-rounder for one third-rounder, a wonderful return.

Last year, the Vikings selected linebacker Brian Asamoah in the third round, the best in recent history was certainly Danielle Hunter in 2015.

Expect the Vikings to bring in another cornerback to a depleted room, a defensive lineman, and a linebacker. Even a quarterback could be on the menu later in the draft.

Vikings Draft Spotlight | Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Nov 19, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB of UCLA, is a great target if the Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell want a young passer to work with.

In Adofo-Mensah’s first draft, he traded six times, four times back, and twice up. It is very likely that he will facilitate some more trades in the next 24 hours.


Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt

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