Dark Horse Trade Partner Emerges for Vikings
The entire Minnesota Vikings draft puzzle begins with a central question.
Dark Horse Trade Partner Emerges for Vikings
Will the team’s general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, trade down on Thursday night or stay put at his organic 24th draft spot?
After that, predictions become markedly easier, as onlookers can determine which players will likely be available at No. 24 or later on the board with a trade.
And as Minnesota weighs its trade options, one team feels like a dark-horse contender for business — the New York Giants.
Vikings Could Trade with Giants at No. 34
The Giants have apparently exited the Shedeur Sanders sweepstakes with their No. 3 pick, on tap to choose Penn State EDGE rusher Abdul Carter — a wise choice.
But that doesn’t mean New York will have its quarterback problem solved. For now, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston will hold down the fort, only leading to corny sayings and dozens of interceptions. Wilson + Winston is a short-term repair.
Therefore, with no Sanders at the top of the draft, the Giants could target Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, a recent draft darling who has climbed into Round 1.
VikingsWire‘s Andrew Harbaugh outlined the trade idea this week: “If the Giants want to make a splash in the potential last year of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen’s tenure with the team, trading back into the first round does that. If Dart falls past the Steelers, then they may start calling teams like the Vikings to move up. The package here gives the Vikings three picks in the top 100, which returns them to where they would have been before trading up twice last year.”
He also claimed a trade might look like this: “Trade: Vikings send the 24th overall pick and a 6th-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Giants for the 34th, 65th, and 154th overall picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.”
Minnesota would be cooking with gas, showcasing six picks this week instead of four.
The Wild Social Media Evidence
If you fancy gossipy social media rumors, there is also this to heat up the Giants’ tea:
Schoen’s son was the young man who wanted his father to draft Jayden Daniels last year, evidenced in the HBO Hard Knocks documentary, but Schoen swerved and picked Malik Nabers.
Maybe he’ll listen to his kid this year — after the son Schoen stops tipping his dad’s plans on Instagram. What a world.
Mike Mayock’s Mock Draft
In a recent podcast, former Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock predicted a Giants-Vikings trade, too.
Mayock said, “The Giants are coming up from 34 to 24. They’re giving the first pick in the third round, which is No. 65, to Minnesota, and in return for that, they’re taking Jaxson Dart, quarterback, Ole Miss.”
SI.com’s Joe Nelson elaborated on the Mayock smoke: “The former NFL wide receiver and general manager didn’t elaborate on the Minnesota side of the deal, other than noting that “Minnesota only has four picks” entering the draft. Mayock’s prediction is similar to the one made by NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, who has the Giants moving up to 24 in a deal that would get Minnesota the pick Nos. 34, 97, and 105 from New York.”
“In Rich Hill’s trade value chart, the 24th pick is worth 740 points while picks 34 (560) and 65 (265) are worth a combined 825 points. By the math, New York’s two picks, when combined, are 11.5% more valuable No. 24. With that, we can conclude that Mayock’s proposal is probably a fair representation of what it might cost New York to move up to 24.”
A Minnesota-New York deal really isn’t that far-fetched.
Let’s Face It — Giants Need a QB
New York offloaded Daniel Jones last season — he ironically landed in Minnesota for a couple of months — ending its trial with the mediocre passer. Meanwhile, the Giants’ front office and coaching staff are presumably on the hot seat.
They absolutely must leave the draft with a quarterback-of-the-future plan, especially after bowing out of the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes.
New York may have to leapfrog the Los Angeles Rams at No. 26, a club that could use a Matthew Stafford send-off strategy. Minnesota is the perfect dance partner for the swap at No. 24.
Don’t Forget the Browns
If the Giants trade fodder doesn’t materialize, well, don’t forget Cleveland at pick No. 33 — the top of Round 2, one pick ahead of New York.
Just like New York, perhaps to a greater extent, the Browns need a quarterback, too, to end the Deshaun Watson mess. They could call Minnesota as well.
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