The NFL Draft is this month, and we are seeing more and more mock drafts in which the Vikings trade out of the first round in an effort to gain more draft capital in a class where the value is found mostly on day two. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has shown he is more than capable of maneuvering the draft board, which makes this new mock draft seem accurate.
Lance Zierlein of NFL Media published his third mock draft of the cycle, and it is another example of the Vikings trading out. He has them trading back with the Cleveland Browns and taking them out of round one, but kicking off round two.
Zierlein writes, "If the Browns have their eyes on Shedeur Sanders, they would be wise to trade from the 33rd overall pick into the first round, so they can secure the fifth-year option that would then come with Sanders' rookie contract. It helps that Minnesota, which currently owns just four selections in this draft, needs more picks."
The Vikings would likely be able to draft the same player at 33 as they would at 24 based on needs of teams from 25 to 32. They could land any combination of Grey Zabel, Nick Emmanwori, and Derrick Harmon. All three players would make an instant impact for the Vikings.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Could the Vikings trade out of the first round of the NFL Draft?
