Lunchbreak: Trade for Harrison Smith Listed as Vikings Most Impactful Draft-Day Move

[Viktor]

Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman rarely shies away from the fact that he likes to work with at least 10 picks each year in the draft.


Minnesota currently has eight total selections, beginning with the 18th overall pick, meaning Spielman would have to pull off a trade or two to reach his coveted number.


It wouldn’t be a surprise if Spielman did make a move considering he has negotiated 26 draft-day trades since becoming the general manager in 2012. That number does not include swaps involving players and picks that occurred before or after a draft.


But which one was his best? ESPN recently went through the best draft-day move trade in each team’s history to select the most impactful one.


Vikings beat reporter Courtney Cronin pointed to a 2012 deal that netted them safety Harrison Smith as Spielman’s best work.


Cronin wrote:


Minnesota’s biggest and longest-lasting impact came when General Manager Rick Spielman decided he wasn’t done on the first night of the draft. Minnesota had been eyeing Notre Dame’s Smith but wasn’t convinced he’d be there when the Vikings were set to pick again at No. 35 in the second round.


To avoid missing out on a future Pro Bowler, Spielman sent a fourth-round pick to Baltimore to move up to No. 29 to draft Smith. Since that day, Smith has become an irreplaceable staple in the Vikings defense and is routinely regarded as the most versatile safety in the NFL.


Smith has appeared in 99 games with the Vikings, including 98 starts. He has established himself as one of the league’s best players at his position, as evident by his four straight Pro Bowl honors and a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2017.


The safety’s ability to play anywhere on the field has helped Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer’s unit rank in the top 10 in points allowed in each of the past four seasons. Minnesota’s defense has also been in the top 10 in yards allowed per game in three of the past four seasons.


Smith is entering his eighth season in Purple. He has 20 career interceptions, which ranks 10th all-time with the Vikings, and is the franchise leader with four career pick sixes.