Three Trade Down Mocks for the Vikings

Rick Spielman
Jun 11, 2019; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman during a press conference following practice at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

People know that the Vikings like to trade down, and many of the mock drafts reflect this reality. We recently joined the mock draft fun. Rather than snagging a RD2 pick by trading down, though, we traded up from the third to hop into the second. It’s definitely possible Rick Spielman trades up, but the safe money rests in trading down. As a result, we’re once again relying on PFF’s mock draft simulator. We’ve put together three mocks where we traded down. This is how it worked out.

Mock #1: NYG’s 42 and 2022 1st

There was one team interested in trading with me when the draft got to #14: the New York Giants. In my ideal world, the Vikings won’t completely trade out of RD1 in the 2021 draft. If they do, they need to get significant compensation.

In exchange for pick #14 and #143, New York sends us pick #42 in this year’s draft and then their 2022 first. When pick #42 arrived, I was left with several intriguing options, but I ended up choosing LB Nick Bolton. PFF gave me an A- grade for the move. Frankly, I’m not in love with the pick simply because there is so much concern about the OL. That being said, Anthony Barr is a free agent next offseason, so the linebacker position will be thin sooner rather than later.

The real intrigue to me is the future 1st. I’m not confident in New York’s ability to play well this upcoming season. In fact, I think they’ll do poorly. If they do, Minnesota could end up with a top-10 pick in next year’s draft.

Mock #2: Miami’s 18, 36, and 231

This one was painful. Kyle Pitts and Rashawn Slater both fell to #14. It was really difficult to not pick one of these players. I had five trade offers available to me. Two of the teams were the Packers and Saints; I didn’t pick up the phone for those two. I ended up swinging a deal with Miami. They gave me pick #18, #36, and #231 in exchange for the 14th pick.

In a truly unbelievable turn of events, Pitts ended up falling to 18th. I gladly chose the elite TE. At 36, I snagged OT Alex Leatherwood. Folks, the offense just got a lot better with these picks. It’s plausible that Leatherwood slides out of the first; it’s highly, highly unlikely Pitts falls all the way to 18th.

Astonishingly, PFF only gave me a B+ for trading away the 14th pick for all that draft capital. I dropped four spots and still got Pitts and a top-ranked OT! I don’t know how much better the Vikings could possibly do. Plus, Spielman gets an extra seventh, so everyone wins.

Mock #3: NYJ’s 23 & 34

In the final Vikings trade down mock, I had six suitors. I wanted to stay in the first round but also pick a high second. To accomplish this goal, I turned to the New York Jets. I traded #14 and #199 in exchange for #23 and #34.

At 23, I was tempted to pick Trevon Moehrig. Instead, I went with Teven Jenkins in the hopes he can snag the RG spot, thereby freeing Ezra Cleveland to return to the left side of the line. At 34, I took Alijah Vera-Tucker, who fell all the way out of the first. Both of these players will compete for the starting guard spots in Minnesota. The Draft Network suggests AVT is an ideal LG, so Minnesota ought to be thrilled with how this draft worked out.

Conclusion

No one knows how the draft will work out. It’s what makes the mock drafts so fun. A trade down is likely for the Vikings, and these three examples demonstrate that there are great options in the late first and throughout the second. That being said, we’ll simply have to wait and see what Spielman decides to do on draft night. All I’ll say is that if he ends up trading back to 18th and Pitts is still available, Spielman would be wise to choose the elite TE.

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