ESPN: Vikings “primed to move back” in 2020 NFL Draft

Draft week is officially upon us, ladies and gentlemen, as the 2020 NFL Draft will take place starting this Thursday night. As we know, the Minnesota Vikings currently hold two first-round selections in this year’s draft, and one NFL insider thinks that they are in a position to move down the board in order to fill needs.

Behind the great E$PN paywall, NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler reports that the Vikings are a prime candidate to move back from at least one of their first-round selections, #22 and #25 overall, because of their positions of need and how those positions are seen in this year’s draft class.

Multiple execs believe the Minnesota Vikings are primed to move back. They hold the Nos. 22 and 25 picks, and their two clear needs — corner and receiver — offer trade-back value.

Most agree there’s a clean break at corner after Jeff Okudah (Ohio State) and CJ Henderson (Florida), and players in the second tier aren’t guys you necessarily have to stretch your draft capital to get, multiple execs say. They are good prospects, but you can let them come to you.

The Vikings could package one of their first-rounders for more volume, on the way to getting impact players at both positions.

In particular, the pick at #22 could be a spot to watch, particularly if a quarterback like Utah State prospect Jordan Love falls. The reason for that is because the New England Patriots, fresh off of the loss of Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, suddenly find themselves in need of a long-term solution at quarterback. There are teams behind the Patriots in the draft order that could be looking for quarterbacks as well.

With New England slated to pick at #23, the Vikings’ selection that they got from the Buffalo Bills at #22 could suddenly become a hot commodity for teams that think they have to get in front of the Patriots to secure a quarterback. The top three quarterbacks. . .Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert. . .will almost certainly be off the board by #22, but someone like Love or Jacob Eason out of Washington could pique a team’s interest.

Do you think the Vikings’ move back from at least one of their first-rounders on Thursday, folks? Do you think there’s a chance they could move back with both of them? Let us know what you think!