2026 NFL Draft: Four Prospects Who Should Be on Vikings Fans’ Radar
The 2025 NFL season is still young, but it is never too early to start looking ahead to the future.
The 2026 offseason looks like it could be a very interesting one in Minnesota as the team currently sits $52 million over the projected salary cap. That will limit how much the Vikings can spend in free agency, and it will make the 2026 NFL Draft a very important one as Minnesota currently has a huge arsenal of picks for next spring.
Here are four potential prospects who should be on Vikings fans’ radar for 2026.
Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
The linebacker position isn’t necessarily a dire need for the Vikings, depending on what they decide to do in upcoming offseasons. Ivan Pace will be a restricted free agent next spring, so he will likely return on a new contract unless another team offers him a massive deal that Minnesota can’t afford to match.
Another player’s future to keep in mind though is Blake Cashman. The veteran is under contract through 2026, but what will Minnesota want to do as he enters his 30s? There are two void years on his contract, so an extension certainly could happen, but Minnesota’s cap situation could limit how much they can spend over the next couple years.
If either Cashman or Pace are on the way out the door, Anthony Hill Jr. could be a great transition plan. He is a very athletic player at middle linebacker with sideline-to-sideline speed to cover tight ends over the middle and run down ballcarriers.
On top of his abilities to man the second level, Hill has proven to be a very strong pass rushing presence, totaling eight sacks in 2024 while also leading the entire SEC in tackles for loss with 17. He also has an unmatched knack for forcing turnovers. He forced four fumbles in 2024 while also recording an interception, and he has continued to build off that showing with two forced fumbles so far in 2025.
Hill is a true do-it-all player in the middle of Texas’ defense, and especially if Brian Flores sticks around, he would be a very fun piece to implement into this Vikings linebacker room. There is a chance he goes off the board early in the first round, but with the amount of high-end quarterback talent set to enter the NFL this upcoming spring, Minnesota could pounce if he begins to slide.
Clemson CB Avieon Terrell
Once again, the cornerback position will be a big topic in Minnesota when the offseason rolls around. Only three players are currently under contract for next year: Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and Dwight McGlothern.
The Vikings need to bring in a true boundary CB in order to free Byron Murphy up to play more in the nickel where he is at his best. Enter Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons CB AJ Terrell.
Terrell is an outstanding press corner on the outside of a defense, and his elite speed allows him to go step for step with any receiver down the field. His 5’11”, 180-pound frame won’t wow anybody, but Terrell is a hard-hitting cornerback with five forced fumbles over the past two seasons for Clemson.
Washington WR Denzel Boston
The Vikings did just surprisingly spend a third-round pick on a wide receiver in 2025 when they took Tai Felton out of Maryland, but perhaps that is an indicator that they see now as the time to begin preparing for the future at the position.
The big question Minnesota has to figure out over the next couple of years is what to do with Jordan Addison’s contract. He will almost certainly get his fifth-year option in 2027, but after that, he likely will expect a very high contract in order to remain with the Vikings.
While 2026 may be early to consider drafting Addison’s eventual replacement, Denzel Boston is an intriguing player to think about this spring. We still need to see what this offense looks like when Addison returns to the field on Sunday, but wide receiver depth has already proven to be a problem for the team. Felton hasn’t shown that he’s ready to perform at the NFL level yet, Adam Thielen has been virtually nonexistent during his return to Minnesota, and Jalen Nailor, while a decent WR3, is in the final year of his contract.
Boston is a freak at 6’4″ and 209 pounds with the ability to high point passes on the boundary well out of reach of most cornerbacks. He also has a punt return touchdown to his name already in 2025, so he could be invaluable to the special teams depending on the development of Myles Price.
The Vikings would have an embarrassment of riches at the top of their wide receiver room in 2026 if they were to draft Boston, but it would ensure they have a security blanket in the event that Addison leaves (or is even traded), and while Addison is still around, it would enable him to take on more opportunities out of the slot; a place he thrived throughout his collegiate career and early in his NFL career.
Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy
Let’s go back to the cornerback position since it is the most obvious need in Minnesota. Jermod McCoy is a very interesting player in the latter half of the first round.
The Tennessee cornerback has yet to make his season debut after suffering a torn ACL during offseason training in January, so that could limit how much he can put on tape this season if he even gets onto the field.
However, McCoy showed just about all he needed to in 2024 after transferring from Oregon State to Tennessee. He amassed nine passes defended and four interceptions last year in a breakout campaign through a tough SEC.
It would be a risk for the Vikings to take McCoy if he doesn’t get onto the field this season, but when he’s at his best, the cornerback can be a long-term solution in Minnesota’s secondary.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Over the Cap and Sports Reference CFB.
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