It\u2019s a good time to be Rob Brzezinski. The Minnesota Vikings have four picks in the top 100 of this year\u2019s NFL Draft, a good chance at earning the general manager job, and fans are finally learning how to spell his name.<\/p>\n
The Vikings\u2019 interim GM has been soaking up the Arizona sun at the League\u2019s Annual Meeting, and he talked a bit about Minnesota\u2019s offseason and what\u2019s still to come in April\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n
The big question on everyone\u2019s mind, of course, is, What will the Vikings do at 18?\u00a0With all the roster holes Minnesota is dealing with, the options are nearly limitless, including making a big draft-day trade to move up or down. And while Brzezinski didn\u2019t specifically say the Vikings are for sure moving off of No. 18, he didn\u2019t shut the door on it either.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about that internally about how we\u2019re going to navigate that, and I think No. 1 is you want to get your picks right,\u201d he told<\/a> the Vikings Entertainment Network regarding a draft-day trade. \u201cAnd then kind of next level is you can maneuver around the board a little bit and pick up some extra capital here or there. And we have some guardrails as far as how we want to do that, but we\u2019re focused on making sure we get our picks right.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite entering the draft with nine selections, it appears Brzezinski is open to hoarding even more. A trade-up can\u2019t be completely ruled out, but it feels like Minnesota is more willing to move down and stack even more top-100 picks, something that they haven\u2019t had many of in recent years. The Vikings had four total top-100 picks over the last three years combined, and now have an opportunity to have as many as five or six this year with a potential trade down.<\/p>\n Minnesota doesn\u2019t need a quarterback, edge, or offensive tackle, meaning any trade up wouldn\u2019t be for a premium position. That\u2019s not to say the Vikings wouldn\u2019t do it should safety Caleb Downs<\/a> or running back Jeremiyah Love<\/a> fall<\/a> out of the top 10. But their biggest roster holes suit them perfectly for a move the other direction down the board, and adding an elite talent at any of them would be a big win.<\/p>\n With needs at secondary, defensive tackle, wide receiver, running back, and more, the Vikings can easily go with a best-player-available approach and fill a hole. Luckily for them, there are a plethora of players at those positions who could go anywhere near the end of the first round, and Brzezinski couldn\u2019t have been clearer that focusing on ability over need will be their intention come draft night.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the biggest reason why a lot of players fail in this business\u2026you force, you need,\u201d he said. \u201cYou pass on a player of higher ability for a position of need, it puts undue pressure on the player. If you get your board set right, and you look for the best player available, I think that\u2019s going to lead you down the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone and their brother has projected<\/a> the Vikings to take Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman<\/a> with their first-round pick. But if he\u2019s off the board, or Minnesota secretly wants nothing to do with him, a move back makes all the sense in the world. Regardless of what Harrison Smith<\/a> ends up doing in 2026, safety will be a need<\/a> in the coming years. Still, the Vikings are clearly open to just about anything when they start on the clock.<\/p>\n So while everyone seems to have the Vikings all figured out, Brzezinski\u2019s comments seem to imply that nothing is off the table, including potentially even dealing disgruntled<\/a> edge rusher Jonathan Greenard<\/a>. While Kevin O\u2019Connell<\/a> has said he expects<\/a> Greenard to be a part of the team in 2026, the proof will be in the pudding when the draft kicks off. It seems likely that Minnesota works out some sort of resolution, but there\u2019s more than one way to \u201cpick up extra capital.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, Rob Brzezinski not only needs to hit on some of these high picks for the Vikings, but also for Rob Brzezinski. It\u2019s no secret that Minnesota fired<\/a> former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah partially due to his mostly terrible drafts, including his infamous trade down<\/a> to select Lewis Cine<\/a> in 2022. If Brzezinski can show that he knows how to find talent in the draft, the Wilfs may be inclined to remove his interim title.<\/p>\n Minnesota could very well stick and pick at No. 18 if its guy is still there. However, Brzezinski has also made it clear he\u2019s willing to wheel and deal if necessary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a good time to be Rob Brzezinski. 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