Vikings Draft Theory Picks up Steam
NFL free agency kicks off in 11 days with the league’s “legal tampering” period, and the Minnesota Vikings have roughly $63 million to spend.
Vikings Draft Theory Picks up Steam
The 2025 NFL Draft will occur on April 24-26, and Minnesota has just four picks entering the event.
And as of late, one Vikings draft theory has picked up common-sense steam: trading out of the 24th pick to accumulate more selections.
The franchise has more than one roster need, including cornerback, interior defensive line, interior offensive line, running back, and perhaps safety, meaning there’s a handful of holes to patch, and adding more darts for the draftboard might check out.
Jackson McIntire, formerly of Pro Football Focus, tweeted Tuesday, “Based on what I heard, it sounds like the Vikings want to trade down on draft night unless a significant value falls to them.”
For starters, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has these four draft picks on the menu for 25:
- Round 1
- Round 3 (Compensatory)
- Round 5 (Za’Darius Smith trade to CLE)
- Round 5
Slim pickings.
While trading back doesn’t necessarily secure more capital on trade value charts, it would hand Minnesota more tangible selections. Adofo-Mensah could flip the 24th overall pick into two or three players instead of one.
If the Vikings want more young players on the roster, trading back from No. 24, assuming they have confidence that they can hit on Round 2 and 3 players, is the savviest option.
The Vikings are in this spot because they surrendered a haul of draft capital for the pick that grabbed outside linebacker Dallas Turner last year.
Adofo-Mensah gave up pick No. 23, pick No. 167, a 2025 3rd-Round pick, and a 2025 4th-Round pick in exchange for pick No. 17. And before that, he sent his 2024 2nd-Rounder to the Houston Texans to move back into Round 1 — for the pick that later landed Turner.
The Vikings paid a 2nd-, 3rd-, and a 4th-Rounder, plus six spots in Round 1 for Turner.
That’s where the 2025 draft class went — Dallas Turner.
Meanwhile, trade scenarios for the hypothetical trade back aren’t an exact science, but a few coherent theories exist. Pro Football Focus described a possible Vikings draft like this in a recent mock draft: “Trade terms: Patriots receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 24); Vikings receive 2025 second-round pick (No. 38), 2025 third-round pick (No. 77).”
A deal might also look like this:
— Vikings Get: 2nd-Rounder, 3rd-Rounder, 4th-Rounder (Picks 36, 88, 125)
— Jaguars Get: Vikings No. 24 Pick
Minnesota can shimmy between 25 and 32 from Round 1 or embark on Round 2 while grabbing a 3rd-Rounder. That’s what the trade math indicates, anyway.
The draft is still eight weeks away, but fans should start warming up to a trade back. It’s too sensible to ignore.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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