Zone Coverage

The Minnesota Vikings are now one of the contenders for a dramatic trade-up in the 2024 NFL Draft, so a mock draft that features a jump into the top three makes the most sense. For this exercise, I used the NFL Mock Draft Database’s Mock Draft Machine, which allows trades and uses its internal consensus board to rank players. Can the Vikings walk away with a full draft class of players while still trading up to grab one of the top quarterbacks available? Trade simulators do a poor job of calculating the cost of a trade when a quarterback is involved. We know about the haul of picks that the Carolina Panthers gave up for Bryce Young, the Los Angeles Rams gave up for Jared Goff, the New York Jets gave up for Sam Darnold, and – relevant to the Vikings in 2024 – what the San Francisco 49ers gave up for Trey Lance.