Vikings entertaining trade offers, GM Rick Spielman says
With draft picks at No. 22 and 25, the Minnesota Vikings are entertaining trade offers two days in advance of Thursday’s to start with spherical.
“I’ve experienced phone calls by now, alternatives of people today attempting to trade up, and I’ve also experienced teams that are in entrance of us that preferred to trade back,” typical supervisor Rick Spielman mentioned on Tuesday. “I assume it all is dependent how the draft board unfolds on Thursday. For example, I would say if we keep at 22, and we have it’s possible 7 or 8 names nonetheless up there, to shift back from 25 to gain an additional decide on and nonetheless get the exact excellent of player. An example: Final yr, we moved back 3 instances in the third spherical and nonetheless experienced [Alexander] Mattison targeted and had been able to nonetheless get him. A large amount of that manipulation on the draft board is dependent on what is actually up there, how you have the draft board stacked and how much are you keen to go back devoid of possibility of getting rid of a specific player.”
The Vikings acquired the 22nd in general decide on final thirty day period right after sending Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-rounder to Buffalo in trade for the Bills’ to start with-, fifth- and sixth-spherical picks in 2020 and a 2021 fourth-spherical collection.
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Addressing trade speculation surrounding the star receiver at the NFL incorporate, Spielman mentioned in February that, “you can find no rationale … to foresee that Stefon Diggs is not going to be a Minnesota Viking.”
Speaking publicly for the to start with time because the trade was executed two days prior to the start off of free agency, Spielman famous that the haul of draft picks Minnesota acquired in trade for the fifth-yr receiver was way too significantly to go up.
“We experienced no intention of investing Diggs at the incorporate,” Spielman mentioned. “He was a wonderful player for us. He was wonderful in the local community. But then there was an possibility, a organization possibility, that came up as this advanced that we felt was both good for Stefon and was for us, and we determined to go in advance and make the trade, but we will constantly take pleasure in almost everything that Stefon has carried out for us right here in Minnesota and want him practically nothing but the very best.”
The depth of this year’s wide receiver course puts the Vikings in place to draft a person or more gamers to swap the position Diggs loaded because 2015.
Minnesota is also in the industry for a cornerback, which could arrive by way of a to start with-spherical collection on Thursday. On the departure of Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander in free agency, the Vikings will element an completely new established of beginning cornerbacks in 2020.
What Spielman mentioned Tuesday relating to “massive changes” coming to the secondary may well foreshadow that the Vikings aren’t searching to trade just lately franchised safety Anthony Harris.
“A person of the points — not only is Anthony Harris a wonderful soccer player for us, and wonderful in the local community — but by us getting able to franchise Anthony, we do have the safeties rather properly established, being aware of that we’re going to have a large amount of younger corners we’re going to have to line up and engage in with,” Spielman mentioned.
Harris has but to indication his $11.41 million franchise tender, but is in the method of working out a very long-term offer, resources with expertise of the problem told ESPN.
