Vikings Looking to “Preserve” No. 23 Pick in Trade Talks

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Since acquiring the No. 23 overall pick from the Houston Texans, there has been an expectation that the Minnesota Vikings would use it to move up in the NFL Draft for one of the four quarterbacks. However, recent reports now suggest they may be considering preserving that pick in trade talks instead.

ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler is reporting that the Vikings are trying to "preserve” the No. 23 overall pick that was acquired from the Houston Texans last month.

“And you’ve got Minnesota, armed with two first-round picks,” Fowler said during a segment on SportsCenter. “This is the team that could be active. I’ve talked to several teams who believe that Minnesota, at least right now, doesn’t want to part with that second first-rounder, which is in the twenties. They want to try to preserve that, which could be tough to move up into the top five for a quarterback. So, the feeling is they’re looking around at potentially (JJ) McCarthy there, one of the quarterbacks, but they might not want to give up enough to get there.”

If General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wants to preserve the No. 23 overall pick in trade talks, it will make it nearly impossible to move into the top five picks, let alone with New England at No. 3 overall. The team might hope McCarthy drops to them at No. 11, or if he falls outside the top six picks, they could move up without needing to trade an extra first-round pick.

However, this could also signal the team's intention to play the draft board strategically, potentially passing on a quarterback altogether and prioritizing the selection of the top available player. During Adofo-Mensah’s pre-draft press conference, when asked about acquiring the No. 23 pick from Houston, he described it as "insurance."

“We look at it like an insurance product on different outcomes,” Adofo-Mensah said of how the team views acquiring an extra first round pick. “Do you always use insurance? No. You can go your whole life and never get in a car accident. But if you did, you would be really glad you had the insurance.”

With the NFL Draft just two weeks away, Minnesota's true intentions might remain unknown until they're on the clock or if Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a trade involving the Vikings and one of the teams selecting in the top five.

Nevertheless, Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings are consistently at the center of intriguing storylines leading up to the NFL Draft.