Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Not too long ago, a prominent theory was that Minnesota would forfeit up to three 1st-Round picks (and possibly more) to go get a young passer in the 2024 NFL Draft. Rick Spielman explored that precise possibility.
Instead, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah patiently waited, making just a minor hop up the board from No. 11 to No. 10 as a way of keeping another team from leapfrogging the Vikings.
The cost? Pretty modest, all things considered. Just the No. 129 and No. 157 picks alongside No. 11 to snag No. 10 (J.J. McCarthy) and No. 203 (Will Reichard).
One prominent voice who explored the belief that Minnesota would need to dig deep into their reservoir of picks was former Vikings GM Rick Spielman. Slick Rick, no stranger to trading, felt as though Minnesota was compelled to move up given the state of their QB situation. As he has commonly done, though, Adofo-Mensah proved yet again that he won’t be boxed into a corner and nor will he be compelled to do what outside observers think is best.
Spielman Got the Vikings’ Draft Trade Wrong
The context was a sitdown conversation with CBS discussing potential trades for the draft.
Minnesota’s former GM was presented with an option where the Vikings would jump up to No. 4, a swap with the Cardinals to land Mr. McCarthy. “They’re setting themselves up to go get a quarterback,” Spielman argues, “they don’t have a choice.”
Oct 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer (L) speaks with general manager Rick Spielman (R) prior to their game against the Kansas City Chiefs at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
To Spielman’s credit, there is discussion of the fit between Minnesota and McCarthy, an observation that now looks prescient. The former top executive proclaimed that McCarthy “fits exactly what Kevin O’Connell wants to do from an offensive standpoint.”
Where things go a bit wrong, though, is with the prediction on trade price.
“They’re not going to get it for just the first two-round picks,” Spielman argues, “they’re going to have throw in their 1st-Round pick in 2025 plus some more draft capital to do what they have to do to go up to get him.”
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts during the second quarter against the Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
“I think they’re going to overpay if they have to go up and get him,” Spielman concludes.
Now, in fairness, Spielman was being given mock trade scenarios and he was offering his opinion. The suggestion he gives is that multiple 1sts would be needed to go snag McCarthy but maybe that was a byproduct of the thought exercise that was playing out for CBS.
The notable reality is simply that Adofo-Mensah ended up being far more patient than a lot of people anticipated.
At No. 4, Arizona opted for Marvin Harrison Jr., a tremendous receiver. At No. 5 — another spot where Minnesota was commonly mocked, including in the CBS exercise — there was the selection of tackle Joe Alt. Elsewhere within the top 10, there was a QB selection: the stunning move for Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8. Adofo-Mensah patiently waited through it all.
By the time things get down to No. 10, the Vikings’ current GM decided it was time to strike. The modest trade up resulted Minnesota (hopefully) getting both their QB1 and K1 for the next decade.
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Training camp gets underway for the Vikings on Sunday, July 21st. The question at this stage rests in whether McCarthy will be under contract by the time that day arrives.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
Source link : https://purpleptsd.com/2024/vikings/opinion/spielman-got-it-wrong/
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Publish date : 2024-07-18 11:15:00
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