Could the Vikings trade down from No. 24? Five takeaways from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s predraft news conference

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the Vikings are a “glass half-full” organization, evaluating players in this year’s NFL draft based on what they can do well instead of focusing on their shortcomings.

Along those lines, Adofo-Mensah said he doesn’t like one of the most common words used about NFL teams during draft season: need.

“I want to be positive focused,” Adofo-Mensah said Thursday during his annual pre-draft news conference. “We want certain types of players on our team.”

There’s more than blanket optimism behind those words.

As the Vikings enter this NFL draft, Adofo-Mensah believes they’ve been proactive enough in free agency — signing two starting offensive linemen, two starting defensive linemen, and trading for a veteran running back — to aim their limited draft capital at the most impactful player available.

“You have to earn the right to be the type of team and the type of organization that drafts for impact and not for need,“ Adofo-Mensah said. ”We were able to do that a lot in what we were able to do in free agency and what we’ve done the last couple years to build to that place. … You’re always going to want to break ties with, I don’t want to say need, but the things that can impact you the soonest."

The Vikings currently have just four draft selections: a first- (No. 24), a third- (No. 97), a fifth- (No. 139), and a sixth-round pick (No. 187).

“Right now at this point of the draft, we try to make sure our board is correct in terms of how we view things,” Adofo-Mensah said. “If you’re picking 24th, you better be able to call or have 24 names that you’re willing to stand up and clap and feel great about. So, that’s the first and foremost: the foundation of how we build this thing; the trades, the scenarios, they come.”

Among the scenarios the Vikings have bandied about is trading back from No. 24 to acquire more picks. There’s not a surefire way to assess what deal is worth taking, said Adofo-Mensah, who has developed his own proprietary trade value chart like many other teams do.

“It’s a difficult exercise,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve been fascinated by. I’ve built a chart myself and seen different charts. They all take different assumptions. ... How do you evaluate a great player at a great position? You could assign a number to it. When you assign a number to it, does that incorporate the scarcity for that type of player? ... How do you put a number on that?”

“The best thing you can do is understand why each chart is built the way it is,” he added, “and kind of maybe for each decision you make understand how you’re using it for you. … I don’t know if anybody’s ever going to solve it."

Adofo-Mensah was asked whether he would redo last year’s two trades: moving up from No. 42 overall to No. 23 with the Houston Texans, costing this year’s second-round pick, and the draft-day trade from No. 23 to No. 17 with the Jacksonville Jaguars that cost this year’s third- and fourth-round picks. The Vikings eventually selected edge rusher Dallas Turner at No. 17.

Adofo-Mensah alluded to the Vikings’ need at quarterback (before drafting J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick) and the possibility of trading up to No. 3 with the New England Patriots, who eventually took North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

“I know exactly why we did those things at the time,” Adofo-Mensah said. “The move to get to 23 was about optionality. It was about kind of a perceived gun-to-head need at a certain position and never wanting to be in that place, in addition to wanting to be the last call if anybody was considering a trade, which again I think we executed in that regards. Also ... you don’t want to be planning to pick in the top three of the first round, so are these opportunities available for you in your future? ... Those are all things that went in the calculus and ultimately don’t know how that answer is going to work out, but looking back on it we feel good about that exact approach and process.”

The Vikings like their current No. 2 quarterback, Brett Rypien, who was named the scout team player of the week multiple times last season. But they’re expected to add a veteran arm following this year’s NFL draft to pair with McCarthy. Starting Monday, veteran additions no longer count against the 2026 compensatory pick formula.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Vikings are projected to get third- and fifth-round picks next year for losing quarterback Sam Darnold and left tackle Cam Robinson in free agency. Signing another unrestricted free agent before the NFL draft could negate one of those picks. The remaining available quarterbacks include Ryan Tannehill, Carson Wentz and Tyler Huntley.

“We are on the look for [comp picks],” Adofo-Mensah said. “It’s an opportunity cost of signing somebody. It’s not the end-all be-all. When you find [Jonathan Greenard], who fits your team and skill sets you want, you go do it. Because you ask yourself what would I rather have? And the answer is sometimes I’d rather have that really good player. Other times, the answer is something different. Quarterback-wise, we’re going to focus on, just as my staff always does, the best opportunities there. So we’re not going to rush it in either way.”

When asked about deciding factors between similarly-graded players on the Vikings’ draft board, Adofo-Mensah said he’s biased toward the players who have the most “buy-in” or belief from their coaches and scouts, because that can give players the longest runway to achieve their potential.

“We do a lot of work based on historical data with our coaches, front office who have been around players to say, ‘Hey, what does it look like?’” Adofo-Mensah said. “Certain positions take time. … You see these growth curves and the dark arts of the pass rush, it takes time to figure out how to beat these outstanding tackles on the edge. It takes time at quarterback to understand an offense and have everything slow down."

The Vikings need more players at tight end, where reserves Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse left for the Jaguars and Eagles, respectively, this offseason. T.J. Hockenson is signed through 2027, but Josh Oliver is currently entering the final year of his contract.

“It’s an easy spot to look and see the Vikings would probably want to add something,” Adofo-Mensah said. “[Hockenson and Oliver] are two dynamic players at their position. … We’re excited about adding somebody else to that room however that comes. Again, the draft is just one of the avenues we have. From a numbers standpoint, that is a position we will address.”

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