A 3-Round Mock: Exploring How the Vikings Can Trade Up…Twice
K. Joudry
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As of early April, the most common theory is that the Vikings will package their picks to push to the very top of the 2024 NFL Draft (with some notable exceptions).
Part of the issue with pursuing that path is that Minnesota will pick very high — presumably, to snag a terrific quarterback — and then need to wait a long time before picking again. Right now, the Vikings own No. 11, No. 23, and then … No. 108. Making a move to get into the top 5 would mean waiting more than 100 selections before getting back onto the clock, so this mock exercise considers how the Vikings can lessen the wait (if only by a small amount).
Mocking Minnesota: How the Vikings Can Trade Up…Twice
With the help of PFF’s mock simulator, I was able to pursue a Vikings mock involving a trade up for a QB before then orchestrating a second trade to improve either the DL or OL.
The Vikings have a pile of work to do along their defensive line. In fact, both lines need work even if the DL has a more urgent need for reinforcements. One wonders, then, if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will feel the need to jump up into the late 3rd to snag a tumbling talent. After all, so much of the offseason has been about equipping Brian Flores with better talent (especially for his front seven).
Up top, though, the priority was quarterback.
The draft was just getting off the ground before Adofo-Mensah — the online mock draft version, at least — decided to construct a compelling trade offer. New England sent over No. 3 in exchange for No. 11, No. 23, and a 2025 4th. Minnesota sunk No. 3 into North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Truth be told, Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings would likely be thrilled by this outcome. Yes, losing the two opening-round selections stings, but keeping the 2025 1st is a major deal. Parting with a 4th and then the two present-day 1sts is pretty fair to snag a top-3 passer. Some may even say the cost was cheap.
So, Maye is now Minnesota’s future at quarterback. Pretty standard stuff, at least in the world of NFL mock drafts.
What’s a bit more unusual is to run through a trio of rounds, especially since the Vikings don’t have anymore picks left in RD1, RD2, or RD3. Next up is No. 108, which is at the top of the 4th. Adofo-Mensah, though, usually has a trick or two up his sleeve.
So as RD3 marched toward its end, the Vikings made a call to the Rams (the franchises have connections aplenty). Jumping from No. 108 to No. 99 cost Minnesota the 177th pick, more than worth it to get to the end of the 3rd.
And with that selection, the Vikings opted for T’Vondre Sweat, a huge defensive tackle from Texas. Consider the scouting blurb from PFF: “Sweat has the size that you can’t teach. At his best, he’s an impact, versatile interior defensive player, but weight and conditioning will determine how often that can be in the NFL.”
The Vikings don’t have a true nose tackle on the roster. Quite often, 3-4 defenses like to lean on an unusually large and powerful person to line up directly across from the center. The hope is that that player will be able to shut down a pair of gaps, such as the ones immediately to the left and right of the center (known as the A-gaps).
The NT needs to be able to soak up multiple blockers without giving up ground. Doing so effectively allows a linebacker to run free to gobble up tackles. Can Sweat be that player? If so, then the Vikings would be getting an absolute steal with the 99th pick. Keep in mind that his college alignment mostly commonly found him in the B-gap. An NFL coaching staff seems likely to look at his size and be keen about shifting him further inward.
The 6’4″, 362-pound Sweat is only 22. Josh Frey, managing editor of PurplePTSD, offers this assessment of the Texas tackle: “Sweat’s best trait is his ability to blow up running plays. When offensive linemen are forced to come at him rather than step back in pass protection, it’s game over.” Any chance Minnesota would welcome a player like that to partner with Harrison Phillips, Jaquelin Roy, and the rest of the crew?
The real NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25th. It will end on Saturday, April 27th. Don’t be surprised if Minnesota’s GM makes a move to get involved in the portion of the event — Round 2 & Round 3 — that takes place on Friday, April 26th.
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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 as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.