Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
- 0
The Minnesota Vikings are set to pick twice in the first round when the 2020 NFL Draft kicks off with personnel departments, coaching staffs and prospects participating from thousands of remote locations on April 23.
The franchise has not made multiple picks in a first round since 2014, when the Vikings selected linebacker Anthony Barr and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Head Coach Mike Zimmer's first draft picks with Minnesota.
While the Vikings brass attack this year's unique draft environment, they will certainly have a lot weighing on their minds from a football standpoint.
Does General Manager Rick Spielman look to fill the void at wide receiver after trading Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills earlier this offseason for a haul that included the aforementioned 22nd overall pick in return?
Or will Minnesota look to add to the offensive line to protect newly extended quarterback Kirk Cousins after he was sacked 28 times last season.
These are just a few of the areas the organization will look to improve on throughout the three days with 12 total draft picks.
The Vikings also received a choice in the fifth round and sixth round, as well as a fourth-round pick in 2021 in the trade for Diggs.
Minnesota was awarded a third-round pick (the 105th overall selection), plus a pair of seventh-round selections (picks No. 249 and 253), as compensatory selections on March 10 based on free agents who left in the previous year.
Keep in mind Spielman is well-known for moving up and down the draft board through trades.
A record 40 draft-day trades happened across the league's draft last year, and Spielman played his part, negotiating six deals over two days. He has averaged four trades per draft since becoming GM in 2012 (32 total).
Looking at the previous four drafts with a first round pick, the team selected cornerback Trae Waynes in 2015, receiver Laquon Treadwell in 2016, cornerback Mike Hughes in 2018 and center Garrett Bradbury in 2019. Departures at corner and receiver this offseason have prompted experts to identify those positions as needs in the 2020 draft.
In anticipation of the NFL Draft, Vikings Entertainment Network has tracked down football minds locally and nationally asking them one question. What would you do with two first round picks if you were Rick Spielman?
Let's take a look at where the experts see the Vikings going with their pair of first round picks: