Day 2 of the NFL Draft will feature the second and third rounds, of which the Vikings have plenty of firepower as they hold the 26th pick (58 overall) in the second round and the 25th (89 overall) and 41st selections (105th overall) in the third round, not to mention two picks the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds and three in the seventh round.
What’s apparent at this point is that Minnesota isn’t totally comfortable with Riley Reiff starting the season at left tackle. They could draft a tackle, say Houston’s Josh Jones or Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland, in the second round,and then slide Reiff inside to left guard.
Or they could trade or cut Reiff and acquire Trent Williams from Washington.
The latter seems like a fair probability, according to ESPN reporters Courtney Cronin and John Keim, who both say “the Vikings are in pursuit” of Williams.
Things to know on Trent Williams: You can believe this or not, but the Redskins do not feel they have to move him today or this weekend. This could change in a minute if any of the 3 teams involved makes the right offer. Only team @CourtneyRCronin and I know for sure is Minn
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 24, 2020
“The logical move in potential trade would be to send Riley Reiff ($10.9 million base salary, $13.2 cap hit) to WAS along with a draft pick,” says Cronin. “If WAS doesn’t feel like they’re getting adequate compensation for a 7x Pro Bowler, they could let this drag out longer.”
So, like @john_keim and I have been reporting, the Vikings are in a pursuit for Trent Williams. There was an offer proposed at least a week before the draft from Minnesota (Day 3 pick), but nothing came to fruition then. After Round 1 of the draft, no movement, but the Vikings
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 24, 2020
Another big question is what will happen if the Vikings do trade for Williams. The 31-year-old left tackle has one year and $12.5 million left on his contract, meaning he’s likely in search of a contract extension before stepping on the field in 2020.
Regardless, simply trading for Williams “would be easy for them to get it done,” tweeted Keim.
#Skins VP of Player Personnel Kyle Smith on the latest w/ Trent Williams:: "We're just working through it…something could happen in 5 min, it could happen tomorrow, it might not happen in the next few days. It's just something we're trying to work through & cont making calls."
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 24, 2020
Teams are always in search of star offensive line depth, but the teams with the biggest needs at left tackle already used first-round picks to get their likely starters. Cleveland selected Jedrick Wills, the Jets took Louisville’s Mekhi Becton and the Buccaneers aded Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs to protect Tom Brady.
The Dolphins and Titans also used a first-round pick to get an offensive tackle.
