The Vikings Have Two Ideal Trade Partners In the Draft

There’s been a lot of debate about what the Minnesota Vikings could do with their No. 18-overall pick. From defensive tackle to safety to tight end, the Vikings have plenty of flexibility to take “their guy.” But what if their guy is slated to go earlier than 18, or potentially even later in the first round?

Interim GM Rob Brzezinski will run his first draft, and last week made it clear he’s open to anything as long as Minnesota hits on the pick.

“You can maneuver around the board a little bit and pick up some extra capital here or there,” he said at the League’s Annual Meeting. “And we have some guardrails as far as how we want to do that, but we’re focused on making sure we get our picks right.”

Two partners in the NFL Draft would make tons of sense for Minnesota if they aren’t afraid of the trade.

Baltimore Ravens (No. 14)

With four picks in the top-100 of this year’s draft, the Vikings have plenty of ammo to move up if needed.

The Baltimore Ravens already have 11 selections in this year’s draft. However, depending on how the board falls, they may be willing to acquire even more. After initially including the No. 14 pick in the failed Maxx Crosby trade, it’s possible that Baltimore isn’t completely enamored with anyone in this draft. Knowing that the Ravens already looked to deal the pick ahead of the draft could be enough to assume they’d do it again, and Minnesota could benefit.

Baltimore had a pre-draft visit with Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor, a projected late-first-round pick, and would likely consider a trade down if they have him targeted. Because, while the Ravens already boast All-Pro tackle Ronnie Stanley, he’s entering his age-32 season and isn’t under contract beyond 2027.

For the Vikings, rumors have been swirling that Ohio State safety Caleb Downs could fall due to a potential degenerative knee issue. Coupled with the fact that he didn’t test at the NFL Combine, and he plays a position that is generally not valued as highly, the surefire top-10 pick may not be so surefire.

Or maybe the Vikings are eyeing Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. He’s the best player at his position and has a much higher ceiling than many other late-round prospects. Minnesota could leapfrog the New York Jets at No. 16, who are in desperate need of some pass catchers, and snag their tight end of the future.

Whoever the player is that nudges the Vikings into a trade-up, the Ravens could be a great partner. That is, as long as they don’t back out at the last second.

Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21)

Pittsburgh has a league-high 12 draft picks and could put some of those to good use for a trade up with the Vikings. Five of those 12 are in the top 100. However, their first pick isn't until No. 21, the Steelers may look to slide up a few slots.

The Steelers may look to add a receiver or guard in the first round, and if a run on either starts in the middle of the round, they could give Brzezinski a ring. Or maybe, just maybe, Aaron Rodgers finally calls it quits, and the Pittsburgh Steelers could look to Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Either way, the Steelers are flush with draft capital and surely won’t hesitate to move up for their man.

With all the holes the Vikings need to fill in the draft, they may decide their best bet is to trade back and acquire some additional picks. With any number of positions in play for their first-round pick, they could reasonably have four or five players they like and would be happy to land any one of them.

Secondary is a big need for 2026 and beyond, and luckily for Minnesota, there’s plenty of first-round talent in this year’s draft. Safeties Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and cornerbacks Jermod McCoy, Avieon Terrell, or Colton Hood could all theoretically be Minnesota targets. It would be highly unlikely that all of them would be gone by No. 21. That plan assumes that the Vikings have similar grades on them, but defensive tackle or even wide receiver could also be options.

The bottom line is that it would actually be quite stunning if Minnesota didn’t trade back in this draft, especially if Downs and Sadiq are gone by No. 14. After years of poor drafts, the Vikings are left with no choice but to find multiple starters this year.

A stick-and-pick is still very much in the cards. But the Vikings also have the luxury – or burden — of targeting any number of needs to fill, and they can move up or down with relative ease.