The Minnesota Vikings traded away G Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans on March 13th, 2025.
In return, the Vikings received a 2026 6th round selection. Minnesota used that selection from Houston in conjunction with a 2025 5th round pick to acquire Jordan Mason from the 49ers less than a week later.
That pick would then be traded again to the New England Patriots in a deal where San Francisco landed Keion White.
Thus, the Patriots headed into the 2026 NFL Draft with that 6th round pick originally owned by the Texans.
However, they weren’t the ones that used it.
Vikings’ 2025 Ed Ingram Trade Comes Full Circle
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – AUGUST 10: Guard Ed Ingram #67 of the Minnesota Vikings looks up at the scoreboard during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on August 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Christopher Mast/Getty Images)
New England would trade that 2026 6th round selection (pick 198) away during Day 3. That selection would find itself in the grasp of none other than the Vikings.
Adam Patrick of The Viking Age broke it down.
“In the middle of the sixth round, the Vikings and Patriots struck a deal that resulted in Minnesota re-acquiring, yes, re-acquiring, the selection from the Ingram trade that they had already sent away in the deal with San Francisco for Mason.
After reuniting with the pick, the Vikings used it to select former Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne on Saturday.
So, essentially, Minnesota traded Ingram to the Texans in 2025, and turned the draft pick they received in that deal to acquire Jordan Mason from the 49ers and select Claiborne on Day 3 of this year’s NFL Draft.
Technically, half of the running backs on the Vikings’ current roster were acquired as a result of the Ingram trade.”
The deal for Claiborne also included a 2027 6th round selection, per Will Ragatz.
It’s fair to say this trade won’t be all the way complete until New England makes a pick with the Vikings’ 6th round selection in 2027. However, Minnesota has likely now officially completed its Ed Ingram trade circle.
Here is the complete circle in the simplest terms.
- Texans receive: G Ed Ingram
- Vikings receive: RB Jordan Mason. RB Demond Claiborne
- 49ers receive: DE Keion White
- Patriots receive: QB Behren Morton, 2027 6th round pick (MIN)
It looks good formatted like that. However, you could also technically say that the Vikings spent a second round selection (Ingram’s draft position in 2022) on Mason and Claiborne as well.
Minnesota’s Draft Sent a Clear Message About Future
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – NOVEMBER 30: Defensive coordinator Brian Flores of Minnesota Vikings looks on against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on November 30, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Minnesota spent 4 of their 5 Top-100 draft picks on big, physical defenders. Banks and Golday are freak athletes. Orange is a big-body that can plug the gaps and stop the run. Jakobe Thomas is a big-time thumper playing safety.
The Vikings badly needed to infuse their defense with young talent, and that’s exactly the approach they took. They also selected an impressive corner on Day 3 in Charles Demmings, who is a big-body and plays an extremely physical brand of football.
They also may now have a future at the runningback position in Demond Claiborne. Claiborne is an extremely fluid back whom knows how to use his body to create space and won’t go down as easy as his frame implies.
Minnesota’s draft my not be in line with what many mock drafters expected, but they gave us a clear signal for the direction in which they’ll be going moving forward.
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