The Gambling Buzz on Vikings Draft Pick …
The 2025 NFL Draft kicks off in 15 days from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to choose four new players.
The Gambling Buzz on Vikings Draft Pick …
Many expect the club to trade out of its No. 24 pick, hoping to add more selections after general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded most of 2025 capital last year.
And according to the betting market, these are the odds, by position, for Minnesota’s first draft choice.
5. The Longshots
(QB, RB, TE, WR, LB)
Let’s get this out of the way: the Vikings will not use their 24th pick — or probably any pick — on a quarterback this go-round. They found J.J. McCarthy from Michigan in Round 1 last year, and he’s on the docket to assume QB1 duties this September.
Conversely, Adofo-Mensah choosing a running back, wide receiver, or tight end wouldn’t be utterly mind-boggling, but sportsbooks don’t expect it.
These are the candidates for the longshot pick in Round 1, nevertheless:
- Luther Burden III (WR, Missouri)
- Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State)
- Matthew Golden (WR, Texas)
- Omarion Hampton (RB, North Carolina)
- Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan)
4. Defensive Line +470
Adofo-Mensah already signed defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave from free agency, pairing the duo with Harrison Phillips and Jalen Redmond as the club’s DT foursome in 2025.
And with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner at outside linebacker, the purple team needs zero help at EDGE.
Still, defensive tackle could be a fringe roster need for the long term, as Allen and Hargrave are over the age of 30.
DT possibilities at N0. 24:
- Kenneth Grant (Michigan)
- Derrick Harmon (Oregon)
- Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)
3. Offensive Line +340
At No. 3 on oddsmakers’ list, interior offensive line shows up, probably because nobody is too sure if Blake Brandel is a long-term solution. Brandel played admirably for the first half of the 2024 campaign — his first as a full-time starter — but tailed off when the trenchman next to him, Christian Darrisaw, tore his ACL.
Otherwise, Minnesota has Michael Jurgens and Walter Rouse in its roster orbit, two young linemen who hope to vie for Brandel’s job this summer.
Adofo-Mensah also signed Ryan Kelly and Will Fries from the Indianapolis Colts last month to improve the line’s interior, so this once-grave roster need slid down the list of importance.
Interior offensive linemen options at No. 24:
- Tyler Booker (Alabama)
- Donovan Jackson (Ohio State)
- Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)
2. Safety +300
Minnesota promoted long-time backup safety Theo Jackson this offseason — or so it seemed — after Camryn Bynum bolted via free agency for the aforementioned Colts. Harrison Smith and Jackson are on deck to patrol the middle of the secondary in 2025, but oddsmakers aren’t really buying it.
Sportsbooks insist that safety is in play for the Vikings in Round 1, even if the franchise failed miserably at the spot during the draft three years ago with Lewis Cine.
Safeties at No. 24:
- Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina)
- Malaki Starks (Georgia)
The Draft Network‘s Justin Melo named Emmanwori a fit for Minnesota last month and explained: “Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores would appreciate a physical and athletic prospect like Emmanwori. Flores would be the perfect mentor to mold Emmanwori’s raw abilities into tangible production. The Vikings have also undergone a ton of happenings at the safety position this offseason.”
“Top safety Cam Bynum signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.”
Flores also has safety Josh Metellus as a starter.
“GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah reworked Harrison Smith’s contract, keeping him on the roster for 2024, but an eventual successor will eventually be required for the 14-year veteran. Theo Jackson also signed a contract extension this summer, but the Vikings lack depth and long-term solutions. Emmanwori would address a need in Minnesota’s defensive backfield,” Melo concluded.
1. Cornerback +170
The frontrunner? Cornerback.
Back-to-back general managers haven’t drafted corners well in the last decade and encountered some bad luck as well as tragedy along the way.
Yet, per long-term roster need, Minnesota might need a youthful cornerback in waiting if it does not trust Mekhi Blackmon or Dwight McGlothern for the long haul.
CB possibilities in Round 1 or early Round 2:
- Trey Amos (Ole Miss)
- Jahdae Barron (Texas)
- Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky)
- Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame)
- Shavon Revel Jr. (East Carolina)
- Azaraeye’h Thomas (Florida State)
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