Grade the trade: Vikings trade down to end day 2 and pick up a significant advantage on day 3

This is the first time that Adofo-Mensah has traded back in the draft since 2023, when the Vikings also traded down at the end of the third round to the 102nd overall pick. They ended up with cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, who was a contributor as a rookie on defense.

Vikings trade pick 97 to Houston Texans

If the Vikings are making a trade, it's a decent bet that it's with the Houston Texans. They acquired the 23rd overall pick last year from the Texans, acquired Ross Blacklock after final cutdown day in 2022, and sent Ed Ingram their this past March for a sixth-round pick.

The latest came on Friday night, where the Vikings moved up 45 spots on day three to move back five spots.

The trade charts support the Vikings' trade across the board, except for the Jimmy Johnson trade chart, which was a very small loss in value. The Vikings obviously thought that they were in a position to gain a lot by trading down and not losing a lot when it comes to the player they were projecting to pick.

This is a good bet by Adofo-Mensah, but the Vikings didn't end up getting an extra pick in the trade. However, they could trade back at either 139 or 142 and acquire a couple of picks to get to a magic number of six.

Overall, the Vikings navigated the trade market well here, and got a good value for the pick. Another win for Adofo-Mensah in the trade market.