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Draft 2018: Former NFL GM believes the Vikings will trade their first-round pick

By Adam Patrick

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings watches the action from the sidelines during the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 9, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings watches the action from the sidelines during the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 9, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Former NFL general manager Charlie Casserly predicts the Minnesota Vikings will trade out of the first round during this year’s NFL Draft.

During each year’s NFL Draft, there are normally a large number of trades that go down over the course of the entire three-day event. This year expects to be no different.

Current Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is definitely no stranger to draft-day trades either. In the last six years, Spielman has traded draft picks 23 different times (including seven in 2017).

This year, one former NFL general manager believes Spielman and Minnesota could begin making draft-day deals as early as the first round.

Current NFL Network analyst Charlie Casserly recently predicted that the final four first-round selections will be traded during the league’s annual event later this month. One of these picks belongs to the Vikings at number 30.

Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings /

Minnesota Vikings

Before joining the NFL Network’s broadcast team, Casserly spent his career in the NFL as the general manager for both the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans. During his tenure in the league, Casserly was responsible for drafting a number of talented players including Mark Schlereth, Keenan McCardell, Frank Wycheck, Stephen Davis, Champ Bailey, Mario Williams, and Andre Johnson.

Now, he didn’t cite any league or team sources when making this prediction. But based on Spielman’s actions during previous drafts, this doesn’t seem too crazy of a thought for Casserly to have.

Minnesota’s current general manager is one who likes to have at least 10 selections in each draft. So with the Vikings only having eight picks at this moment in time (including none in the fourth round), it would likely be more of a surprise if Spielman didn’t make any trades this year.

Next: Vikings 7-round mock draft, 1.0

However, trading out of the first round is something Minnesota has never done since Spielman became the team’s general manager in 2012. Could this year be a different story?

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