2020 NFL Draft: Grading all 15 Minnesota Vikings picks
By David Glancy
After multiple in-draft trades made by Rick Spielman, the Minnesota Vikings led all franchises with 15 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
After trading Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings entered the 2020 NFL Draft with 12 picks, trailing only the Miami Dolphins. After trading back from 25 to 31 on day one and trading back with the Saints in the third round, the Vikings finished the Draft with a total of 15 selections. With 15 selections in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Vikings have broken the all-time record of 14 selections since the 7-round draft format was adopted in 1997.
With a number of key departures on the defensive line, secondary, and at receiver the Minnesota Vikings needed picks to add immediate starters for the 2020 season while focusing on long-term depth. In addition to their departures, the Minnesota Vikings entered the draft with a focus to improve a struggling offensive line, an area group that was expected to be a focus in the early rounds.
The Vikings were unquestionably the busiest team the past three days while their 15 selections could’ve been a record-shattering 17 before making two trades which brought in additional picks for the 2021 NFL Draft. The Minnesota Vikings began their run of trades this March when sending Stefon Diggs to the Bills and then completed and additional four trades between Thursday through Saturday of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Rick Spielman began his trading frenzy Thursday night when he traded the 25th overall pick for the 49ers’ 31st selection and an extra fourth and fifth-round pick. Spielman then moved back again Friday night from 105 in the third round to 130 while bringing in an additional fifth, sixth, and seventh-round pick for a total of 17 selections, with 13 to be made on the final day.
The Vikings completed two final trades on the last day of the draft when they moved a fifth-round pick to the Bears in exchange for a 2021 fourth-rounder and bundled a sixth and seventh-rounder in the 2020 NFL Draft in exchange for a seventh-rounder and a fifth in the 2021 draft. In addition to moving large amounts of draft capital, the Vikings were also unsuccessful in a potential trade with the Redskins which would’ve brought left tackle Trent Williams to Minnesota.
With 15 new faces joining the Vikings organization, we will take a deeper look into each player’s background, strengths, weaknesses, and NFL projections. While it is impossible to project a player’s future NFL success based on college performance and draft position alone, we will take a pick by pick approach at grading each of Rick Spielman’s record-setting selections.