Vikings reportedly considered Justin Jefferson trade during NFL Draft

Before the NFL Draft, several reports suggested the Minnesota Vikings considered trading into the top five. However, they may have been looking for a Justin Jefferson replacement, not a quarterback.

"There was buzz at draft time that the Vikings wanted to move from No. 11 to No. 5, not to pick a quarterback but to get LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was picked No. 6 by the Giants," Charley Waters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote in his Sunday column. "Had that trade occurred, Jefferson would have been traded, and Nabers would have been the No. 1 receiver."

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also noted that he heard rumors about the Vikings wanting to trade Jefferson and draft Nabers. 

Moving on from the star wideout seems like an absurd idea for the Vikings. Although ESPN's Field Yates rated Nabers as the second-best WR in the draft behind Marvin Harrison Jr., who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, only time will tell whether he becomes a three-time Pro Bowler like Jefferson.

Jefferson is entering the final year of his rookie contract and skipped the start of OTAs last week. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated speculated the 24-year-old pass-catcher could receive $90M-$100M in guarantees on his next deal. 

The Vikings may want to avoid giving him a mega deal, which would devour future cap space. Still, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell recently told FanDuel's Kay Adams, "Everything's going to get worked out with (Jefferson's contract)."