Looking back: The Vikings trade back into Round 1 in 2012 is memorable
The Minnesota Vikings had the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but it was a trade later in the night that landed them Harrison Smith.
The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2012 NFL Draft with the third overall pick. A trade with the Cleveland Browns gave the Vikings additional draft capital , and Minnesota took USC tackle Matt Kalil, the player they wanted all along. But that wasn't the most notable trade of the night for the Vikings.
The Baltimore Ravens were on the clock at pick 29. Rick Spielman, in his first season as Minnesota's general manager, traded away the Vikings' fourth-round pick (98th overall) to the Ravens to move up. He didn't believe Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith would fall to Minnesota at pick 35 in the second round.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert said the move was the Vikings' most impactful draft-day trade in the franchise's history. GM Rick Spielman loved Smith as a player and person, but after using the No. 4 pick to draft left tackle Matt Kalil, he wasn't certain Smith would still be available when Minnesota's second-round pick (No.
35) arrived. So Spielman sent the Ravens a fourth-round pick to move up to No. 29, and Smith went on to a Hall of Fame caliber career.