The Reliable Choice for a Vikings Draft Prediction
NFL free agency kicks off in 13 days with the league’s “legal tampering” phase, and the Minnesota Vikings have approximately $63 million to spend on internal and external free agents.
The Reliable Choice for a Vikings Draft Prediction
The 2025 NFL Draft will follow about six weeks later.
And while Vikings fans deliberate what the club might do during the draft — it has team needs including cornerback, interior defensive line, interior offensive line, running back, and perhaps safety — there’s one safe bet.
A Trade Back from No. 24
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has four draft picks on the docket in 2025:
- Round 1
- Round 3 (Compensatory)
- Round 5 (Za’Darius Smith trade to CLE)
- Round 5
And that’s it.
While trading back doesn’t necessarily accrue more capital on trade value charts, it would hand Minnesota more tangible picks. That is — 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 wisest option.
Why a Trade Back?
Minnesota surrendered a miniature version of the farm for the pick that netted 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 basically 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’s price tag.
What Might the Trade Back Look Like?
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 resemble this:
— Vikings Get: 2nd-Rounder, 3rd-Rounder, 4th-Rounder (Picks 36, 88, 125)
— Jaguars Get: Vikings No. 24 Pick
In essence, Minnesota can slide down some spots 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.
Overall, one should expect a trade back to be fully in play on draft night.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.