Double Trade Back Predicted for Vikings
We are into April, and the mock drafts, trade ideas, and draft takes are ramping up. The Minnesota Vikings only hold four draft picks in the 2025 draft, which has led to much speculation about what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will do with the Vikings’ 24th overall pick.
Double Trade Back Predicted for Vikings
Pro Football Focus put out their trade idea this week, and PFF wants the Vikings to make a double trade back. Is such a move on the cards from the Vikings general manager?
Adofo-Mensah is no stranger to draft-day trades. In the three drafts he has presided over in Minnesota, the GM has shown that he isn’t afraid to move around the board. PFF has potential trades with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans, which will move the Vikings out of the first round. It will, however, turn one pick into four.
Trade terms:
- Eagles receive Pick No. 24; Vikings receive Pick Nos. 32, 96 and 161
- Titans receive Pick No. 32; Vikings receive Pick Nos. 35 and 120
PFF views the Vikings trading back as necessary, something I don’t wholly agree with. It is unquestionably an option that requires serious thought with Minnesota’s shortage of draft capital. The way the draft board is situated when the Vikings are on the clock should be a key component of any decision.
The first move on this list is almost necessary; Minnesota needs to trade back and gather more assets. The team holds just two selections within the first 100 picks (Nos. 24 and 97) and carries four picks in total. Although the Vikings were active in free agency, their developmental depth is a bit lacking, which will be the driving force behind this move.
Should Adofo-Mensah go down this route, it will be a complete U-turn from last year’s aggressive approach. PFF sees the possibility of Minnesota taking advantage of teams needing an edge rusher, an area where the Vikings are currently well-set with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner.
Situated at the No. 24 pick, the Vikings could maneuver down twice — once into the backend of the first round with a team eyeing key defensive help and again with a team looking to take advantage of the fifth-year option awarded to first-round selections. That would be the antithesis of their active approach during the 2024 NFL Draft, in which they traded up twice.
With many teams at the end of the first round in need of pass-rush help, Minnesota could field calls from the Lions, Ravens, Commanders, Bills, and Eagles, among others. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman could look to get aggressive to replenish his pass rush with a name like Donovan Ezeiruaku or James Pearce Jr., should they fall.
The positions that Vikings are expected to look at in this draft are defensive interior, guard, running back, safety, and cornerback. Should they trade back to 35, there should still be plenty of good options on the board for them.
Then, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could again look to leverage the team’s new draft slot and move back once more. Armed with the No. 35 pick, the Titans could sneak back into Round 1 to acquire more talent for, presumably, their rookie signal-caller selected No. 1 overall — something PFF’s Dalton Wasserman projected in his most recent mock draft.
Turning the No. 24 pick into a package that includes Pick Nos. 35, 96,120, and 161 would be an excellent outcome for Minnesota.
We will find out what Adofo-Mensah has up his sleeve on April 24 when this year’s draft gets underway at Lambeau Field. I wouldn’t say a trade back is guaranteed, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise. A haul like the one PFF suggests here might make it worthwhile.
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