Options are limited for Minnesota Vikings to trade up, but they have the NFL Draft capital to make it work
The Vikings could trade up in the first round with more capital than they’ve had in recent years.
When it comes to the Minnesota Vikings at 18th overall, they could end up being the turning point of the first round of the NFL Draft.
There are a multitude of needs for the Vikings that they could address at 18th overall:
- Defensive tackle
- Cornerback
- Inside linebacker
- Safety
- Edge rusher
- Wide receiver
- Tight end
There will be a lot of factors that could change how the Vikings end up addressing their roster, including potential trades down. Right now, the Vikings have nine draft picks they could use to move up in the NFL Draft. There is a potential they could try and jump other teams for a top prospect.
Possible trades up for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft
The one thing with trades in the NFL Draft is there needs to be a baseline for a discussion. For those, I use the Rich Hill trade chart, which is built upon historical trades. Having that gives us a really good baseline for finding a trade in either direction. Here is that baseline for trades up as high as ninth overall.
| Team | Capital Given Up | Value | Capital Received | Value |
| Chiefs | 18, 49 | 405 | 9 | 387 |
| Bengals | 18, 82, 97 | 379 | 10 | 369 |
| Dolphins | 18, 49 | 405 | 11, 94 | 399 |
| Cowboys | 18, 82, 163 | 351 | 12 | 347 |
| Rams | 18, 82 | 341 | 13 | 336 |
| Ravens | 18, 97 | 325 | 14 | 325 |
| Buccaneers | 18, 97 | 325 | 15, 155 | 326 |
| Jets | 18, 97 | 325 | 16, 140 | 320 |
| Lions | 18, 163 | 297 | 17 | 296 |
These trades are interesting, as multiple trades close together end up looking incredibly similar. It’s also important to note that these are similar values on the Rich Hill trade chart, but not necessarily what it would take to get a trade done. In most cases, the team trading up has to give up extra capital to make a trade work. Here are the Vikings draft picks with their 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
Not having a fourth-round pick could end up mkaing things a little difficult when it comes to matching point values in a trade. Now, the Vikings can get a fourth-round pick in a separate trade (maybe for Jonathan Greenard) to make things easier for a trade up, but that isn’t very likely to happen.
There would have to be a super talented player to fall for the Vikings to make a trade up, like a Jeremiyah Love, but it’s not likely to occur. If they do want to make a trade up, these are the baseline offers the Vikings would need to work with.
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