A Key Vikings Draft Need Is Starting to Take Shape
The Minnesota Vikings’ offense cooks, and the team wins games, when the ground game flourishes. There’s just no other way around it, making the need for a young, productive running back paramount when the offseason rolls around in three months.
The 2026 NFL Draft is about six months away, but based on the writing on the wall, the Vikings would be best served to focus on one key position: running back.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has most of his draft picks untouched and should explore picking a running back early in the event.
RB Should Be at the Top of the Draftboard for Vikings in 2026
It’s time for young legs at RB1.
Why a Running Back?
In the Vikings’ contemporary offensive format, Kevin O’Connell’s team wins when it rushes the ball efficiently. And when Minnesota doesn’t rush the ball well, it either loses or is forced to win a squeaker.
That could all be alleviated with a high-octane young RB — and why many fans pounded the table for one in the draft last year. The 2025 draft class contained 25 draftable tailbacks, and Adofo-Mensah picked exactly zero.
Since O’Connell took over as the head boss, he has employed the old version of Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, the old version of Aaron Jones, and hot-and-cold Jordan Mason as his RB1 solutions. It’s time to try a youthful approach; it could fix everything.
Minnesota has won 79% of games in the last four seasons when it rushes for 100 yards or more as a team.
The Candidates?
The draftboard will change substantially between now and April, but at the moment, this group represents the best tailbacks available to Minnesota and 31 other teams:
- Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame)
- Justice Haynes (Michigan)
- Jonah Coleman (Washington)
- Nick Singleton (Penn State)
- Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest)
- Kaytron Allen (Penn State)
Love will fly off the board in Round 1, rest assured. Haynes has 2nd-Round potential. Coleman could be a late-2nd-Rounder or early 3rd.
The others can likely be obtained in the middle of Round 3 or later. The list, of course, is larger than six names, but after Allen, the difference between a rookie and Aaron Jones or Jordan Mason might be menial.
Adofo-Mensah should land a Top 3 rookie halfback. End of story.
What about Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason?
Meanwhile, Jones and Mason are under contract in 2026. Unless Minnesota sacrifices one or both due to cap casualty, they’re on the books for next season.
Still, that doesn’t matter. No one will complain about “too many” dynamic runners, and in fact, that could be just what the doctor ordered to remedy an offense that doesn’t hit on every cylinder each week. That is — grabbing Love, Haynes, or Coleman would be about gravy on top of Jones and Mason, preparing for the future, as Jones will turn 31 in December.
Too, the would-be rookie runner won’t cost much on an affordable contract.
Forcing the Vikings’ Hand
Here’s the kicker: assume Adofo-Mensah landed Love, Haynes, or Coleman. He would have used high-round draft capital to do so, making it a mandate to play the guy, probably early in the 2026 season. Choosing a young running back would force O’Connell to feed Love, for example, because a team can’t just onboard a Round 1 or 2 halfback and then do nothing with him.
That rookie running back will be explosive, hungry, and hopefully durable. He’ll set the tone on offense and make J.J. McCarthy’s life easier.
Take Quinshon Judkins in Cleveland. Had Minnesota discovered a way to draft him six months ago, he’d be Minnesota’s RB1 by now, and O’Connell wouldn’t have to contemplate a workload split between Jones and Mason.
The Skinny on the Top Guys
The Draft Network on Jeremiyah Love: “Explosive: When given a crease, Love can reach top speed quickly, allowing him to pick up chunks of yards. Versatile: Love can align in the backfield but also be put into the slot to run routes. Love can also be put into motion and receive jet sweep handoffs.”
“Contact Balance: Love does a good job of absorbing initial contact from defenders while remaining on his feet and continuing to pick up yards. He runs with good balance and the ability to keep his feet pumping through contact. Pass Catching: Love has shown to be a good receiving option both lined up at the traditional running back position but also as a receiver. Love is a natural hands-catcher.”
NFL Draft Buzz on Justice Haynes: “Between the tackles is where Haynes will earn his NFL money. The tape shows a decisive runner with natural vision and impressive contact balance, though questions remain about his third-down value given his inconsistent pass protection and limited receiving production. His abilities as a pure runner significantly outpace his other skill areas, revealing a back who can create yards but might initially be limited to early-down work until he develops a more complete skill set.”
“The Michigan transfer will need to show more as a pass catcher to elevate his draft stock, particularly in creating separation on routes beyond simple checkdowns. His compact frame and natural leverage work to his advantage in blitz pickup, but technique issues surface when asked to anchor against larger defenders.”
Minus a 4th-Rounder from the Adam Thielen trade in the summer, the Vikings have most of their 2026 draft pick intact.
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