Everyone was waiting to see what the Minnesota Vikings would do in the first round of the NFL Draft.
And while they didn't make the blockbuster trade into the top-5 like many thought, they still made not one, but two first-round trades that landed what should be foundational pieces for the foreseeable future in Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and EDGE Dallas Turner.
It's the latter of the two that the Vikings invested the most in when talking about the respective trade-ups, but when really thinking about it - the Vikings hardly gave up anything, at all.
Before we get to that, ESPN draft expert, Matt Miller, loved the move because he had Turner as the seventh-best player, overall, and top defender in the draft.
The Vikings traded up to get Turner, but they still stole the draft's best edge player. I had him at No. 7 overall on my board. Outside of quarterback, defensive end was the team's biggest need after losing Danielle Hunter in free agency. Now, Turner (10 sacks in 2023) can team up with free agent acquisition Jonathan Greenard to give the Vikings a legitimate one-two punch off the edge. - Matt Miller, ESPN
It was indeed a great move for the Vikings, although I think cornerback was a bigger need coming in, but I digress. Anyway, Miller mentions losing Hunter in free agency, which is a key component in the trade, outside of the fact the Vikings needed someone to replace Hunter, of course.
On top of No. 23 in the 2024 draft, the Vikings traded third- and fourth-round picks in the 2025 draft. That seems like a good amount of draft capital just to move up to the middle of Round 1 on the surface, but it's important to remember there's a very good chance the Vikings receive a third round compensatory pick for the Hunter loss. And, they can also receive a third round compensatory pick for the loss of Kirk Cousins. I'm sure Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is well aware of this and he can navigate 2025 free agency to the point where the Vikings aren't in a spot to lose those picks.
So, there's a very good chance the Vikings can offset the lost picks with compensatory picks, one of which will actually be higher than the fourth that got shipped off to Jacksonville. It was a great move that should pay off big for the Vikings, both in the short- and long-term.
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