Vikings mailbag: Cost for trading up to No. 3 overall? Pressing draft needs? Edge plan?

Thank you for submitting questions for the Vikings mailbag! You can always send more to @Andrew_Krammer on Twitter or andrew.krammer@startribune.com. Listen for answers on the Access Vikings podcast or find them here on StarTribune.com/Vikings.

Q: Percentage chance the Vikings trade up to pick No. 2 or No. 3 for a quarterback? — @miller70chev

AK: That would likely require a large package of picks and players considering the 20-spot jump from No. 23, their current draft slot, and the precedent set for trades into the top three. The San Francisco 49ers made the last move, sending two first-round picks and a third-round pick to Miami for a nine-spot jump — No. 12 to No. 3 — in 2021. The last team before that to jump from outside the top 10 into the top three came in 2016, when the Rams moved from No. 15 to No. 1 for two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks. You'd assume the Cardinals' demands for No. 3 this year would start with a couple first-round picks in addition to No. 23 from Minnesota. For a Vikings roster that needs to be restocked, I'd estimate the chance as low. Should one of the top quarterbacks, like Florida's Anthony Richardson or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, start to fall, things could get interesting for the Vikings.

—

Q: What do you think is their trade up limit? — @battl2heaven

AK: Let's keep in mind they only have five draft picks and fall at a spot in the draft — No. 23 — where talent could start to tail off at coveted positions. Trading back wouldn't be a shock if quarterbacks go very quickly. But Ben Goessling mocked the Vikings trading up to No. 11 to snag Richardson, sending a 2024 first-round pick to the Titans. That seems a reasonable cost for a supposedly high-ceiling franchise leader. Whether he lasts that long remains to be seen. Prominent sportsbooks have Richardson as a heavy favorite to go in the top 10, offering odds as low as -700. A trade into the top 10 likely needs a little heavier trade package. In 2017, the Chiefs moved up from No. 27 to No. 10 for future first- and third-round picks. General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah downplayed his adherence to a trade chart, or a set valuation on what each draft slot is worth: "I try and view it as a scenario thing," Adofo-Mensah said last year. "Here are the different scenarios we could be in if we pick this player or not, and just compare them and see how we are. There are mathematical ways to do it, but there are also common sense and intuition ways of doing it as well."

—

Q: Seems like there's a lot of steam around the quarterbacks this year. What other than quarterback could the Vikings draft early? — Evan

AK: If there's a quick run on this year's passers, and the Vikings' top tier is exhausted, the depth chart could certainly use another cornerback, receiver, interior defensive lineman and interior linebacker. Adofo-Mensah said earlier this month that they obviously need to add cornerbacks. Minnesota has added just Byron Murphy Jr. and Joejuan Williams in free agency after everyone who played last year exited in free agency except for Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans. Perhaps they'll take another swing at interior offensive line with left guard Ezra Cleveland in a contract year and center Garrett Bradbury's new contract coming with just 2023 guaranteed.

—

Q: Will Za'Darius Smith be on the team this year? — Lew

AK: As of Wednesday, the Vikings are still holding onto Smith and running back Dalvin Cook. But that could change quickly as the team is open to moving them amid financial constraints and logjams at their positions. Smith posted goodbye to Minnesota on social media, but the Vikings are making him wait, for now, after guaranteeing $10 million for one season of Marcus Davenport — who plays Smith's position. "He was a great member of our team last year and we'll keep the conversation ongoing," Adofo-Mensah said of Smith this month. Edge rusher Danielle Hunter also reportedly wasn't planning on showing up to voluntary work, which he also skipped in 2021 before an eventual restructure, as he's due just $5.5 million this season.

—

Q: Will Aaron Rodgers be a Viking in 2024? And when he is a Viking, which team will beat us in the NFC Championship Game? — @ngnan12

AK: Ha! Safety Harrison Smith, whose 12th Vikings season this fall will be his first without seeing Rodgers at all, noted Rodgers following Brett Favre's path from the Packers to the Jets when asked this month about not playing Rodgers in 2023. "Yeah, that would be weird [without him]," Smith said. "Just being the Vikings and the Favre history, it's kind of funny, I guess, where it could go." A reporter asked, "So, Rodgers to the Vikings in 2024?" Smith cut off the question, saying through a laugh, "Let's not take it that far."