Concept choice updates: Vikings, Saints, Robbers, Patriots

The Vikings are a design choice. Per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (op Twitter), the Vikings have forfeited a seventh round pick in this year’s draft (No. 242).

“A mistake has been made, we take responsibility and we respect the decision of the competition and move forward” Managing Director Rick Spielman said in a statement.

According to Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, the penalty is a 2019 violation. There was some kind of a practice team contract violation, but it is uncertain who the player was or what the violation was.

Three Vikings executives were also fined $ 10,000 each, per Smith.

A few more concept notes from around the NFL:

  • Neither the Saints nor Raiders will lose a draft for violations of COVID-19 policy, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio. “They don’t forfeit them,” McCarthy said. “Neither team will lose those choices.” According to the reporter, it was rumored that New Orleans would lose a seventh-round pick after a “maskless locker room party,” and the Raiders were expected to lose a sixth rounder due to multiple fouls. While the NFL gave no context in their decision, Florio believes both organizations have appealed their sanctions and were successful.
  • When the NFL announced the compensatory choices for the 2021 draft, the Patriots had no choice of the fifth round. However, a source confirmed to PFT that New England had indeed received a fifth-rounder in the upcoming draft. According to Smith, “the NFL realized an error calculating the complex formula for determining compensatory choices,” which led to the additional roster of Patriots.
  • Thanks to the aforementioned compensatory pick audit by the NFL, the Falcons also move two slots in round five, according to Smith. Further, while the NFL only allows the addition of 32 compensatory choices per year, they have made an exception this time. Thanks to the additional Patriots towbar, the Bears normally I wouldn’t have gotten that last compensatory choice; the NFL and NFL Players Association eventually allowed Chicago to keep that roster.

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