Should the Vikings Trade Down in the Draft?
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has presided over three drafts as the Minnesota Vikings general manager. He has gone down all three possible scenarios in those three drafts: trading back in 2022, sticking and picking in 2023, and trading up multiple times in 2024.
Should the Vikings Trade Down in the Draft?
In the 2025 draft, should the Vikings be looking to trade back? As with most things, it’s not a simple yes or no answer.
Adofo-Mensah only has four draft picks to work with in this year’s draft, the least of any team. Most of this year’s draft picks went toward the Dallas Turner trade in last year’s draft. The general view is that Minnesota needs more draft picks for youth in the pipeline.
Adofo-Mensah has succeeded with undrafted rookies, most notably Ivan Pace, and players such as Gabriel Murphy, Bo Richter, and Dwight McGlothern. The Vikings hope to continue to find players via that route, but they will probably want to add at least one more draft pick.
Any hopes of trading away veterans that were surplus to requirements like Garrett Bradbury didn’t materialize, though they did receive a 2026 third-rounder from Houston for Ed Ingram. With the notion of being competitive again this season,
I don’t foresee Minnesota being open to trading any of their starters at this juncture. The obvious and most interesting idea is for Adofo-Mensah to trade out of the 24th overall pick. Will he pick the best player available at No. 24 or look for the most possible trade value and accumulate picks? Let’s look at the pros and cons of each situation.
Picking at 24
The draft is a lottery. You never know which players will work out, but the likelihood of finding a quality player is, of course, greater at the top of the draft. Guys that go in the first round do so for a reason. Teams also get a fifth-year option with first-round selection, something they don’t get for players in other rounds. Giving them greater security with the player they select.
Generally, you should look for quality over quantity in the draft. However, four draft picks is a miserly number and the need for adding young players to fill out the roster is a real one. The only way Minnesota can add more picks in the top 100 is by trading out of 24.
They could, however, add more late-round picks in other ways, including using picks from next year as trade weight. A big part of the decision will come down to how the draft board lies when the Vikings are on the clock at 24.
If a player is on the board that Minnesota views as too good to pass up, they should take them. Who those players are is very much down to opinion. In my eyes, the two that stand out are Kenneth Grant and Jahdae Barron when it comes to names that may possibly be in play at 24 – unless one of the top prospects has a very surprising fall. Outside of that, there should be good value in trading back.
Trading Back
When you look at the positions that the Vikings might be most interested in – IDL, IOL, S, CB, RB – there should be plenty of good options in the late first and early second rounds. If there isn’t a name jumping off the page when they are on the clock at 24, then a trade back could well offer the best value. If Adofo-Mensah decides to go down that route, then how far should the Vikings move back? Pro Football Focus has already mooted the idea of Minnesota trading back twice and entirely out of the first round.
I’m not wild on that idea, preferring Adofo-Mensah to keep hold of a first-round selection if he does trade back. Adding a late Day 2 pick is plenty, and any maneuvering to add on Day 3 should be done without sacrificing a first-round pick.
The question for Minnesota is how much they value the fifth-year option. Adofo-Mensah, who has yet to sign an extension to his contract, which will expire after next year’s draft, is thinking more short-term. He might not value it so highly.
I don’t expect any early movement. We should find out what the Vikings’ ideas are on draft day. When they know who’s available to them, there’s the possibility of a trade with a team that has its heart set on a player, giving Adofo-Mensah the chance to get optimal value for his pick.
Should the Vikings be looking to trade back? It’s not a simple yes or no, but the perfect scenario would be a small trade-back while still getting one of their top targets in the first round.
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