Minnesota sent Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore after only six…
Minnesota sent Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore after only six games, receiving a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 fifth. The Ravens got three sacks in nine regular-season games before Ngakoue left in free agency. Minnesota used the third-rounder on Patrick Jones II, who recorded 12 sacks across four Vikings seasons, including seven in 2024, while the fifth became part of later draft movement. The Vikings clearly recovered more value.
Baltimore Ravens Received
- player Yannick Ngakoue
Minnesota Vikings Received
- pick 2021 3rd round pick (90th overall, Patrick Jones)
- pick 2022 5th round pick (156th overall subsequently traded, Jerome Ford )
Trade Analysis
Minnesota reversed course on Yannick Ngakoue only six games after acquiring him from Jacksonville, sending the edge rusher to Baltimore for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 fifth. The Vikings had started 1-5 and were trying to recover value from a move that no longer fit their season. Baltimore was 5-1 and wanted another proven pass rusher for a championship run.
Ngakoue's Ravens stint never became the impact acquisition Baltimore envisioned. He played nine regular-season games and recorded three sacks, 11 tackles and two forced fumbles. His defensive role decreased late in the year, and he played a combined 41 snaps in Baltimore's two postseason games. After the season he left in free agency and signed with the Raiders, ending the first Ravens tenure after only a few months.
Minnesota used the 2021 third-round pick, No. 90, on Pittsburgh edge defender Patrick Jones II. Jones developed gradually but became a useful rotational player. He recorded four sacks in 2022, one in 2023 and seven in 2024, finishing his four Vikings seasons with 12 sacks before leaving for Carolina in 2025. That is meaningful multi-year production from the primary asset.
The 2022 fifth-round pick became No. 156 and was later used in additional draft movement rather than simply becoming the player selected at that original slot. That provides some extra value but should not be overstated.
The original Vikings B/Ravens C- grading is directionally correct but can be sharpened. Minnesota rises to B+ because Jones supplied four seasons of edge depth and a seven-sack contract year. Baltimore remains C- because three sacks and one playoff run were too little for a third-round price. Minnesota wins the trade.