3 Big Winners from the Vikings Draft
The 2025 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror. Despite only starting the weekend with four picks, the Vikings ended up with five total selections while trading for a backup quarterback in Sam Howell.
3 Big Winners from the Vikings Draft
After having one of the better free agency cycles in over a decade in 2024, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and company needed a successful offseason in 2025 to build on last year’s efforts. Shoring up the trenches on both sides of the ball was very clearly a priority, while rounding out the roster with other key depth pieces.
Minnesota was able to be ultra-aggressive in free agency this year due to having a starting quarterback on a rookie deal. Their draft class wasn’t the flashiest when it all wrapped up, but they added some solid players and got a high-end, versatile guard with day one starting potential.
When discussing the draft in a press conference over draft weekend, Adofo-Mensah made a golf analogy that illustrated the Vikings’ draft strategy this year when replying to The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis.
“I think approaching this draft from a mindset of, ‘Hey, let’s just, if the play is to hit the ball down the fairway, let’s do that,'” Adofo-Mensah said. “If it’s going to be four picks at four positions that we really want, four great character people, four skill sets we require, let’s go do that and we’ll figure everything else out.”
Despite the draft class not being the sexiest on paper, the Vikings seemingly struck the ball down the fairway and landed a handful of high-character individuals who fit into their system.
Here are the three biggest winners from the Vikings’ 2025 NFL Draft results.
1. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy
The free agency additions of Will Fries and Ryan Kelley made it obvious the Vikings wanted to beef up the interior of the offensive line after getting exposed there against the Rams in the playoffs. The selection of Donovan Jackson completed the overhaul for the unit, making the line look the strongest it’s looked on paper since 2009.
Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy will benefit greatly from the revamped unit in front of him. Vikings fans know all too well how interior pressure can affect the play of the signal caller, so pairing up a great athlete at the position with a stronger offensive line is a smart decision.
On top of a much-improved offensive line, the Vikings added a new speedster at the wide receiver position. Former Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton was taken with the final pick in the third round, deepening an already loaded wide receiver room in Minnesota.
Felton combines speed and feistiness with his game, pairing him nicely with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Add Jalen Nailor and Rondale Moore, and the Vikings could enter camp with the deepest receiving room across the NFL.
McCarthy should have more time to scan the field for an elite group of playmakers. Pair that with his escapability while still being able to find open receivers downfield, and he feels like the biggest winner from this draft.
2. Safety Theo Jackson
Safety or cornerback was one of the more commonly mocked positions for the Vikings throughout the entire draft process. So, of course, they came out of the draft totaling exactly zero players at either of those positions.
There’s been plenty of high praise circulating around safety, especially Theo Jackson, this offseason, but who better to listen to than one of the best to ever play the position in a Vikings jersey?
Harrison Smith clearly thinks Jackson has starter ability, and the Vikings showed their faith in him this offseason, giving him a three-year deal. The deal seems similar to the Josh Mettellus contract prior to him breaking out for the Vikings as a Jack-of-all-trades player.
If it wasn’t already evident from the contract, the Vikings doubled down on their high praise for Jackson without addressing the position in the draft. He’ll be a regular on the field for Brian Flores’ defense in 2025, making him another big winner from draft weekend.
3. RBs Aaron Jones + Jordan Mason
This year’s running back class was labeled one of the deepest in recent memory. Most assumed that the Vikings would address the position later in the draft, but that never came to fruition.
Instead, the Vikings addressed the position before the draft, trading for Jordan Mason and re-signing Aaron Jones. Adding another player at the position still made sense, but the Vikings chose to use their limited resources elsewhere.
Mason and Jones have a play style that gels seamlessly together. In 2024, Jones handled too much of a workload, and Mason is the type of bruiser running back that can come in and pound the rock between the tackles. This should theoretically allow Jones to stay better rested, giving him more opportunities with fresh legs.
As mentioned before, when talking about McCarthy benefiting from this draft, both running backs also get to play behind the rebuilt offensive line. Pair that with both of these backs likely getting the majority of the work, and it’s pretty easy to label the tandem as another big winner.
Another draft has come and gone, and the Vikings strengthened their roster. Given Adofo-Mensah and company’s limited resources, it feels like a reasonably successful draft class to build on to an already strong free agency class.
For the draft sickos out there it’s a sad time of year. However, before we know, these players will be participating in OTAs and training camp. Rejoice, Vikings fans, football season is getting closer.
The Vikings Have Done It Again
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