In a Vikings Draft Trade, Watch for the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jaguars
A Vikings draft trade doesn’t appear to be the leading theory. That title belongs to Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman, the athletic Duck who would get tasked with working as an air-traffic controller for Brian Flores. If, however, there’s a desire to move down, then a few teams jump off the page.
The NFL’s website offers a helpful listing of each team’s draft selections. Minnesota finds itself with the following picks: No. 18 (1st), No. 49 (2nd), No. 82 (3rd), No. 97 (3rd), No. 163 (5th), No. 196 (6th), No. 234 (7th), No. 235 (7th), and No. 244 (7th). Seeing the Vikings push the total higher wouldn’t be at all surprising, meaning the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jaguars look like nice trade partners.
A Vikings Draft Trade: Watch MIA, NE, & JAX
Moving down sometimes hits as a buzzkill.
Onlookers want to see elite, high-end talent grafted onto the roster. And, to be sure, there’s good reason for that desire. What needs to be remembered, though, is that Minnesota’s roster is aching for more youth all over the place. Indeed, this Vikings team is not a single piece away from contention but, rather, several pieces.
Moreover, there’s wisdom in the realization that excellent talent can be found later on, as the Vikings’ roster demonstrates. Some will quibble with the ranking, but consider the Vikings’ five best players alongside where they were picked:
- Justin Jefferson — No. 22, RD1
- Andrew Van Ginkel — No. 151, RD5
- Christian Darrisaw — No. 23, RD1
- Jalen Redmond — UDFA
- Brian O’Neill — No. 62, RD2
The point, folks, isn’t to get into a fight about the team’s best players. Instead, the idea is that great players can be found all over the place. In fact, there’s a pretty good case to be made that the Vikings’ sweet spot lately has been in the low-to-mid 20s since that’s where the team found Jefferson, Darrisaw, Jordan Addison, and Donovan Jackson.
Picking high increases one’s odds of landing that game-changing talent. Another way to increase the odds of choosing that talent is to increase the amount of picks a team makes. Sounds basic, but the rationale is worth highlighting: drafting ten players often gives a team a better shot at landing more starters than drafting five players.
As it relates to teams that could reasonably be interested in climbing, consider the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Dolphins are moving ahead with a vast array of draft selections and a terrible roster. Rebuilding will be made much easier if the freshly-signed QB1 Malik Willis plays like a strong QB1. Giving him a strong receiver (or tight end) would obviously help, so it’ll be fascinating to see if somebody like Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq or a promising WR could lead to a bold trade.
Check out the Dolphins’ draft picks:
- No. 11
- No. 30
- No. 43
- No. 75
- No. 87
- No. 90
- No. 94
- No. 130
- No. 151
- No. 222
- No. 238
No doubt, dropping down to 30th would sting. No doubt, the Dolphins have the firepower to make it worth the drop. Sitting on top of seven top-100 selections will make Miami a busy team. That’ll mean being busy drafting promising players and/or busy pulling off trades.
Likewise, the Patriots are sitting atop a huge amount of picks, though they don’t have the same ammunition over the opening trio of rounds. Even still, the No. 31 selection could theoretically get partnered with No. 63, No. 95, or some combo of the other eight picks to move up. Drake Maye needs more help at receiver.
Do the Steelers with their twelve picks — No. 21 being the highest — call? Kansas City is at No. 29 and then has seven more picks afterwards. They, too, need WR help.
Next up, consider the stockpile that’s sitting in Jacksonville:
- No. 56
- No. 81
- No. 88
- No. 100
- No. 124
- No. 164
- No. 166
- No. 203
- No. 233
- No. 240
- No. 245
The Vikings will be extremely reluctant — if not outright unwilling — to go from No. 18 to No. 56. A future 1st and more would be required. Does the calculus change if the decision is to go from No. 49 to No. 56?
Admittedly, the proposed move isn’t eye-popping in the same way that a 1st-Round trade generally is, but there could still be merit in the decision. Going from No. 49 to No. 56 could be lucrative enough to bridge the current chasm between the Vikings’ 97th and 163rd picks while tossing on a touch more.
Over and over again, Rob Brzezinski has articulated his desire to stack good decisions (his phrasing). If he was an MLB hitter, Brzezinski would be looking to make contact, get on base, and so on. Putting the ball sailing into the stands isn’t his focus. Instead, he’s chasing down steady, strong baseball.
The Vikings’ draft effort may therefore consist of small ball. Trade down, acquire more picks, and shore up an aging roster with plenty of young lads.
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