2023 Minnesota Vikings Draft Picks—What’s Left Of Them

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Vikings expected to get a couple 6th round comp picks. Plus I expect a player trade or two. And our GM, like our last GM, is a big believer in trading down. By the time the draft rolls around I expect us to have at least one pick in every round. 

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Harry and Peterson could be goners as well. 

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2022 draft was a total disaster so regardless of the number of picks there is no where to go, but up next year!

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The candidates for being cut or traded are: Kendricks, Cook, H. Smith, Z' Smith, Thielen, Hicks, and Phillips. Hunter has a big dead cap number.

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@dadevike said:
The candidates for being cut or traded are: Kendricks, Cook, H. Smith, Z' Smith, Thielen, Hicks, and Phillips. Hunter has a big dead cap number.

I think Kendricks and Cook are the most likely. Big cap hits, small dead cap. I think we re-do the Harry, Adam and Z deals and then keep Hicks and Phillips on their current contracts. 

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@VikingOracle said:

@Bullazin said:
trading down in the first will be the only way to get more picks with any reasonable chance. i say there is almost no doubt Kwesi will trade it down. 

I think you mean trading out of the first as the Vikes will be drafting 32nd in the 1st round.

Oh boy, someone is setting himself up for a big fall... :p

Good for you - SKOL!

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@VikingOracle said:

@Bullazin said:
trading down in the first will be the only way to get more picks with any reasonable chance. i say there is almost no doubt Kwesi will trade it down. 

I think you mean trading out of the first as the Vikes will be drafting 32nd in the 1st round.

Actually, there's only 31 1st round picks in the 2023 draft. Miami was docked their pick for tampering w/ Brady & Sean Payton.

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@MaroonBells said:

@dadevike said:
The candidates for being cut or traded are: Kendricks, Cook, H. Smith, Z' Smith, Thielen, Hicks, and Phillips. Hunter has a big dead cap number.

I think Kendricks and Cook are the most likely. Big cap hits, small dead cap. I think we re-do the Harry, Adam and Z deals and then keep Hicks and Phillips on their current contracts. 

This is probably a pretty good guess. Dalvin I go both ways on. The way his contract breaks-down I think there are some reasons to kick some money to 2024 since you could effectively release him at that point for about the same gain/loss. Flip-side is that maybe they just hold the strong RB UFA class over his head and ask him to take a straight pay cut or risk being released. He's still an impactful player, but no way he gets $10M (his base salary) on the FA market. 

Kendick's likely has some trade value so they could go that route. I go both ways on Jordan Hicks. Tend to think they keep him since the new regime hand-selected him. But they'll get Asomoah as spot one way or another. 

Za'Darius & Phillips will both be back. I imagine they'll extend Dalvin Tomlinson if possible as well. That both prevents his dead money from accelerating but also keeps a good player. 

Both Harrison and Thielen likely are back. Harrison you could conceivably move on from, but do you trust Bynum & Cine? Thielen's contract is rough. They probably kick a marginal amount of money out to 2024/25 to get some breathing room knowing they are kind of stuck on an iffy deal with him. Danielle they arguably screwed themselves on by amortizing his roster bonus last year. They'd have to eat money to trade him prior to June 1. By the time you get to that juncture where draft picks won't help you in 2023. Time will tell on that deal but they might need to eat the money and move him and accelerate the money. That is assuming they don't plan on extending him, which was obviously the original plan based on how they handled his deal. 

Outside of the aforementioned players they have another decision to make on Kirk's contract. He's earned the opportunity to get another year tacked on. Jefferson will get a big money extension and I imagine Ham may be released. But that kind of is the preview to the off-season take. 

If they do all of that they will have around $30M leading into FA. If they do all of this minus anything to Harry or Thielen they will be closer to $21-22M of room to work with.