Vikings Draft Trade Trends Since Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Became GM
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah likes to trade. Quite a bit, in fact.
Assume, though, that we’d like to take the basic observation a step (or two) further. Shrink things down to the Vikings draft and what the GM has done since taking over, as least when it comes to swaps. What kind of trends and tendencies have developed over the years?
The Vikings Draft Trade Trends with GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Before going any further, a quick look under the hood. All of the trade information is arriving courtesy of PurplePTSD’s Complete Kwesi Trade Tracker (go ahead and check it out if you haven’t already).
From there, progress to some basics as we build things out.
Mr. Adofo-Mensah has orchestrated twenty-seven trades in his time as the top executive. On a draft level, Mr. Adofo-Mensah has put together twelve trades. The lone caveat to note within that observation is that one of those draft trades didn’t occur during the actual event. Instead, is was the one on March 15th, 2024 where he sent a pair of 2nds in exchange for Houston’s 1st (with a couple lesser picks being involved).
That was the move that equipped the Vikings with a pair of 1sts — No. 11 and No. 23 — and then no shortage of online speculation about jumping into the top five.
Now, the next step is to observe that the trades during the drafts have been declining. In 2022, Adofo-Mensah put together six trades; that number was cut in half in 2023, dropping down to just three. Last year — the 2024 NFL Draft — Adofo-Mensah had just a pair of trades.
The 2024 pair of trades both went in the same direction: jumping up to grab a coveted player at a premier position: quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 and then edge rusher Dallas Turner at No. 17. Otherwise, the other two drafts have featured a mixed bag, moving both up and down.
The most basic takeaway is simply that he’ll move in either direction depending on how he views his board.
Are there any teams he likes to do business with? Glad you asked. Consider the teams Adofo-Mensah has swapped picks with in his time as the GM: the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts (X2), Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders (X2), San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, New York Jets, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Note: we’re just talking about the draft.
For whatever it’s worth, Adofo-Mensah used to call San Francisco and Cleveland home, potentially making them easier to work with due to preexisting relationships.
Oh, and another thing: nine of the twelve draft trades have been done with AFC teams. But, to be sure, he’ll do business closer to home. If he’ll forfeit twenty draft spots in the opening round in a deal with the Lions, Adofo-Mensah will do trades with NFC teams.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is moving into the 2025 NFL Draft with just four draft picks. The major dent in the draft capital is due to the move for Dallas Turner, a trade that meant sacrificing the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in 2025. Good chance the Vikings draft involves at least a single trade back — but maybe more — to put more picks into the GM’s pocket.
Working in the Vikings’ favor is the simple fact that the roster is sitting in pretty good shape. If a game were played tonight, the team would be quite competitive (assuming McCarthy is for real). In other words, the team genuinely could take a best-player-available approach even if a corner early may be ideal.
Tune in to the draft from April 24th to 26th to see how it all shakes out. Even better, keep swinging by PurplePTSD. We’ll have you covered with what you need to know about the three-day event and its ramifications for the Minnesota Vikings moving forward.
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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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.