The Minnesota Vikings continue to be mentioned as a potential suitor for star Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was recently granted permission to gauge interest from other teams.
In reality, the Vikings would have to jump through a number of hoops to acquire Stafford via trade, with their limited draft capital being the damning factor.
Minnesota is currently projected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft with just four selections, the fewest of all 32 NFL teams. The Vikings hold pick No. 24 overall in the first round, have a projected compensatory pick coming at the end of Round 3, and have a pair of fifth-rounders. That’s it.
While it’s fun to speculate over a potential blockbuster trade for Stafford, the Vikings are much more likely to make a trade that grows their draft capital, rather than the other way around. With that in mind, Dalton Wasserman of PFF predicts the Vikings will trade out of the first round, targeting the rebuilding New England Patriots as the perfect partner.
Here was Wasserman’s take and full trade proposal:
Trade terms: Patriots receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 24); Vikings receive 2025 second-round pick (No. 38), 2025 third-round pick (No. 77)
While New England will have several interior options to choose from in free agency, there aren’t as many quick fixes for their abhorrent tackle situation. The pick-needy Vikings could look to trade down, as projected here, and the Patriots become a suitor to select (Oregon tackle Josh Conerly). If New England feels satisfied at wide receiver and offensive tackle after this draft, they’ll have succeeded.
The Vikings have a number of needs entering the new league year, and in this hypothetical, Wasserman has them passing on one of the top interior offensive linemen in the class in Alabama’s Tyler Booker. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made several trades during the 2022 draft, including moving back from No. 12 overall, and it would be a surprise if he wasn’t busy on the phones once again this April.
The Vikings have an excellent roster and plenty of cap space. Ideally, they’re able to wheel and deal and come out of this draft with more than four total prospects.
The Patriots would be an ideal trade partner, as they currently hold four picks inside the top 80. They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2021 season, and with Mike Vrabel leading their new regime, the Pats figure to be aggressive both in free agency and the draft.
Trading out of the first round is never fun for the fans, especially late in the first round. But speculation around the Vikings trading up — or selling picks for veteran players like Stafford — are just not very realistic. Minnesota was bold in the 2024 draft, moving up multiple times in the first round to land QB J.J. McCarthy and EDGE Dallas Turner, and all signs point to the team resetting and taking a more conservative approach this time around.
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