Vikings Should Trade Picks for a Sure Thing
The Minnesota Vikings’ lack of draft capital has been a consistent talking point in the lead-up to next week’s event. The only way they generate additional picks of substance is to move back from their first-round selection at 24th overall.
Vikings Should Trade Picks for a Sure Thing
They don’t need to trade that pick to grab veteran help elsewhere, but they should make any additional selections available for Jalen Ramsey.
Miami just indicated they are open to listening to offers for their superstar cornerback. He’ll carry a cap hit of more than $16 million this season, but that’s a number that Minnesota can handle. The number jumps to $25 million next season, but the Vikings could decide to move on for an $18 million cap hit.
The reality is that a third, fifth, or sixth-round pick has very little possibility of becoming a player in the tier that Ramsey sits. That’s before even considering the draft history of Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Ramsey will be 31 years old this season, but he started all 17 games last year for Miami. He has no extensive injury history and has consistently been a lockdown cornerback. He picked off a pair of passes last year and had 11 passes defended.
If the Dolphins are looking to shed the salary and get a nominal amount of draft capital in return, then a fifth and sixth would hardly be detrimental. The first-round pick won’t come into play, and that’s an opportunity for the Vikings to recoup additional selections. They also should not need to give up their third for Ramsey.
Should the Vikings work out a trade in the lead-up to the draft, it would take cornerback off the list of positions they should be considering. Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers can start, but they need another quality option to replace Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore. Ramsey is still better than both of those players, and he would provide a substantial boost to Brian Flores’ defense.
Ramsey has won at the highest level, and he has a gaggle of individual accolades as well. Hoarding picks hoping to develop a prospect into something they likely won’t be does no good. Capitalize on the moment now and get it done.
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Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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