Inside The Vikings

Vikings trading CB Mekhi Blackmon to Colts for a late-round pick

Blackmon was a third-round pick in 2023 who showed promise as a rookie before tearing his ACL and missing his second season.
Will Ragatz|
Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (5) intercepts the ball against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (5) intercepts the ball against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

In this story:

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are trading third-year cornerback Mekhi Blackmon to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2026 sixth-round pick, according to various reports.

It's the third trade Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings have made in the past week, with Blackmon joining defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and quarterback Sam Howell in being dealt off of the roster in exchange for late-round draft capital. All of a sudden, the Vikings have 11 projected picks in next year's draft (including three forecasted compensatory selections), which gives them immense ammo to use in potential subsequent deals this week.

Blackmon, 26, was the 102nd overall pick out of USC at the end of the third round in 2023. He showed significant promise in a rookie season where he played 434 defensive snaps, broke up eight passes, and earned a 71.8 PFF grade. Unfortunately, he then tore his ACL on the first day of training camp last year and has struggled to rediscover his pre-injury form in 2025.

Throughout this year's Vikings training camp, Blackmon almost exclusively worked with the second-team defense. He was always behind newcomers Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah, and it felt like he was closer to falling behind young players like Dwight McGlothern and Zemaiah Vaughn than he was to pushing for first-team reps. Blackmon's preseason also went rather poorly.

The Colts are betting that Blackmon still has some upside with a change of scenery. It's just a sixth-round pick, which isn't a huge price for Indianapolis to pay but is simultaneously some sort of value if you're the Vikings and you didn't envision Blackmon playing much (or at all) this season. This move suggests he might've even been cut on Tuesday if Minnesota hadn't found a trade partner. Blackmon has two years left on his rookie contract.

Cornerback depth was a significant question mark for the Vikings before this trade. Beyond Byron Murphy Jr. and Rodgers, Okudah is an upside bet at CB3 who comes with a very low floor. The other corners on the roster are McGlothern, Vaughn, and Ambry Thomas. It feels inevitable that the Vikings will make an addition of some sort at that position this week.

They certainly have the draft capital to do it.

A busy week of Vikings moves is only getting started.

More Vikings coverage

Published
Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

Share on XFollow WillRagatz
Home/News