The Vikings’ Unorthodox Way to Add More Picks in 2025
Ask around and the most common idea to come up would be a trade down. If Minnesota wants more picks, then sell No. 24 in exchange for two or three picks further down the board.
Most definitely, that’s an option, one that could very plausibly take place. It’s worth remembering, however, that that isn’t the only option. When has Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ever constrained himself to simply having one option? The Vikings’ unorthodox way of adding another pick would be to dip into the 2026 collection of draft picks to help fortify 2025.
The Vikings’ Unorthodox Way to Add Picks in 2025
The idea received a bit of attention earlier in the week on PurplePTSD.
Go back to 2022, one of the worst drafts in Vikings history (and one that was a wild ride due to the six trades). Corner Akayleb Evans was falling down the board and Minnesota was hard at work with their effort to rebuild the secondary. Snagging No. 118 — the draft pick that got sunk into Mr. Evans — required Minnesota to hand over a pick in ’22 (No. 156) alongside a pick in ’23 (No. 126).
In theory, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could look to do something similar. Even more fascinating would be if he doesn’t have to ship out any present-day draft picks, instead acquiring a pick in ’25 for just ’26 draft capital.
We should remember that Adofo-Mensah has been working hard to add picks in 2026. He has being doing so by working the compensatory picks formula.
According to the estimate from Nick Korte, the Vikings will be adding a 3rd alongside another pick that could land in either the 4th or 5th. Not bad, right? Keep in mind, as well, that the 2026 allotment of draft capital is mostly intact, unlike the 2025 NFL Draft where only four picks are present (read more on those picks).
The Vikings, very plausibly, could see a player that they covet tumbling down the board from April 24th to 26th. If they don’t have a pick that’s going to come up soon, then maybe the GM dips into his future abundance as a way of addressing a present-day scarcity.
For the most part, the Vikings’ roster is looking strong, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t clear needs to pickup further reinforcements. One could certainly make the case for adding another defensive tackle, offensive lineman, safety, corner, linebacker, tight end, and running back (at the very least). Right now, only some of those needs can be addressed with draft picks currently owned by Minnesota.
Since becoming the GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has had plenty of misses in the draft. One could make a convincing case that the area where he struggles the most in the job is in the draft.
Nevertheless, there’s some evidence that Minnesota is beginning to turn the corner in this area, as evidenced by the contributions from Jordan Addison, Mekhi Blackmon, Ivan Pace Jr. (an UDFA), Dallas Turner, and Will Reichard. Others — Jalen Nailor, Jay Ward, Michael Jurgens, Walter Rouse, Levi Drake Rodriguez — could make the GM look better if they exceed expectations.
The real doozy, of course, is the pick that got sunk into J.J. McCarthy. That single selection could be what ends up defining Adofo-Mensah’s time as the Vikings’ GM.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings own the No. 24 pick. Alongside that top selection is a 3rd, 5th, and 6th. Forced to guess, I’d predict that Minnesota finds a way to add a couple more picks to the total before it’s all said and done. Trading down makes sense, but don’t overlook the possibility of reaching into the future to help in the immediate.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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.