Seth Walder of ESPN listed his top five best trades in the NFL Draft, putting them in order by how much he thought the team that won the trade gained in extra value.
At the top of its list was the Vikings trade with the 49ers. Walder listed the Vikings as the winner of the trade and explained why in the article:
“All of this seems like bad process by San Francisco. But the Vikings deserve credit, too. They were presented with an offer that moved them down six spots and paid them much more than those six spots are worth, and they took the deal.
Cumulatively, the Vikings’ four pick-for-pick trades in this draft netted them surplus value worth a pick in the middle of the second round. That could be nudged in either direction a bit, depending on how one views picks for 2021 (we credited them as being worth 90% of a present pick), but regardless, the result is clear: Minnesota’s process increased its expected output from the draft.”
General Manager Rick Spielman and company showed that the team could move back in the draft and still find value, all while accumulating picks. Overall I think the draft went well for the Vikings, but we’ll have to see whether that pans out on the field in 2020.