The Vikings’ Draft Pick War Chest: A 3-Year Outlook

K. Joudry |

May 25, 2023

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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.

Vikings Trade Down from No. 87 — Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo‐Mensah during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

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

2024:

1^st & 1^st (Houston)
4^th & 4^th (Detroit)
5^th (Kansas City) & 5^th (Cleveland)
6^th (Carolina via Jacksonville)
7^th (Arizona) & 7^th (Denver via Houston)

Subtractions: The team’s 2^nd-round selection (Houston trade), 3^rd-round selection (T.J. Hockenson trade), 5^th-round selection (Jalen Reagor trade), 6^th-round selection (Joshua Dobbs trade), & 7^th-round selection (Nick Mullens trade).

Commentary: In recent months, there has been plenty of discussion about how differently things will look going into the ’24 season. Whoever remains on the team going into 2024 has fully become Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s and Kevin O’Connell’s.

The Most Obvious Sign that the Vikings May not Target a QB Early in the Draft — Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell throws a ball before a wild card game against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

As it stands, Minnesota has nine selections going into the 2024 NFL Draft. Given all the trade activity in Adofo-Mensah’s still-young GM career, it’s a notable total. After all, the Vikings said goodbye to draft picks while acquiring Jalen Reagor and Nick Mullens while moving around picks in the deals involving T.J. Hockenson and Joshua Dobbs.

2025:

1^st
3^rd
4^th
5^th & 5^th (Cleveland)
7^th (Pittsburgh, Conditional)

Subtractions: The team’s 2^nd-round selection (Houston trade) and then the 6^th– & 7^th-round selections (Za’Darius Smith trade).

Commentary: Signing Jesse Davis always seemed like an odd move. For a while, he was the favorite to win the RG job in 2022, but the Vikings eventually handed things over to Ed Ingram. Adofo-Mensah sought to regain some cap space and draft capital by shipping Davis off to Pittsburgh. The return was a modest conditional 7^th.

Oct 31, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Miami Dolphins guard Jesse Davis (77) looks to block Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes (55) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

The team is currently working with six picks. The notable detail, of course, is that the Vikings needed to part with their 2^nd to snag Houston’s 2024 1^st. Plus, Minnesota upgraded their late-round selections by moving Za’Darius Smith to Cleveland. There’s a void in the 6^th round but Minnesota’s leadership will welcome that given that they’re working with an extra 5^th-rounder.

2026:

1^st
2^nd
3^rd
4^th
5^th
7^th & 7^th (conditional – Rams)

Subtractions: The team’s 6^th-round selection (Cam Akers trade).

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers — Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers (31) looks to elude Carolina Panthers cornerback D’Shawn Jamison (29) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Commentary: No longer untouched, the draft capital allotment for 2026 still looks boring and bland. Some will insist that’s a good thing. 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.

Latest Update: Wednesday, March 20th, 2024.

Also Read on PurplePTSD:
Daniel Jeremiah “Chose Chaos” for Vikings, NFL in Latest 2024 Mock Draft