Vikings unlikely to trade up for Clowney

Just because the cupboard is bare when it comes to defensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, fans shouldn’t expect the team to trade up to draft Jadeveon Clowney if the Houston Texans pass on him with the first pick.

In his Monday Mailbag, Vikings.com writer Mike Wobschall refuted the scenario should a quarterback be taken No. 1.

"With all the Vikings defensive linemen scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency on March 11, adding a talented player in the draft such as Clowney could be a prudent move. To add Clowney, though, it seems the Vikings would have to make a significant jump up the draft board from their spot at No. 8. The cost to do so might be prohibitive for a general manager such as Rick Spielman, who values draft picks and has stated publicly he’d like to leave the draft with 10-plus selections. Spielman’s desire to do that is especially well-conceived this year because the 2014 draft class is said to be one of the deepest in recent memory."

This doesn’t mean the Vikings won’t target the defensive line, the team is just unlikely to ransom off their entire draft for Clowney.