NFL Draft Review

NFL Draft – Comparisons             

Each team in the NFL gets seven draft picks in the annual draft each April.   Most team will take their 

seven picks and fill the team’s needs by position to get their roster ready for the new season.   Some 

team will use the draft as an opportunity to wheel-and-deal to get many more draft picks or trade away 

multiple draft picks to get a high-end player.

The New Orleans Saints traded away multiple draft picks and landed just three top players in the draft. 

In the seventh round they selected a Quarterback and ended up with only four picks in the entire draft.

In quite the opposite fashion, the Minnesota Vikings ended up with 15 draft picks in the draft.  By 

trading away some top picks, they are able to add multiple lower level picks including multiple picks in 

the First Round (2), the Fourth Round (3), the Fifth Round (2), the Sixth Round (2), and an amazing 

FOUR picks in the Seventh Round alone!  By getting eight picks in the final three rounds, this is a great 

way to pick up talent and a relatively cheap way.   

Salaries for the team’s draft picks are for the most part pre-determined by round. The bottom three 

rounds are very cheap, and you can pick up great talent down there.  The Vikings General Manager 

Rick Spielman likes to keep things interesting on Draft Day and is known for this wheeling-and-dealing 

to load up on talent.  

The Vikings also got some exceptional players in the early rounds. By trading Stephon Diggs to the 

Buffalo Bills in the offseason, the Vikings received the Bill’s #1 draft pick.The Vikings selected Justin 

Jefferson, a receiver from LSU, which will be a much cheaper version of an explosive play-maker 

and should be an immediate starter for the Vikings.

The Vikings also loaded up with five defensive backs, which is more than the entire Saints Draft 

Class of four.

Dan