When it comes to the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings are going to be a fascinating team to watch. Sure, it’s because they have a lot of need, but also due to not having an official general manager.

After firing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, they put salary cap guru Rob Brzezinski in as the interim. It was a tough decision to fire a general manager who was at the forefront of a 43-25 team, but his lack of success in the NFL Draft ended up costing him his job. The biggest reason why was due to his poor trades, leading to a lack of draft capital on day two.

Minnesota Vikings trade down options are intriguing

One thing that former general manager Rick Spielman was known for was always finding a way to trade down and get more draft capital. He did so in just about every possible situation, including trading down one spot multiple times in the first round.

After the move to trade down in the first round in his first draft, Adofo-Mensah avoided doing so, potentially leaving good deals on the table. With Brzezinski in charge, there is a real chance he goes back to what Spielman was known for: making trades.

With many needs from a depth perspective and a draft class that isn’t loaded with high-end talent, it would behoove the Vikings to consider moving down. When it comes to moving down, here is what it would cost to move down using the Rich Hill trade chart.

Team	Capital Given Up	Value	Capital Received	Value
Panthers	18	287	19, 159	288
Cowboys	18	287	20, 112	298
Steelers	18	287	21, 121, 224	288
Chargers	18	287	22, 86	302
Eagles	18	287	23, 98, 153	293
Browns	18, 234	289	24, 70	307
Bears	18, 234	289	25, 60	308
Bills	18	287	26, 91, 2027 3rd	293
49ers	18	287	27, 139, 2027 2nd	287
Texans	18	287	28, 59, 106	300
Chiefs	18, 82	337	29, 40	351
Dolphins	18, 234	289	30, 75, 94	300
Patriots	18	287	31, 63, 131	290
Seahawks	18, 165	197	32, 64, 96	303

It’s important to understand that these offers aren’t necessarily going to end up being offered by the opposing teams. What these are meant to do is show a baseline for what the Vikings could end up getting in return for the 18th overall pick. The Rich Hill trade chart is the preferred one for me due to how its constructed off of historical trades with draft picks.

Understanding the value of NFL Draft trades

The point values are meant to be relatively close in these examples, but with a team on the clock, it could cause the compensation the Vikings receive to skyrocket. For example, the Vikings own nine picks with varying point values.

• 18th overall: 287 points
• 49th overall: 118 points
• 82nd overall: 54 points
• 97th overall: 38 points
• 163rd overall: 10 points
• 196th overall: 5 points
• 234 overall: 2 points
• 235th overall: 2 points
• 244th overall: 2 points

If the Vikings win a trade by 10 points, it would be worth a fifth-round pick on the trade chart. That will be important in trying to assess value.

It’s also worth noting that there are other trade charts out there, including those that have a more analytical basis. Each trade chart has a different way to calculate value, and, in turn, can impact how a trade is viewed. The best example of that is the Vikings trade down from 12th overall to 32nd overall with the Detroit Lions in 2022.

The conventional trade charts didn’t love the move, but the analytical ones thought it was solid. When the Vikings end up making a move like this, the analysis will come from multiple angles, but the Rich Hill trade chart will be the best of them all.

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