ESPN Insider Shares Some Vikings Draft Knowledge
The annual NFL Draft will kick off on Thursday. Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has only a few days remaining to prepare for the event, perhaps to finalize his draft board, and make some final calls to gauge the trade market.
ESPN Insider Shares Some Vikings Draft Knowledge
The Vikings pretty much enter the event with a lot of flexibility. A trade-back would secure more draft picks, but the 24th overall pick gives the franchise the best chance to find a difference-maker. Positions to attack could be the defensive and offensive lines and the secondary.
Adam Schefter, ESPN’s big-time newsbreaker, released an article on Monday called “What Adam is hearing,” and it included some Vikings nuggets.
Expect a UDFA Haul
The Vikings have four picks, but they’ve had a ton of success under this leadership in the UDFA market.
Schefter particularly mentioned the Vikings in his UDFA chapter, “One source predicted this is going to be one of the most talented lists of priority free agent (PFAs) in recent years. The class is filled with players who won’t get drafted but have draftable grades on them. It’s two COVID classes and underclassmen combined together. Prospects who normally are late-round picks now will go undrafted and become PFAs. The Vikings have only four picks, so they would figure to sign as many of these players as they could. The Falcons, who have five picks, also will be in the mix.”
Last year, the Vikings found valuable depth players in Bo Richter, Gabriel Murphy, Taki Taimani, and Dwight McGlothern. In 2023, Ivan Pace Jr. joined the club after the draft. Special teamers Ryan Wright and NaJee Thompson also arrived that way.
The ownership provides the cash, and the front office and coaching staff recruit the players. It’s been a way for the Vikings to add a couple of players that should’ve been drafted every year, and it’s a sneaky way to improve draft classes.
Trading Down Realistic Option
Speaking of adding draft picks, well, trading down in the first round is the obvious way to do that.
Schefter noted about the leaguewide trade actions, “One of the biggest reasons for the lack of movement is what evaluators perceive to be the lack of blue-chip quarterbacks; for most teams, there isn’t a quarterback outside of Cam Ward (Miami) worth trading up for. The Browns inquired about the possibility trading up from No. 2, and the Giants at No. 3 were even more persistent in their efforts to try to trade up for the top pick with Tennessee.”
Many believe there’s only one highly-regarded quarterback in this class, and that’s Miami’s Cam Ward, the presumed number one pick and new Titans QB.
“The Titans have resisted those overtures and are expected to hold on to their pick. The Steelers (No. 21) are among the teams interested in moving back from their first-round slot. That list also includes the Jaguars (5), Panthers (8), 49ers (11), Falcons (15), Seahawks (18), Buccaneers (19) and Vikings (24), who currently have four picks, the fewest any team.”
Those exact teams that tried to trade up for Ward – Giants and Browns – still need a quarterback and might be interested in moving up from the top of the second round to secure Jalen Milroe (Alabama) or Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) and who knows what will happen to Shadeur Sanders’ draft stock. The Vikings could leverage the QB-needy teams against each other.
Schefter remarked, “There has been, however, a lack of teams willing to trade up — at least so far. Denver is one of those: The Broncos have made inquiries about moving up in Round 1, according to sources. But there aren’t many others. This always could change when players start falling and teams are on the clock. Draft weekend is also a busy time for trades of players already on rosters.”
Other potential trade candidates for the Vikings are the Bills at 30, the Chiefs at 31, and the Eagles at 32. They are in a Super Bowl window, and if they view one guy as their final puzzle piece for a Super Bowl triumph, they could be willing to pay the price for the deal with Minnesota.
1 NFL Offseason Deadline Holds No Weight for the Vikings