The Minnesota Vikings currently have only four picks in this month's draft. Seventy-three spots stand between their first selection, 24th overall, and their second selection, 97th overall.
Because of this and an aggressive approach to free agency that addressed needs throughout the roster, the Vikings are strong contenders to trade down when they're on the clock at pick No. 24. Dalton Wasserman of PFF is projecting not only a trade down but also a trade out of the first round entirely.
He has the Vikings trading the 24th pick to the Seattle Seahawks in return for the No. 50 pick, No. 92 pick, and a 2026 third-round pick. Wasserman has the Seahawks selecting North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel, who has been a popular pick for the Vikings in other mock drafts.
This is a difficult trade to stomach for a few reasons. First, although the Vikings don't have many picks this year, they appear poised to receive compensatory picks in both the third and fourth rounds in 2026. That doesn't make an extra third-rounder invaluable, but a trade down would almost certainly be used in part to acquire additional compensation for this year.
Second, would the Vikings want to trade all the way down to the back half of the second round? In Wasserman's mock, players like G Tyler Booker, DL Derrick Harmon, DL Walter Nolen, and DL Kenneth Grant are still on the board. Trading down at 24 with those players on the board isn't out of the question, but is it worth losing out on top prospects at positions of need?
This mock draft feels like a bit of a stretch. The Vikings had a crazy trade-down on the first night of the 2022 draft that didn't work out in their favor. Will that discourage them from making the same mistake here?
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings pull off massive trade in latest mock draft from PFF
