Minnesota Vikings Swing Trade and Draft New Wide Receiver

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Tai Felton
Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings went into the 2025 NFL Draft with extremely limited capital. Their four total picks were the fewest for any team in this cycle. Rather than trade back from their first round pick, they shored up the offensive line with guard Donovan Jackson taken at 24th overall.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t have another pick to work with until the third round on Friday night. That selection, 97th overall, was a compensatory pick awarded for the departure of Kirk Cousins.

It was the third round that Minnesota decided to trade back. They swapped a pair of picks with the Houston Texans and were comfortable with the final choice of the evening.

Wide receiver Tai Felton joins Minnesota Vikings

By trading back five spots with the Houston Texans in the third round, the Vikings moved up 57 spots later in the draft. They still have just two picks left, but both are now in the 5th round.

Last season the Vikings utilized Jalen Nailor as their third wide receiver. He performed adequately but didn’t exactly run away with the role. Now Maryland star wideout Tai Felton is joining the offensive corps.

Felton played 46 games for the Maryland Terrapins over four seasons. This year he turned 96 receptions into 1,124 yards and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his collegiate career.

He recorded a career-high nine touchdowns which was an impressive mark after posting six in 2023. At 6’2″ he has ideal size at the wide receiver position. He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash and posted a 39.5″ vertical jump at the combine.

Against the Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium this season Felton showed off. It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season, and his 104 receiving yards were a bright spot for a Maryland team that got beat 48-23.

MN Vikings wide receiver room could see shuffle

Justin Jefferson is obviously locked into the top wide receiver role for the Minnesota Vikings. Jordan Addison will remain his running mate for as long as he’s employed by the team.

Unfortunately for Addison, and the Vikings, he’ll likely face a suspension this season stemming from his arrest last summer. That means Minnesota must make up for his absence. There is also the reality that Nailor is in the final year of his contract and hasn’t run away with the job.

Nailor played in 17 games last season and racked up 414 yards with six touchdowns. His hands and route running were questionable at times, and that provides an opportunity for Felton to gain some target share.

J.J. McCarthy will need to develop a level of rapport with his new target. The last wide receiver Minnesota took from Maryland, Stefon Diggs, turned out pretty good. That’d be quite the come up if Felton can follow in his footsteps.

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