The Minnesota Vikings made a controversial move by giving up their first-round pick to the Detroit Lions. Now that the second round is in the books, we can look back and see how well they cashed in on those picks – at least in the second round.
The Vikings made two selections in the second round, made possible by a handful of moves. In the first trade, the Vikings moved back to No. 32 and traded away pick 46 in exchange for three of Detroit’s picks.
Trading back usually provides value to teams. So why were people upset about this trade? The Vikings could’ve stood pat and picked Kyle Hamilton, a big-name safety from Notre Dame. Instead, they traded back for Lewis Cine, an athletic safety from Georgia, and some later picks. While not as flashy, Cine was arguably a better fit, and the deal made room for the front office to pick more players they wanted in later rounds — most notably, the second round.
Here’s a visual of the trades that resulted in their two second-round draftees (highlighted in red):
The Vikings took Andrew Booth Jr. and Ed Ingram with picks they acquired via trade. The difference is that Minnesota traded back for Ingram while trading up for Booth. That’s important. Why? Because it shows they knew who they wanted and went for it.
That’s why I’m not going to compare Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to Rick Spielman just yet. Yes, trading down to gather a slew of picks is reminiscent of the old front office. But the most important thing Adofo-Mensah has shown is that he’s ready to move up for a player he thinks is the right fit.
Spielman tended to gather as many late-round picks as possible to take flyers on players who were not ready to play in the NFL. Sure, he consistently had the most picks of any team in the draft. But how many of those picks panned out? Worse yet, there are reports of him making selections without consulting the rest of the staff.
Adofo-Mensah accumulated second- and third-round picks that will result in starting-caliber players because this draft is deep at a lot of positions. With just the 12th and 46th pick, the Vikings got Lewis Cine, Brian Asamoah, and Ingram. Then they got Booth with the addition of a third- and a sixth-round pick – a player who fits into the secondary as well as Cine.
Interestingly enough, only two of the nine Day 1 trades included second-round picks in the trade packages. Teams see the groves of talent in the second round this year and don’t want to give those picks up. That’s probably why the front office offered up their first and second for Detroit’s three picks. It might’ve been the best offer on the board for the Vikings.
Trading back in the first round didn’t hurt Minnesota. Considering the outcome so far, I think it’s the best thing they could’ve done. When they saw that the two best corners were taken in the top five, it meant they had to dig deeper for secondary help. Obviously, they had a contingency plan to move back and get some talent in the second round — and they drafted a guard to boot.
