As much as Rick Spielman attempted to hide his intentions as the NFL draft neared each spring, the former Vikings general manager developed first-round tendencies over time.
That’s what makes Thursday’s opening round so interesting. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be running only his second draft and his first go-around is difficult to judge based on its limited sample size.
Rumors of the Vikings potentially trading up to grab a quarterback, or taking one with the 23rd pick, are intriguing but are they fact or fiction? So what will the Vikings do? Let’s examine some of the possibilities.
What the Vikings will do
The guess here is that for the second consecutive year Adofo-Mensah will trade back, but not out of the first round. Minnesota currently only has five picks — first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth round — and Adofo-Mensah could add to that by finding a trade partner.
He likely will want to get a late first-round selection in return because that pick comes with a fifth-year option on a rookie contract. Players drafted after the first round only receive four-year contracts, meaning there’s less stability when it comes to their second deal.
This wouldn’t be the most exciting route for the Vikings to take, but it is what Adofo-Mensah did last year when he dealt a first- (12th) and second-round (46th) pick to Detroit and moved back to the 32nd and final selection in the first round. The Vikings also received second- (34th) and third-round selections (66th) from the Lions.
Minnesota drafted safety Lewis Cine at 32; traded the 34th pick to the Packers, who took wide receiver Christian Watson; and used the 66th pick on linebacker Brian Asamoah.
The Vikings ended up making 10 selections over seven rounds. They might not get to that number again this year, but odds are Adofo-Mensah will want to make more than five picks.
What the Vikings should do
The month of April becomes the NFL’s silly season because of the amount of misinformation that circulates about what each team might do in the draft. Therefore, I’m not buying the rumors that the Vikings are going to take Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker at No. 23 until it becomes official.
But the 23rd slot in the draft will offer an opportunity to improve this team for the coming season and far beyond. Depending on how things shake out on Thursday night, Minnesota could find itself in a spot to grab a quality wide receiver, cornerback, or defensive lineman.
The wide receiver position is intriguing because the Vikings need a replacement for Adam Thielen and want to find someone to complement Justin Jefferson. Quentin Johnson of TCU, Jordan Addison of Southern Cal or Zay Flowers of Boston College could be options.
There also is a chance — probably a long shot — that one of the top quarterbacks (Anthony Richardson, perhaps) begins to fall and the Vikings are in a position to either grab him at 23, or trade to move up into the late teens.
The bottom line is staying at 23 could have real benefits in solving issues for a roster that needs to add depth at several positions.
The Vikings move that could cause chaos
This one is pretty simple.
Adofo-Mensah making a trade to get into the Top 5 and take a quarterback such as Kentucky’s Will Levis, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Richardson.
The price would be significant and the Vikings likely wouldn’t have a first-round pick for a few years, but if coach Kevin O’Connell has identified someone he thinks can be Kirk Cousins’ replacement, who is to say that Adofo-Mensah wouldn’t trust a coach who is known for his success in working with quarterbacks?
Could the Vikings make a trade with Houston for the second-overall pick, or Arizona for the third selection? There has been significant chatter that the Texans might not take a quarterback at No. 2 and would prefer to move that pick. The Cardinals have Kyler Murray and are in prime position to get big compensation by moving down.
Adofo-Mensah has a background in the stock market and that means he could be willing to take a gamble if he thinks a quarterback’s stock could take off. O’Connell was hired in large part to find and develop that quarterback, so the possibility of the Vikings making a splash move on Thursday can’t be completely dismissed.
A veteran who could be moved before Thursday, or during the draft
It’s become clear that Dalvin Cook likely will be elsewhere before next season but the return for the running back will be limited to a late-round pick. The same can’t be said for defensive end/rush linebacker Danielle Hunter, who led the Vikings with 10.5 sacks last season and played in every game after missing all of 2020 and significant time in 2021 because of injury.
Hunter, who will turn 29 in late October, remains a very good player but he will be entering the last season of his contract and wants a new deal. He skipped the opening of the voluntary portion of the Vikings’ offseason program this month and it’s unknown if a new deal is being worked on.
If the Vikings don’t want to pay him on a multiyear contract, Hunter could be shopped and would get a nice return. A year ago, the Bears traded rush linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chargers for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round selection. The 32-year-old Mack was coming off a season in which he had six sacks and played in only seven games with the Bears.
Hunter could carry even more value than Mack, and Adofo-Mensah wouldn’t mind recouping a second-round pick after dealing his 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick to the Lions last November in the trade for tight end T.J. Hockenson.
Adofo-Mensah has spent this offseason jettisoning a few longtime Vikings. Could Hunter be next?
