The Vikings are currently scheduled to make their first draft selection at No. 25, but they can still trade that pick and find value somewhere else. The 2020 draft class is historically deep, especially in a few areas of need for the Vikings.
It’s not the easiest time to speculate which direction the team will go in the 2020 draft, mainly due to the fact that the new league year hasn’t begun. The Vikings are scheduled to have numerous players hit the free agency market, so it will be vital to see which decisions they make in free agency before having a better understanding for which direction they go in the draft.
Not only is the Vikings’ roster set to take a hit in free agency, but the team also ranks dead last in cap space among NFL teams. Free agency is part of what will go into the decision-making process, but the Vikings also have some other decisions to make internally. Who will the team cut and re-sign?Will they figure out a way to get Kirk Cousins’ deal restructured, in order to make some cap space?
Now that the bad news is out about the cap situation, let’s focus on some of the positives that lie ahead this offseason. The Vikings are scheduled to have 10 picks in this year’s draft, after figuring out they got an additional third and two seventh-round compensatory picks.
Vikings fans know that Rick Spielman loves his draft picks, and that is why it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Minnesota indeed moves back from its 25th overall spot. It’s of course not a guarantee by any means, but a trade back could load up the Vikings roster with even more rookie talent in 2020.
What it’s going to come down to is whether or not the Vikings fall in love with a player that is there at 25. Whether that be at a position of need such as cornerback, offensive lineman or interior defensive line, or simply just the best player available.
Numerous mock drafts have the Vikings selecting one of the three positions listed above, but very few have the team selecting a player that analysts are saying is going to be a home run pick. On top of that, drafting in the middle to late first round can be difficult, and the Vikings haven’t had the most success in recent years while in this position.
Where the Vikings front office has found success has been through the middle to late rounds of the draft. To name a few, Eric Kendricks was a second-round pick, Stefon Diggs was a fifth-round pick, Danielle Hunter was a third-round pick and Adam Thielen was an undrafted free agent.
Spielman’s ability to find talent in these later rounds should be enough to put him into contract extension talks with the team. He hasn’t hit on every first round pick over the years with the Vikings, but he has found talent on days two and three of the draft. Being able to do this, combined with putting these players in a position to succeed, has played a huge role in why the Vikings have been so successful in his time in Minnesota. They have of course not won a Super Bowl yet, but the Vikings have had one of the more talented rosters over the last five seasons.
If the Vikings get to pick 25 and don’t have a player they’re overly excited about left on their big board, there’s a legitimate chance they move back in the first round, or out of the first round completely.
The 2020 draft class is extremely deep and that could warrant trading back in the draft. The Vikings need to find a way to fill out their roster with as much young talent as possible, and moving out of the first round seems like a viable option at this point.