NFL Draft: How Much Will the Vikings Have to Trade to Get Up to 4 or 5?

How much will it cost the Vikings to move up to the No. 4 or No. 5 pick in this year's draft? That's one of the key questions Minnesota GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs to find out the answer to as the draft draws closer and closer.

The Vikings may not be able to get all the way up to No. 3, given the Patriots' reported asking price for that pick and their need at quarterback. So a logical move would be to swing a deal with the Cardinals or Chargers, who are both set at QB. Getting to 4 would ensure the Vikings land one of the top four quarterbacks (presumably J.J. McCarthy, but you never know). If Arizona stays put and takes Marvin Harrison Jr., the Vikings could go up to 5 to get the QB ahead of the Giants, who pick sixth and can't be ruled out as a team that could take a quarterback. Waiting longer than that not only runs the risk of New York taking the fourth QB, but also the Broncos or Raiders making a big move up to do so.

Assuming the Vikings have the top four QBs on a tier above Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix, getting up to 4 or 5 is the way to ensure that they don't miss out on their guy. But how much will it cost?

In a recent mock draft from The Athletic, the Vikings send picks 11, 23, and next year's first to the Cardinals for No. 4. In Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest ESPN mock, the Vikings send that same exact deal to the Chargers for No. 5. Could those teams really leverage Minnesota's desperation to make them give up two additions firsts to move up six or seven spots? Would the Vikings pull the trigger on that deal, when the other option is to take Penix/Nix and hold onto the two extra firsts? It would be a fascinating decision. A much more palatable deal is the one proposed by The Ringer's Danny Heifetz, which is 11 and 23 and a 2025 third-rounder for No. 4 (McCarthy).

The Rich Hill trade chart says that picks 11 and 23 are worth more than the No. 3 overall pick. But that's not how this works. The Vikings need a quarterback and the league knows it, which means they're going to have to overpay to move up into the top five. The only question is by how much.

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