Though he hates his springtime moniker, “Trader Rick” Spielman has earned it time and again over the 13 years he has overseen the Vikings draft.
Sometimes, it’s a badge of honor. Like two days in 2015 when he traded down twice, picked Danielle Hunter in the third round, went to bed, got up, traded down again, and picked Stefon Diggs in the fifth round.
Other times, the nickname is sarcastically pinned to him as a big red clown nose by passionate fans who want perfection in an imperfect process. Like trading up for Daniel Carlson, a kicker who got the boot after two games in 2018.