One Team in Particular Makes Sense for Vikings Draft Trade into Top 3
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings own the 11th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, thanks to a 7-10 season in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s second year.
One Team in Particular Makes Sense for Vikings Draft Trade into Top 3
The 2023 campaign swirled down the toilet after a Week 10 win over the New Orleans Saints. Minnesota climbed to a 6-4 mark, with the postseason in clear view, but its quarterback carousel sunk the franchise. Kirk Cousins was injured in Week 8, and between Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall, the Vikings could never quite mimic Cousins’ upper-echelon production.
Now, that same player, Cousins, could be on the cusp of joining another team. He’s scheduled to hit free agency in four weeks, and if no extension is finalized with the Vikings soon, Cousins will strut to the open market for the first time since 2018. Then, Minnesota would need a quarterback, and a trade up the draftboard might be necessary.
And if Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pulls off a splashy trade on draft night, the New England Patriots feel like the team to contact.
Why? Well, New England has a litany of roster holes, and with new leadership — Bill Belichick left after a quarter century in January — the Patriots could begin team-building through the draft. New head coach Jerod Mayo currently holds the third overall pick in the draft, and if the Vikings inquire, the spot could be prime territory to draft North Carolina’s Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels from LSU.
Heading into the 2024 offseason, with a new general manager and head coach, New England arguably has these roster holes to address:
- Quarterback
- Wide Receiver
- Wide Receiver
- Offensive Tackle
- Offensive Tackle
- EDGE Rusher
Those roster spots aren’t menial, meaning multiple draft picks might be required to get the ball rolling. What’s the easiest way to acquire draft capital? Trade back in Round 1.
In theory, the Vikings could send a trade package akin to this for the Patriots’ third-overall pick:
- 2024 1st Rounder (11th)
- 2025 1st Rounder
- 2024 2nd Rounder
- 2025 2nd Rounder
That haul would weaponize and accelerate New England’s roster construction, enabling Mayo and Co. to use four picks in the next two years for the price of one. A naysayer might counter, “Why would the Patriots pass on the chance to draft Maye or Daniels if they need a quarterback?” Well, New England would still own the Vikings’ 11th overall pick and could, in theory, draft J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) or Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), for example.
Minnesota, on the other hand, seems like it’s “a quarterback away” from effectuating its long-term strategy — completing a competitive rebuild. On paper, New England is just beginning its version of a rebuild.
The NFL Draft is 10 weeks away.
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.
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