3 players the Minnesota Vikings could trade during the 2023 NFL Draft

The Minnesota Vikings were not afraid to trade picks in last year’s NFL Draft but which players could be involved in a trade during this year’s draft?

If we learned one thing about the Minnesota Vikings under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, it’s that they’re not afraid to make trades during the NFL Draft.

The Vikings shocked everyone when they traded from the 12th overall pick to the 32nd overall pick in last year’s draft and did it again when they traded down from the 34th overall selection to pick up two more picks in the second round.

While the front office may have been paying homage to former general manager Rick Spielman, it also was out of the box considering both trades were made with a pair of divisional rivals – the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

Entering his second draft, Adofo-Mensah may be looking to deal again. But this year’s draft has a different objective.

With just five selections in this year’s draft, Adofo-Mensah may not be able to deal up and down the board as he did last year. Because of that, the Minnesota Vikings could be looking to deal with some of the players on the roster who carry hefty salaries or no longer fit in Minnesota’s timeline.

In this article, we’ll list three players that could be on the block and the likelihood that they’ll be traded during this year’s draft.

Dalvin Cook

At first glance, Cook looks like a player the Minnesota Vikings would want to keep on the roster. After fighting off injuries for the first two years of his career, Cook has posted four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, joining Adrian Peterson and Robert Smith as the only players in franchise history to accomplish this feat.

But Cook’s stats don’t tell the entire story. According to Football Outsiders, Cook logged a success rate (how often a running back keeps an offense on schedule depending on down and distance) of 48 percent, which ranked 33rd among 42 qualifying running backs. Cook also ranked 36th in defense-adjusted value over average, suggesting he should have been more consistent considering the teams he was playing against.

Cook’s lack of efficiency hurt the Vikings’ offense but so does his five-year, $63 million extension signed prior to the 2020 season. With a $14.1 million cap hit, the Vikings would like to clear that money off the books while also getting younger and cheaper at the position.

At age 28, Cook’s days as a top-tier running back could be numbered and so could his opportunity to make top dollar. Cook’s camp is clearly aware of this as Cook underwent surgery to repair a shoulder injury suffered in 2019 to trigger a $2 million injury guarantee in his contract.

The guarantee has kept Cook on the roster for now but it hasn’t stopped teams from calling about his availability. With a recent report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero suggesting Cook “is making excellent progress” in his recovery, the calls could pick up again in the days leading to the draft.

Za’Darius Smith

Smith was one of the most questionable signings for the Vikings last offseason but wound up being one of the best free-agent additions in the NFL. Smith injected life into the Vikings’ pass rush after ranking fourth among edge rushers with 78 quarterback pressures and collecting 10 sacks but he slowed down in the second half of the season as Minnesota was bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

After one year on a team-friendly contract, Smith wants to be paid as his numbers suggest but the Vikings don’t seem to be willing to give him the money. The standoff led to Smith putting his house on the market and even saying goodbye to the team in a post on his Twitter account but he remains on the roster heading into the draft.

The Minnesota Vikings would probably like to have Smith back based on his ability but his injury history and second-half slide make it risky to commit more money to an edge rusher heading into his age 31-season. The situation may have gotten more volatile after the Vikings signed 26-year-old Marcus Davenport to a one-year, $13 million contract despite his own injury history.

While trading Smith wouldn’t command a massive return, it could amount to a mid-round pick that could allow the Vikings to make trades or select a player to add depth. Smith’s tenure in Minnesota was definitely fun but it could be short-lived by the end of the draft.

Danielle Hunter

It was just a few years ago that Hunter was a cornerstone of the Vikings’ defense, but over the past couple of years, Hunter’s play has generated more questions than answers.

Hunter posted back-to-back seasons with 13.5 sacks in 2018 and 2019 but missed the entire 2020 season with a herniated disc in his neck. Hunter came back to record six sacks in eight games for the Vikings before tearing his pectoral muscle in 2021 and was miscast in Ed Donatell’s defense last season.

Hunter’s production and ability suggest it’s a wise idea to keep him around but his time with the Vikings has been more centered around the five-year, $72 million contract he signed prior to the 2018 season than his play on the field.

With edge rushers getting paid in excess of $100 million, Hunter believes that it’s time to get the bag but at age-28, the Vikings may decide they want to keep cap space for 2024 and find a younger, cheaper replacement.

It’s unclear what Hunter’s trade value could be but perhaps last year’s trade that sent Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers could be a starting point. If the Vikings can get a haul similar to the second and sixth-round picks the Chicago Bears got in that deal, it might get it done. This could be especially attractive considering the Vikings don’t have a second-round pick after trading for T.J. Hockenson last October.

Out of the three players on this list, Hunter seems like the least likely to be traded. But with the Minnesota Vikings keeping an eye on the future, it will be interesting to see if Hunter fits into their plans.