The Vikings’ Draft Pick War Chest: A 3-Year Outlook
Another week, another resource to (hopefully) provide further clarity about where this organization finds itself. The Vikings’ draft pick war chest is our focus.
Initially, the focus was on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his trading ways. The complete Kwesi Trade Tracker was prompted by the Za’Darius Smith move. Letting the young GM to continue cooking without starting to keep track of trades would have quickly led to a situation that would be far too unruly. A couple more years of Kwesi’s prolific trading habits would have created a truly gargantuan task for the writer looking to parse through all the details.
Our task today is considerably less ambitious. Less tiny details and circuitous information for someone to get their foot snagged. In a perfect world, all the details below are correct – I’ve made an effort! – but my human frailty remains. If you see an error, feel free to send along a note to me on Twitter (@VikingsGazette).
The Vikings’ draft pick war chest is a 3-year look at Minnesota’s upcoming draft picks. These are assets that can be used to either acquire a player in the draft or via trade. Anyone looking for further clarity about how Minnesota arrived at where they are for their overall pick allotment can gain insight from the aforementioned trade tracker (found on PurplePTSD).
The Vikings’ Draft Pick War Chest
2026:
- 1st
- 2nd
- 3rd
- 3rd (Compensatory)
- 5th
- 5th (Compensatory)
- 7th
Subtractions: the team’s 4th-Round selection (Cam Robinson trade) and 6th-round selection (Cam Akers trade).
Commentary: No longer untouched, the draft capital allotment for 2026 still looks pretty beefy. Owning plenty of draft capital means the team is well-positioned to either re-stock the roster with their own selections and/or be more aggressive by shopping for trade acquisitions. Options aplenty for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. There was some potential for a 7th to be added, but Nick Korte notes that the conditions of that trade must not have been met.
2027:
- 1st
- 2nd
- 3rd
- 4th
- 5th
- 6th
- 7th
Subtractions: N/A
Commentary: Nothing to see here, folks. Or, at least, not yet. Before too long, the GM will likely start shuffling things around as he continues in his effort to improve the roster.
2028:
- 1st
- 2nd
- 3rd
- 4th
- 5th
- 6th
- 7th
Subtractions: N/A
Commentary: 2028 feels a long way off. Does it help to clarify the situation if we offer the humble reminder that the 2028 season is the one where Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have the decision to make as it relates to the 5th-year options for J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner?
Latest Update: Tuesday, May 20th, 2025.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
