Getty Taylor Heinicke tackled.
With the No. 2 pick in a loaded draft class, the Washington Commanders could receive an offer for the pick that they can’t refuse. Of the teams looking to trade up, the Minnesota Vikings seem poised to do so after trading for another first-round pick in a deal with the Houston Texans.
In a proposed trade from Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, the Vikings landed the No. 2 pick from the Commanders in a three-team deal. The trade sends the No. 2 pick to the Vikings, the No. 4 pick and a 2025 first-round pick to the Commanders, and No. 11 and No. 23 to the Arizona Cardinals.
“Dealing with the Cardinals might get Minnesota its shot at McCarthy. However, we are in the middle of smokescreen season, and netting McCarthy may not be the Vikings’ true endgame. In this scenario, the Vikings do move up to No. 4 but then use that as a stepping stone to get even higher. Minnesota doesn’t have second- or third-round selections, so trading a future first-rounder may be the only way to complete the jump.
“It would be a pricey series of moves, but it would guarantee the Vikings the second-best quarterback on their board. That would certainly entice the Commanders, if they view the top four QB prospects similarly. If that’s the case, this is a series of trades that would benefit everyone.”
The second first-round pick could intrigue the Commanders, but if they believe that whoever they want to draft between Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels will be a high-level player, there’s no reason to trade back two spots and risk losing one of them.
Vikings Looking To Move Up in the Draft
The Minnesota Vikings adding that second first-round pick indicates their plan to move up in the draft. Whether that’s in a trade with the Washington Commanders or not, the Vikings do have an interest in moving up.
Field Yates of ESPN viewed the trade with the Houston Texans as an indication to other teams, like the Commanders, that they’re interested in moving up.
“The Vikings’ trade with the Texans for pick No. 23 last week after losing Kirk Cousins in free agency certainly raised some eyebrows, giving them a second Day 1 selection (No. 11 being the other). People around the league with whom I’ve spoken believe Minnesota basically sent up a flare to any team at the top of the order considering a trade down that it is interested in talking.
“Whether that manifests a deal is to be determined, but a team willing to move back has not only a possible partner but also the certainty of where two first-round picks (the starting point in any negotiation) are in the order. The Cardinals (No. 4) and Chargers (No. 5) are the two often-linked targets right now.”
Why the Commanders Shouldn’t Trade the Pick
While the second first-round pick the Minnesota Vikings could offer the Washington Commanders is intriguing, the Commanders have to find their quarterback and stick with that.
If there’s a scenario where they believe J.J. McCarthy is the best quarterback they can draft and the Vikings and New England Patriots want to draft Maye and Daniels, then doing this is the right decision.
However, if the Commanders want Maye or Daniels, they need to use that pick to draft one of them. It’s clear the franchise needs a legitimate quarterback to fix the recent struggles, and losing that opportunity to add an additional first-round pick doesn’t make much sense.