The Kansas City Chiefs traded away their 2021 first-round pick recently. They have now traded in the opposite direction and have got a first-round pick, albeit a 2018 one.
Mike Hughes was one of the most sought after players in the 2018 draft and was taken as a first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings. However, things didn’t work out for the cornerback and for the Minnesota-based franchise, so both parties have decided to move on.
The Chiefs saw an opportunity in that and organized a trade with the Vikings on Thursday which also included a 2022 seventh-round pick. In exchange for Mike Hughes and that seventh-round pick, the Vikings will get a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Three Seasons Plagued by Injuries
The Vikings selected Hughes as the 30th overall pick in the 2018 draft. However, the rookie cornerback suffered a torn ACL in his first season with the Vikings and to say that he didn’t have the best of starts in Minnesota would be an understatement.
His poor run of luck continued in the following seasons and he missed a large part of the 2020 season due to a neck injury. Hughes only took part in four games in 2020 and the people in Minnesota had seen enough to know that they needed to cut ties with the cornerback plagued by injuries.
A Myriad of Deals for the Chiefs
The Hughes deal is only one of many that the Chiefs have concluded in the offseason after they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
They traded away the 2021 first-round pick to the Ravens for Orlando Brown, a much-needed offensive tackle addition. And that was only one of several moves aimed at making the Chiefs’ offensive line stronger.
A Deal that Makes Sense
And while the Chiefs had to give up a 2021 first-round pick to get Orlando Brown, they had to trade away far less to bring in Hughes. The cornerback cost them only a sixth-round pick, and that means that they might get a first-round quality player for the price of a sixth-round pick. If it works out, it will be one of the best pieces of business the Chiefs have done in a long time.
Another reason why Mike Hughes’ signing makes sense for Kansas City is that they will significantly improve their depth at cornerback. The Chiefs have the recently acquired Will Parks, and already have the likes of L’Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward in their roster.
However, the fact that the Chiefs might have done a brilliant piece of business doesn’t mean that the Vikings didn’t get what they were looking for from the trade too.
Even when Hughes was healthy he didn’t get the numbers the Vikings were hoping to see. In his three seasons with the Vikings, Hughes only started seven games.
In addition, the Vikings have recently acquired the services of veteran Patrick Peterson, meaning they are well-covered despite Mike Hughes leaving.
Only time will tell whether the Chiefs or the Vikings got the better end of the trade. However, as things stand, it seems like the Chiefs might have brought in a player that has lots of potential to improve their team for the price of only a sixth-round pick.
