Upcoming NFL Draft class could promt Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to make unique move at trade deadline

The Minnesota Vikings starting off the season at 4-0 has been a huge blessing this season. It's also been a major surprise as the 2025 season was supposed to be the start of their "Super Bowl window."

With their success this year, it's potentially changed the Vikings' thinking about the future because it's not next year. The future is now.

After Davante Adams said he would prefer that the Las Vegas Raiders trade him, it got me thinking about what the Vikings might do at the deadline. With their limited draft capital, would the Vikings be able to make a trade?

Vikings could get creative at trade deadline

The Vikings currently have three for sure draft picks in 2025

• First round pick
• Fifth round pick
• Fifth round pick (via Cleveland Browns)

The fifth round pick was from the Za'Darious Smith trade. Now, they could end up having two other picks. The Vikings are expected to have a third round compensatory pick that won't be eligible for trade until it's officially awarded in February or March.

There is some discrepancy about another potential pick. The Vikings traded offensive lineman Jesse Davis to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional 2025 seventh round pick. The conditions of the pick were never revealed publically so there is some question as to whether the Vikings have the pick or not.

That isn't a ton of value for the Vikings to maneuver with at the trade deadline. They do have their full arsenal of draft capital in both 2026 and 2027 to work with. If teams don't want to accept draft capital that far in the future, there is another way they could acquire a top talent for the stretch run.

2025 NFL Draft isn't very strong at the top

Multiple NFL Draft analysts have said that this year's class isn't very top heavy.

This draft class does have solid depth, but the top end players, as Brugler said, are just not as fruitful as in years past. That could mean multiple players who have second and third round grades could end up being selected in the first round. With the Vikings currently projected to pick 31st and will likely finish with a pick in the back end of the first round, what if they use their first round pick to stock up on mid-round selections while acquiring a player to help them in the stretch run?

It would take some maneuvering to make it happen but if they could get an impactful defensive tackle for a first round pick and get back a second round pick withy potentially more compensation coming back, it could be a way to circumvent overdrafting a player while also getting a player to help in the stretch run.

This wouldn't be the first time that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah targeted a player with multiple draft picks changing hands. Tight end T.J. Hockenson came with two fourth round picks when the Vikings sent a second and a third round pick. The value at the time equated to a third round pick and it's paid off in droves for the Vikings.

Who could they target? At this point, it's not clear especially since the trade deadline is still over a month away. The positions are likely defensive tackle, wide receiver and cornerback. It could be a weapon that the Vikings choose to utilize again this year to help them potentially win the Super Bowl.