Vikings could go outside the box with next big trade deadline move

After losing star left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending knee injury last Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings acted quickly by making a trade to get offensive tackle Cam Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this week. That kind of aggressiveness to fill a void can be appreciated.

What, if anything, more the Vikings do before next Tuesday's trade deadline is unclear. What is clear is their lack of picks in the 2025 draft, with only a first-rounder and two fifth-rounders in their que right now. So a trade to recoup some draft capital could be on the radar, if it can be done.

In his weekly column collaboration with Dan Graziano heading into Week 9 (subscription required), ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted some under-the-radar players who are producing trade buzz. A surprising Viking was mentioned.

"Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II, a former third-rounder who hasn't made an impact in Brian Flores' defense, is a trade candidate, too."

Vikings rumors: Does Brian Asamoah have any trade value?

The Vikings selected Asamoah in the third round (No. 66 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 16 games as a rookie, mostly on special teams (285 snaps, compared to 119 defensive snaps). He played in 13 games last season, but just 36 defensive snaps (196 special teams snaps).

Asamoah has played in all seven of the Vikings' games so far this season. All 13 of his defensive snaps came in one game (the Week 3 blowout win over the Houston Texans), and he has played 123 special teams snaps thus far.

Asamoah has 25 total tackles in his career (entering Week 9), with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Any impact he has on special teams does not show up on the stat sheet in the form of tackles.

Asamoah definitely "hasn't made an impact in Brian Flores' defense", as Fowler noted. He also hasn't had much opportunity to make an impact, so maybe another team would give him a better opportunity.

Asamoah is undersized (6-foot, 226 pounds). But he backed up his production during his final season at Oklahoma (90 total tackles) with an 8.9 RAS (Relative Athletic Score) at the 2022 NFL Combine to make himself a Day 2 draft pick. That was roughly an 89th percentile RAS among linebackers drafted from 1987 to 2022.

It's hard to see the Vikings getting more than a Day 3 draft pick for Asamoah, but maybe that pick can become a player they'll have greater use for. Fowler's insight suggests other teams have interest, so the third-year linebacker might be on the move soon.