4 Things We Think We Know for Sure about Vikings Draft
In 14 days, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will begin to call in draft picks to the NFL’s front office, his fourth draft as Minnesota’s primary boss.
4 Things We Think We Know for Sure about Vikings Draft
The team is expected to pursue an offensive guard, defensive tackle, cornerback, or safety with the 24th overall pick, but most fans also predict the young executive to trade down from No. 24, hoping to stockpile more picks.
And based on current roster construction, plus some evidence from Vikings leaders, a handful of revelations feel evident about this draft.
So, these are four things we think we know for sure about the purple team’s draft.
Tight End on the Way
A weird phenomenon is present if one follows the Vikings depth chart somewhat intently: the club has just two tight ends on the depth chart. Those men are T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. If the 2025 regular season began tonight, folks would be happy with both men at the top of the ticket.
The strange part? At this point in April, Minnesota habitually employs at least four tight ends. It’s only two right now.
Therefore, unless Adofo-Mensah has grand plans for undrafted free agency or wishes to sign a veteran TE after the draft when such a deal wouldn’t screw up the 2026 compensatory draft pick formula, he seems headed toward a tight end draft pick, probably in mid- or late-rounds.
A player like Iowa’s Luke Lachey in Round 6 might make sense. Iowa is renowned for tight end development.
RB Feels Mandatory
Adofo-Mensah has four running backs on the April depth chart: Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Ty Chandler, and Zavier Scoot.
Per quantity, that’s enough. It will do the trick. However, this draft class is bursting at the seams with running back talent, so much so that it would be malpractice to exit the event without one.
Meanwhile, head coach Kevin O’Connell explained earlier this month that his team wants to transform into an offense that runs the ball significantly more, and the best way to do that is by drafting a young running back for the future.
Aaron Jones will turn 31 in December, and Mason has never been trusted with a prolonged RB1 workload.
Like the tight end spot, Minnesota will likely draft a halfback somewhere from Round 3 to 7.
No EDGE or QB Early
Two positions can almost certainly be ruled out in Round 1 (if Adofo-Mensah doesn’t trade all the way back to Round 2) — quarterback and EDGE rusher.
Minnesota has zero business drafting Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart at quarterback; it has J.J. McCarthy for the future. At outside linebacker, the Vikings had difficulty getting Dallas Turner enough snaps as a rookie because “too many” potent EDGE defenders were in the way.
Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner make the 2025 draft non-EDGE applicable.
WR3 Not a Priority
When O’Connell promised and endorsed a run-happy offense at NFL league meetings last week, he also gassed up Jalen Nailor as a 2025 breakout candidate.
Nailor tabulated 6 touchdowns last season, a speed demon who battled health issues in 2022 and 2023 that prevented consistent playing time. In his third season, 2024, Nailor played all 17 games — a first-of-its-kind circumstance for him.
Moreover, Minnesota also signed another speed merchant this offseason, wide receiver Rondale Moore. The Arizona Cardinals pulled Moore from Round 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft, and some still believe in his electric upside.
Between Nailor’s continued breakout forecast and Moore’s playmaking, Minnesota’s using a high-round pick on a wide receiver like Emeka Egbuka or Jayden Higgins is a longshot.
If Adofo-Mensah drafts a wideout, it will be the familiar slogan, like TE and RB above — the mid- or late-rounds.
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