How the Vikings Could Actually Trade Away their 1st-Round Selection
As the deadline nears, the speculation will increase.
Minnesota is working through the unenviable position of not having too many trade assets — draft picks — ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline. The Vikings are sitting on their 1st and then a pair of 5ths. Otherwise, there would need to be a reliance on the 2026 draft capital to facilitate a move, as we saw in the earlier Cam Akers deal. Any chance their 1st actually becomes available?
The Vikings and a Trade for their 1st
Keep in mind that the expectation is that Minnesota will be adding a 3rd-Round compensatory selection due to the offseason’s free agency results. That will be a good pickup for Minnesota but it won’t help them when it comes to the deadline.
Nay, Minnesota will need to roll with the assets that are already in-house. Namely, the draft picks. Of course, they could always ship out a player, but that’s something that’s unlikely to materialize given how well they’re playing (or, at least, how well they were playing). Much more likely is a decision to move draft capital.
Undoubtedly, the most attractive trade chip is their 1st-Round pick. Would it actually get moved?
In theory, Adofo-Mensah could keep that selection so that he can snag an impact player. Even if the pick falls somewhere in the 20s, it’s still supremely valuable. Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, and Jordan Addison can tell you all about it.
Even better is the trade possibility that exists in the future. If, for instance, the GM gets to his pick and decides that more draft selections would be preferable, there’s a good chance he could trade down to pile up more picks. Obviously, shipping out the 1st at the trade deadline would nullify that potential outcome.
Let’s assume, though, that someone becomes available who is too good to pass up. So good, in fact, that the GM would even consider parting with his 2025 1st. Would he actually make the move?
The answer from yours truly is nothing more than an educated guess, but allow me to say “yes.” The key will rest in the return.
Not only would Adofo-Mensah want a star player, but he may also want a lesser draft pick. After all, that’s the path he pursued when acquiring T.J. Hockenson. That deal involved shipping out a 2nd and a 3rd — no small fee — for the talented tight end. Detroit snagged some good draft capital and then had the benefit of not needing to pay him major money in the future.
Keep in mind, though, that Hockenson didn’t arrive alone. The TE1 was carrying a couple of 4th-Round selections in his back pocket. In effect, Minnesota lessened the value of their draft capital instead of outright forfeiting their draft capital. The distinction is very important. Minnesota got to keep working with the same amount of picks, they just arrived a bit later on.
The thinking, then, is that history could repeat itself. Ship out the 1st for a star player alongside a 2nd or a 3rd. Doing so would leave Minnesota with the same number of selections, lessening the value of their draft capital but not diminishing their total number of picks.
The NFL trade deadline takes place on November 5th.
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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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
