There continues to be ample smoke billowing around the Minnesota Vikings concerning a potential Adrian Peterson trade fire - beyond talking head and Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter's stated belief that "something's gonna happen."
A report emerged last week from Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com that if the All Pro running back wasn't traded during the 2015 NFL Draft, he would remain a Viking and play out at least the 2015 NFL season as a member of the NFL's Minnesota franchise.
As the draft inches closer, it seems the likelihood of a Peterson trade during the first-round of the draft has increased exponentially.
"As the hours tick down to the NFL draft, the Adrian Peterson sweepstakes will likely play out in the second half of the draft, after the top two running backs in the first-round are expected to be taken," Jason Cole of Bleacher Report said.
The top two backs which Cole references are Georgia's Todd Gurley and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon. Gurley is widely viewed as the top running in the 2015 NFL Draft and is likely to be gone within the top-15 selections.
Gordon, on the other hand, could wind up going anywhere within the latter half of the first-round.
According to Cole, the thinking in NFL circles in the waning hours before the first-round is that Gordon will likely be gone before the Arizona Cardinals - who are one of the teams showing the most interest in a Peterson trade - are slated to select at No. 24 and, more importantly, even if he were, the Cardinals might not select him due to concern over the history of Wisconsin running backs at the NFL level.
"The critical question becomes then, does Arizona take the No. 24-overall pick and decide at that time that they want to make a play for Peterson? In addition, does Minnesota want to make a play to get rid of Peterson even though they have said all along that they want to keep him?
"After that, several other teams are expected to have some interest in Peterson as well," said Cole.
One of the teams Cole points to that has an interest in Peterson is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who missed out on DeMarco Murray in free agency and need a backfield mate for Denard Robinson.
Per Cole, the Jaguars are seeking a trade back and could, if they're successful in their endeavors to drop down from the No. 3 pick, use the excess draft capital that comes from the move to then acquire Peterson from the Vikings.
