Vikings Open to Moving Back from Pick #12

PHOTO: AARON LAVINSKY - STAR TRIBUNE

What will the Minnesota Vikings front office operate during the draft? That’s a question worth asking for the first time in nearly a decade. With Rick Spielman in the big chair, we had a pretty good idea of how drafts would unfold. He had his targets. If they weren’t available in the windows he wanted, he’d trade for as many 7th-round picks as possible.

Hopefully, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah values mid-round picks more than his predecessor. The NFL Draft begins on April 28 so we won’t have to wait much longer to find out. But according to Darren Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP), the Vikings are “very open-minded” to trading back from #12 overall, should the talent they desire not be available.

“My understanding is the Vikings are very open for business at pick 12. Now, I know there has been a lot of Derek Stingley Jr steam. He has his pro day on Wednesday, the LSU cornerback. Sure, maybe if a certain player or a couple players, heck is there any chance Kyle Hamilton of Notre Dame falls? I have a hard time seeing that, but, you know depending on how the board shakes out. Like, no guarantee the Vikings are looking to move down but I hear the Vikings are very open-minded to moving down. So if a team like the Saints are interested in moving up… just something to keep an eye on.”

Darren Wolfson – The Scoop Podcast

Vikings Precarious Draft Position

The Minnesota Vikings are in a very intriguing spot for this year’s first round. The offensive linemen on the board are tackles, which the Vikings don’t need. And top secondary talent like Hamilton, Stingley Jr and Sauce Gardner could be taken by the time #12 rolls around. If so, we can obviously expect Kwesi to raise his hand as a trade partner for teams hungry for an offensive tackle or… a quarterback.

Quarterback Malik Willis will probably be selected before the Vikings draft hit the clock but the middle of the first round might be where other teams look to get their QB of the future. That could be another trade back opportunity for the Vikings.

Trading up in the first round costs major draft capital, no matter how small the jump. For example, moving from #16 to #12 costs a 3rd round pick (according to Walter Football). Moving from #22 to #12 costs a 2nd round pick.

I’m all for Kwesi trading back if it fits their draft plan and they can collect day-2 picks in the process. The Vikings have a lot of issues they’re relying on this draft to fix. Just as long as the new general manager isn’t targeting 6th and 7th round picks in return.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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