The Minnesota Vikings have acquired a 2024 first-round pick from the Houston Texans, per Ian Rapoport. The Vikings gave up a second-round pick, a Day 3 selection and a 2025 second to move up to No. 23 overall. This gives Minnesota the No. 11 and No. 23 picks in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at what this could mean for the Vikings.
A Draft Trade!!
The #Vikings and #Texans have agreed to terms on a major deal in advance of the draft, per me and @TomPelissero, landing Minnesota another 1.
— Minnesota gets No. 23 and No. 232.
— Houston gets No. 42, 188 and a 2025 2nd rounder.
MIN moves up, HOU collects. pic.twitter.com/ehRFqOKbFz— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2024
Having two first-round picks is a great way to start a rebuild. It is also usually a baseline requirement for attempting to move up into one of the top slots in the draft. Minnesota will have options here depending on which direction they want to go in. Consensus mock drafts suggest that they could draft a quarterback like JJ McCarthy at No. 11 and then nab a replacement for Danielle Hunter at No. 23. Their decision could depend on what they are hearing from around the league. Still, the general assumption is that they would be moving up. The question for that scenario is where?
Projecting Top 5 picks 2024 NFL Draft
1.01 — Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
1.02 — Drake Maye, Washington Commanders
1.03 — Jayden Daniels, New England Patriots
1.04 — Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
1.05 — Malik Nabers, Los Angeles Chargers
The beauty of the NFL Draft is that anything could happen, especially when a quarterback class is getting too much hype. At the moment, four quarterbacks are projected to go in the first round. It makes you think of the 2022 class when up to five quarterbacks were mocked in the first round, and then only Kenny Pickett was taken before the third round, who has seemingly already been replaced by Russell Wilson with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let’s say that the quarterbacks are indeed deserving of the hype they are getting. Williams is the latest and greatest generational talent for analysts, and it seems unlikely that Chicago just passes on him sitting there as a gift at No. 1. Maye and Daniels have flip-flopped for the first time at No. 2 and No. 3, but the takeaway here is that both Washington and New England are in need of quarterbacks. If either of them wants to hit up the Bears for Justin Fields, it wouldn’t make sense for them to trade back from this spot to No. 11 with Minnesota even if it means getting No. 23. If they acquire Fields and then don’t go quarterback, Washington could use offensive lineman Joe Alt and New England could use Harrison Jr.
If you take one look at Arizona’s depth chart, you can see how badly they need a No. 1 wide receiver. Unless Harrison Jr. and Nabers somehow go in the top three, the Cardinals need to stay at No. 4 and bring in a target for quarterback Kyler Murray. This scenario would mean that the highest that Minnesota would likely be able to move would be No. 5, swapping with the Chargers. With the recent trade of Keenan Allen to Chicago, however, they need a new wide receiver for Justin Herbert. Los Angeles could select offensive tackle Joe Alt here to protect Herbert, but still, if they can get Nabers they likely have to stay put.
The New York Giants are on the clock at No. 6, and some analysts believe there is a chance they will go after McCarthy, even though we are one year removed from Daniel Jones agreeing to an extension. This would be a spot that Minnesota could jump up to, but if Los Angeles decides to take Alt and Nabers is sitting here, New York desperately needs a No. 1 wide receiver to add to its island of misfit toys.
The Tennessee Titans own the No. 7 overall pick. They made a splash signing, bringing in wide receiver Calvin Ridley. They are projected to take an offensive tackle and likely need to target that position or an EDGE rusher, depending on how the board falls. Moving back would make sense, but at that point, Tennessee is trading away the ability to have the top option at a position and then a player at a lower tier. The Atlanta Falcons are at No. 8, and then Chicago is projected back on the clock at No. 9; neither are in need of a quarterback.
The only team that Minnesota should jump would be the New York Jets at No. 10. The Jets aren’t being mocked a quarterback, but veteran QB Aaron Rodgers is on a two-year deal and coming off a torn Achilles, so New York could go ahead and draft his replacement from this class. It isn’t likely with the other needs they have on the offensive line, but they could.
With how easy it is to reason picks, Minnesota may just be acquiring the extra first-rounder to signal to teams that they are interested in moving up. If I am any of the teams in front of them, I’m not biting until my top choices are off the board. Chicago could go ahead and allow Minnesota to move up to No. 9, but that wouldn’t take two first-rounders, so Minnesota likely has its sights set higher.