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The virtual nature of this year's NFL draft didn't stop Rick Spielman from wheeling and dealing. In fact, the Minnesota Vikings' general manager was so aggressive in stockpiling draft capital that the Vikings came away with 15 picks, the most by any team since the draft switched to a seven-round format in 1994.

It was all part of a strategy, Spielman said, to gain more late-round picks so the Vikings could "alleviate stress" in college free agency. Instead of having to recruit and bid against other teams to sign players who went undrafted, Minnesota was able to draft the players it projected as undrafted free agents in the later rounds on Saturday.

"There are positions that are light that I know we're going to have a tough time signing as college free agents, and there's positions that are heavy," Spielman said. "For example, wide receiver was really heavy this year. Even though we had some wide receivers up there, we were going to go attack that position in free agency. In the seventh round, the defensive end class was light this year, so for us to get the Michigan State kid [Kenny Willekes] where we got him, who is a heck of a player, was good for us.

"A lot of times when you have that many picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, you're weighing in where the strength of college free agency is going to be and where it's going to be hard to get players."

Spielman said the Vikings' college free-agent process was "as smooth as it's ever been" and that going virtual made it more efficient than when the entire scouting staff typically comes together in person at the conclusion of the seventh round to debate and sign free agents.

Minnesota entered Saturday with 13 selections after trading out of the third round by sending pick No. 105 to New Orleans in exchange for four Day 3 draft picks. Spielman ended up drafting 11 players Saturday, seven on defense, and gained two 2021 draft picks in trades with Chicago and Buffalo.

"It's great to have that many picks," Spielman said. "With the way college free agency was going to work in this virtual world, by having that many picks, you don't have to be going on the phone and convincing guys to come. We had enough draft capital just to take guys that if we didn't have that much draft capital in those later rounds, we may not have got them as free agents. So that was a little bit of a strategic thing we looked at, as well, especially during this year."

Minnesota's class of college free agents includes Texas A&M wide receiver Quartney Davis, who the Vikings signed to a $100,000 guaranteed deal, including a $10,000 signing bonus, according to a source, after he had initially agreed to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings also added a fourth rookie cornerback in UCF's Nevelle Clarke.

The Vikings will have nearly as many picks in the 2021 draft as they had over the past three days. Minnesota earned a fourth-round pick next year after sending No. 155 to Chicago and earned a fifth-round selection in 2021 upon trading the 201st and 219th picks to Baltimore (the Vikings also got pick No. 225 this year).

"I treasure those [draft picks], and I try to collect as many as I can," Spielman said. "When you have that much draft capital going into it and you're able to flip some picks into next year's picks, and I don't know what the depth of next year's draft's going to be, but to start off right now where we stand to have 12 draft picks, who knows where we're going to end up next year."