General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings have already been busy adding to their roster this year, acquiring Cam Akers and Cam Robinson in recent trades. Other moves, perhaps on the defensive side of the ball, could happen before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline. And if Adofo-Mensah really wants to make a splash, here are five players who would be worth trading for next year’s first-round pick (and maybe more) to land. These are the type of stars you acquire and then expand and play a big part of your future.

Note: Each of these should be considered highly unlikely, especially at the bottom of the list, but they’re still fun to think about!

The Vikings saw just how good Reed was when they played the Jets in London. The 5’9″ veteran is one of the stickiest cornerbacks in the NFL, ranking third in PFF’s category among corners with at least 200 snaps played. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 63.8 when They start his coverage assignment. He is a legitimate No. 1 corner who is approaching his 28th birthday.

Reed is a free agent after this season and plays on a 2-6 Jets team that might want to consider going into rebuild mode in the midst of a very disappointing season. If I’m the Vikings, I’d trade my last first-round pick for Reed, then immediately sign him to a significant contract extension. He’s so good.

Another option the Vikings could consider at cornerback is Horn, the No. 8 overall pick in 2021. He is still on his rookie contract and has a fifth-year option in 2025. Horn has been a very good player for Carolina when healthy, but injuries limited him to 30 games in 3.5 seasons. He is healthy currently and producing at a high level.

Ideally, the 1-7 Panthers don’t want to move Horn, but it’s not out of the question. The Vikings, who have not been afraid to face players with injury risks, could look to extend him and make him their number 1 corner of the future. As a reminder, their three starters this season – Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin – are pending free agents.

This one seems even less realistic, but can you imagine? Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowler, is a shutdown corner who has allowed just eight receptions all season. He’s in the third year of a five-year, $97 million contract, so the Saints would end up eating a lot of dead money if they traded him, but they’re also 2-6 and don’t going nowhere. The 28-year-old would instantly and dramatically improve the Vikings secondary. His base salary is around $16 million in 2025 and 2026, which isn’t crazy.

Tennessee would have no intention to trade Simmonsbut Adofo-Mensah should still check in with his friend Ran Carthon (the two worked together in the 49ers front office) a few more times just to be sure. Simmons is the exact type of havoc-wrecking defensive tackle who could transform the Vikings defense and help them get to the next level. The two-time Pro Bowler had a slightly slow start to the season, but has returned to his old ways over the past few weeks.

Simmons is in the first year of a big contract and won’t be a free agent until 2028, so the 1-6 Titans may want to keep him as part of their core. But the Vikings should offer next year’s top pick and a few other picks just to see if there’s a chance they can pry him away.

The great white whale of the Vikings trade deadline, at least from a fan perspective, is Lawrence. He is one of the best players in the NFL and would take Minnesota’s defense from threatening to unstoppable. Lawrence has been one of the league’s most dominant defensive stars since moving to nose tackle in 2022 and leads all players with 9 sacks in 8 games this year. He’s incredibly good at what he does – and what he does is proving to be one of the glaring weaknesses on the Vikings roster.

But even with the Giants at 2-6, Lawrence is under contract through 2028 and seems unlikely to be moved. At the very least, it would likely take the Vikings’ next two first-round picks to get into the ballpark.