The Vikings came into Thursday night’s first round with a lot of draft capital and they added more when they went on the clock for the 14th overall pick.
A trade with the Jets netted them the 23rd pick and two third-rounders while costing them a fourth-round selection. The Vikings then sat back and waited to see if their preferred player would get to them.
General Manager Rick Spielman said “we were a little tight in the draft room” during that wait because they worried someone else might tackle tackle Christian Darrisaw. As the tightness grew, Spielman said he tried to make a move that would ensure Darrisaw landed in Minnesota.
“Once we got down to about four or five picks, when we went down to 23, we did try to go back up because we wanted to try to make sure that we got Christian,” Spielman said, via the team’s website. “We were unable to. Fortunately, we did not have to. We were able to keep our extra picks that we gained and still got the player that we coveted. So, it worked out very well for us.”
The Vikings now have four third-round picks and three fourth-round picks, so trading up into the second round could be part of the plan on Friday night.