The Best-Case Scenario for the Vikings in the Draft
The Minnesota Vikings are mere hours away from revealing a much-anticipated draft class, one of the first times in recent memory that the club can use the event as an offseason cake-topper.
The Best-Case Scenario for the Vikings in the Draft
Usually, entering a Vikings draft, the team must fill at least one roster hole, so folks basically know what’s on the agenda for Round 1 or Round 2.
This time is different. Minnesota can pretty much choose any player from any position, without discordant complaints from the fan base. It has that luxury.
Still, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a best-case scenario on Thursday night: trading down the draftboard a handful of spots while still securing a premier defensive tackle talent.
A Slight Trade Down — but Premier DT Selection
Many fans prefer the team to choose a defensive back, which is totally understandable. An offensive guard at Blake Brandel’s spot makes sense, too. But none outweigh the logic of a defensive tackle.
Before 2025 free agency, the purple team hadn’t employed an impactful three-technique defensive tackle since the days of Kevin Williams. That’s no exaggeration; it has been that long.
Of course, nose tackles like Linval Joseph performed wonderfully, but three-technique versions were not prioritized by Mike Zimmer, and as of late, Kevin O’Connell’s staff.
Kevin Williams left in 2013, nominating the here and now as an overdue period to draft a replacement. Shariff Floyd didn’t work out from the 2013 NFL Draft, and Minnesota stopped trying to find youthful DTs with high upside.
Why a Small Trade Down?
Listen, Adofo-Mensah has just four picks this week. That’s it. He traded a miniature version of the farm last year for the chance to choose outside linebacker Dallas Turner — his splashy defensive move after selecting Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy about an hour earlier.
If Minnesota must stick-and-pick at No. 24, that’s fine. Players like Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas), Grey Zabel (iOL, North Dakota State), Kenneth Grant (DT, Michigan), or Omarion Hampton (RB, North Carolina) would be phenomenal choices at No. 24.
Let’s assume, though, that those talents will be wiped off the board. Adofo-Mensah should trade down to No. 30, 31, or 32, with the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, or Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. Based on most trade calculators, he could grab an extra 3rd- and 4th-Rounder by sliding down six to eight spots.
Thereafter, with any luck, the aforementioned Grant, Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss), or Derrick Harmon (DT, Oregon) should be on the board — one of them, at least.
Why a Defensive Tackle?
Six weeks ago, Adofo-Mensah signed Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave from free agency, two fantastic additions to prioritize the defensive trenches. The Eagles just won a Super Bowl, largely because of their defensive line depth, and Minnesota is hoping to replicate the strategy.
But Allen and Hargrave are not young.
The pair will probably represent a 2-3 year solution, along with fellow purple DTs Harrison Phillips and Jalen Redmond.
The Vikings need a young defensive tackle in the pipeline, a player who can develop behind Allen and Hargrave and snatch defensive snaps when injuries rear their ugly head.
In a draft that can be about pure roster gravy, Adofo-Mensah should invest in the defensive line’s interior after onboarding Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner in 2024, an outside-in strategy in back-to-back offseasons.
Go full tilt into the defensive line, particularly with a young three-technique DT like Grant, Nolen, or Harmon.
The Alternatives
If Minnesota disagrees with this plan — it might — few will complain about an offensive line selection, probably a guard like Grey Zabel, Tyler Booker (Alabama), or Donovan Jackson (Ohio State). Kevin O’Connell and friends surrendered an NFL playoff record 9 sacks in January during a loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The offensive trenches need love, too.
A cornerback would also check some boxes, and a litany of late-Round-1 and early-Round-2 corners will be available on Thursday night.
But no option makes quite as much sense as a young, hungry defensive tackle.
Avoiding a Major Slide Down the Board
In 2022, new to the job, Adofo-Mensah got too cute — tried to do too much — by trading too far down. He chose Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth, now two punchlines in Vikings’ lore.
It may be tempting to trade down about 20 spots or so while stockpiling oodles of 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-Rounders. But Adofo-Mensah should ensure that one premium 1st-Rounder joins the depth chart.
Cine and Booth prove that more lottery ticket scratches can turn utterly disastrous. Quantity over quality cost him dearly in 2022. Pull up Kyle Hamilton’s PFF scorecard for more details.
Blend both worlds. Trade down a bit. Draft a defensive tackle.
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