Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's stock market background has proven to be fascinating over his first three offseasons in his current role.
The idea of trading stocks can translate to the National Football League. You want to buy low on a player with the hope that they outperform expectations. In turn, you want to sell high when they have peaked and play really well. General managers have been doing this for some time.
Over his first three offseasons, Adofo-Mensah has taken some chances on some players who haven't quite performed up to expectations. He traded day three picks to acquire both wide receiver Jalen Reagor and defensive tackle Ross Blacklock in hopes they could live up to their potential. It didn't end up working, but the idea is a good one to practice. It can give you surplus value that can maximize how impactful your team is.
This process is a drawback this year due to the lack of draft capital. As things stand right now, the Vikings only have a first-round pick and two fifth-round picks to send in 2025. With that said, they can still trade picks in 2026 and 2027, especially picks in rounds five, six and seven.
Vikings potential buy low trade candidates
Who could the Vikings target this offseason that fits the bill? When looking back at the 2022 NFL Draft, I identified a few players fit the bill.
New York Giants OG Evan Neal
Neal was looked to be a future tackle at the NFL level. Unfortunately, his size has been a major deterrent in his growth. He has a tendency to lean and that causes him to get beat and lose play strength. Neal played both tackle spots and guard at Alabama, as they continue to try and get their best offensive lineman on the field regardless of position. That has also hindered his development
The idea behind acquiring Neal is to both potentially get a guard right now and develop him at tackle behind the scenes to give the Vikings some versatility in their offensive line. You could argue that Neal would still be an upgrade over Blake Brandel at left guard even at his current level of play.
Tennessee Titans WR Treylon Burks
The Titans arguably made a massive mistake during the 2022 NFL Draft by trading A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles and then expecting Burks to fill his role. Now, things haven't gone well for Burks in his first two years, as he was raw coming out of Arkansas. They were using him as a YAC guy, getting him screens and manufactured touches along with go balls down the field, using his athleticism and size to win.
Unfortunately, he needed time to develop and that just hasn't happened yet for Burks. He needs some time and with the wide receiver moves the Titans have made this offseason, they might be willing to move on from the former first-round pick, especially since the new regime didn't select him.
Buffalo Bills CB Kaiir Elam
Elam being a bust isn't something we saw coming but he hasn't been able to put it all together. In his first two seasons, Elam has only played in 16 games with just three coming in 2023. This would be a very buy-low candidate due to his stark decline at the position. If the Vikings were to make this move, watch for them to send a cornerback back to the Bills in return, perhaps Andrew Booth Jr. in a swap to jumpstart their careers.
Houston Texans WR John Metchie III
Metchie hasn't had the best start to his career. He missed his rookie season due to cancer but came back in 2023. He only caught 16 passes for 158 yards and has been buried on the depth chart by Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell. He just happens to be in a very deep wide receiver room and that's a tough spot to be in for Metchie. The Texans also just traded for Ben Skowronek and have Noah Brown who they like a lot. Getting some draft pick compensation back for him might be a solid play for the Texans as he enters year three.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Skyy Moore
Remember when everyone loved Moore going into the 2022 NFL Draft and the Chiefs were thought to be the place to take him to the next level? That hasn't happened thus far. Moore has only caught 43 passes for 493 yards and one touchdown. There just wasn't the level of trust with Moore and Patrick Mahomes that you would have liked to see. With the Chiefs having brought in Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown, Moore could be on the way out with the Chiefs, especially if Rashee Rice stays with the franchise.
