Report: Vikings Trade Defensive End Yannick Ngakoue to Ravens
CINCINNATI — The AFC North just keeps getting better.
The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to send third and fifth-round picks to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Ngakoue, 25, has five sacks and 12 tackles this season. Minnesota sent their 2021 second-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2022 to Jacksonville in exchange for Ngakoue in August.
The Vikings recoup most of their future assets in this deal with the Ravens.
Schefter reports that Ngakoue always hoped to land in Baltimore. He grew up in Maryland and went to college at the University of Maryland. It's a homecoming for him and it gives arguably the best roster in the NFL another dangerous weapon.
Ngakoue will fit in nicely with Calais Campbell. Both players helped the Jaguars reach the AFC Championship game in 2017.
The one weakness on the Ravens' defense was their inability to get to the passer with their front four. Ngakoue should change that. He has 42.5 career sacks and 92 quarterback hits in five seasons.
This helps Baltimore matchup better against a team like the Chiefs, who were able to deal with their blitz-heavy defense. They need to find a way to get to opposing quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes without bringing extra pressure.
Ngakoue is in the final year of his contract, but there's probably mutual interest between him and the Ravens to keep him around long-term. That means the Bengals could be seeing plenty of Ngakoue in the coming seasons.
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