5 prospects in play if the Vikings trade down in the first round

Rashod Bateman – WR (Minnesota)

Rashod Bateman to the Vikings seems like a long shot to actually happen, but the unpredictability of the NFL Draft is what has made it so popular over the years and one just doesn’t know what is going to happen. There’s a couple of things that make this choice doubtful. The first is that wide receiver is not that big of a need for the Vikings. They have Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson who form one of the better tandems in the league. The depth behind them is definitely a concern but it isn’t so bad that they need to address this position in the first round.

The other factor that goes against this actually happening is that Rick Spielman has only drafted one Gopher in his 14-year tenure as the Vikings general manager. His last choice of a Gopher was back in 2010 with linebacker Nate Triplett and hasn’t gone back to that well since.

That being said, there’s still a chance Bateman ends up with the Minnesota Vikings. Perhaps the team is on the clock and gets blown away with a trade offer. This trade sends them to the latter portions of the first round and when they are on the clock Bateman is hands down the best player available. If that is the case the Vikings shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger and add this talented pass-catcher to their offense.

Bateman has good size at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. He’s a fluid route runner with very sticky fingers. He’s plenty fast and he has proven to be a playmaker with over 19 touchdowns in his career. His 2020 season wasn’t as great as his breakout 2019 campaign, but the fact the guy came back after initially opting out, shows his love for football and drive to compete. He’d be a great choice for the Minnesota Vikings and one they definitely wouldn’t regret if they moved back and ended up with.