The Minnesota Vikings have traded multiple draft picks to the Detroit Lions for tight end T.J. Hockenson, according to multiple reports.
The Vikings have confirmed the trade, but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported details on the draft picks, saying the Vikings are sending Detroit a 2023 second-round pick and 2024 third-round pick, while the Lions are giving Minnesota a 2023 fourth-round pick and a 2024 conditional fourth-round pick.
The trade happenend just hours before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT NFL trade deadline and one day after it was reported that tight end Irv Smith Jr. suffered a high ankle sprain. ESPN’s Adam Schefter now says Smith is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.
Vikings’ TE Irv Smith is expected to be sidelined 8-10 weeks with his high ankle sprain, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 1, 2022
Hockenson, the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has 26 catches for 395 yards and three touchdowns this season, including one against the Vikings in Week 3. The bulk of his numbers came in Detroit’s 48-45 loss to the Seahawks in Week 4, when he hauled in eight passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith’s 33 targets in seven games ranked third on the team to Justin Jefferson (71) and Adam Thielen (50), so the trade for Hockenson is an immediate replacement for Smith’s target share.
Hockenson is first among all qualified NFL tight ends at 15.2 yards per catch this season – a stat that suggests he’ll help the Vikings stretch the field and make defenses think twice before double or triple teaming Jefferson.
The Lions previously picked up Hockenson’s fifth-year option so he’s signed through 2023. Smith, meanwhile, is due to become a free agent after the season.
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