Vikings Face Huge Backlash over Draft Class
The Minnesota Vikings drafted five rookies from Thursday to Saturday, and most of the team’s fans are content with the haul.
Vikings Face Huge Backlash over Draft Class
But some national media segments left the event totally underwhelmed by the Vikings’ dealings, so much so that an outfit like The Athletic called Minnesota’s rookie group the very worst in all of football.
Can’t please them all, evidently.
The Athletic Labels Vikings’ Draft Class as Worst in NFL
Dane Brugler of The Athletic, noted author of The Beast, a fan-favorite, all-encompassing draft publication, ranked all NFL teams’ draft classes, and the Vikings checked in dead last. Nobody was worse than Minnesota, according to Brugler.
Then, he curiously name-dropped new offensive guard, Donovan Jackson of Ohio State, as his top pick from the group. He wrote: “Favorite pick: Donovan Jackson, G, Ohio State. With just five draft picks (one in the top 100), the Vikings were destined to appear low on this list. I saw Jackson as more of a second-round player than a first-rounder, but he will become a long-term starter if he can improve some of his sustain-and-recovery issues.
“Minnesota made a commitment to improving the interior of its offensive line, and Jackson definitely can help do that.”
Brugler also called Georgia DE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins a player who could turn heads: “Day 3 pick who could surprise: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DT, Georgia. Ingram-Dawkins was more of a flash player than consistent force in Kirby Smart’s front seven. But he is a good-sized athlete and brings enough inside-outside versatility on the defensive line to eventually develop from a rotational player into someone who pushes for starting reps.”
So, in Brugler’s estimation, the Vikings left the event with the league’s worst rookies, but then he didn’t write too negatively about the unit.
It’s just that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s class ranked 32nd of 32.
A “D” Grade from FantasyLife.com
Similar to The Athletic, FantasyLife.com‘s Thor Nystrom assigned Minnesota a terrible grade — a “D” — but didn’t necessarily bemoan the group with wording.
Nystrom opined: “Last spring’s trades that ultimately led to EDGE Dallas Turner were largely built with equity from this draft. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah entered with a league-low four picks and a league-low in total draft equity.”
“We saw this manifest early with the pick of OG Donovan Jackson. I saw Jackson as a late first-rounder, others saw him as an early second-rounder. But with the consensus top-three OTs, Tyler Booker and Grey Zabel, and the class’ consensus top-4 DTs all off the board before 1.24, the board had fallen poorly for the Vikings.”
It’s worth noting that Adofo-Mensah signed a large UDFA class on Saturday evening, including 19 new players.
Nystrom added, “Adofo-Mensah had no choice but to stick-and-pick the last sure-thing trench option for immediate help. He appeared to be vindicated minutes later when Houston bailed out of its slot, presumably because Jackson was no longer available.”
“In my opinion, Jackson is the best pure guard in this class above Tyler Booker. He will start immediately at LG. Jackson has a premium combination of length—with the longest wingspan in the iOL class—and power in an athletic package. He’s a hammer in the run game.”
Again, like Brugler — an atrocious ranking and grades, but rather kind analysis.
Why Such a Low Grade?
Adofo-Mensah didn’t have many picks to work with, courtesy of his own strategy.
Last year, during the draft, he traded most of his non-Round-1 capital to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Dallas Turner. The Jaguars later turned the trade into Brian Thomas, Keilan Robinson, Caleb Ransaw, and Dylan Sampson (a Cleveland pick after Jacksonville sent the selection to Andrew Berry’s team).
The young executive could’ve traded out of his No. 24 spot on Thursday night, hoping to stockpile more picks, but he stood pat and selected Jackson, limiting his options from Round 2 and 7 and subsequently earning the scorn of The Athletic and Fantasy Life.
In short, the Vikings earned some poor draft grades because they had so few picks — a path they chose.
The Hilarity of “Draft Grades”
Generally speaking, draft grades are dumb. They just are.
A class cannot be adjudicated until years down the road. For example, onlookers will determine if purple rookies Donovan Jackson and Tai Felton are any good around 2027 or 2028. Ranking a class two days after the event is a bit futile.
It’s like having a baby on April 24th, and telling the parents, “Yeah, that kid gets a D at life,” on April 28th.
A Full Draft Cabinet Next Year
For those apprehensive about Minnesota’s skinny draft pickings in 2025, well, the cupboard for 2026 is mostly untouched outside of a probable 4th-Rounder to the Jaguars for the Cam Robinson trade last season.
Adofo-Mensah will also have two extra compensatory picks, one in the 3rd Round and the other in Round 4 or 5.
If you disliked the slim draft quantity in 2025, 2026 will be markedly different, barring upcoming trades.
The Vikings Have Done It Again
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