The NFL combine kicks off this Thursday in Indianapolis with over 300 rookie hopefuls auditioning for 32 NFL teams.
6 Players to Watch for Vikings at the NFL Combine
Of course, Minnesota Vikings’ representation will attend, as the franchise picks 24th in the draft on April 24th.
And to keep several would-be picks for the Vikings on your radar, these are six players to watch for Minnesota’s sake at the combine. They’re listed alphabetically.
1. Jahdae Barron (CB)
Age: 23
School: Texas
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 26
Why to watch:
Minnesota has two semi-noteworthy corners under contract for 2025 — Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern. And then that’s it. Barron perfectly blends team need and best player available for the Vikings at pick No. 24.
Above all else, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs two starting cornerbacks this offseason.
2. Kenneth Grant (DT)
Age: 21
School: Michigan
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 340
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 25
Why to watch:
Like Barron above but at a different position, Grant perfectly marries team roster need and best player available at the Vikings’ Round 1 spot. Grant would represent a seismic upgrade over Jonathan Bullard at defensive tackle, and the world just watched as the Philadelphia Eagles won a Super Bowl by shredding the Kansas City Chiefs in the guts of the trenches.
It may finally be time for Minnesota to employ an impact DT. The last guy was Kevin Williams … over a decade ago.
3. TreVeyon Henderson (RB)
Age: 22
School: Ohio State
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 210
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 50
Why to watch:
Minnesota could need a running back from this very deep crop, and Henderson is around RB3 at the moment.
One of his pro comps is — you guessed it — Aaron Jones, who the Vikings might re-sign in free agency. Henderson isn’t a speedster like some of his counterparts, but he does everything else well.
4. Devin Neal (RB)
Age: 21
School: Kansas
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 220
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 104
Why to watch:
If one agrees that Minnesota needs a running back for the future, Neal is a non-1st-Round candidate. He could be available to the purple team in Round 3 when the Vikings will use a compensatory 3rd-Round pick from Kirk Cousins’ 2024 free-agent departure.
Perhaps unlike Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, and the aforementioned Henderson, Neal will be quite gettable.
5. Walter Nolen (DT)
Age: 21
School: Mississippi
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 300
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 22
Why to watch:
If Minnesota does not want a big-bodied defensive tackle, instead preferring one who specializes in rushing the quarterback, Nolen is that guy.
He could start on Day One and improve the defensive trenches with the snap of two fingers. The problem? He could be off the board by Pick No. 24.
6. Shavon Revel Jr. (CB)
Age: 22
School: East Carolina
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 195
Consensus Big Board Ranking: 31
Why to watch:
Revel Jr. features size, youth, and small-school production. There’s only one drawback to his draft profile — he tore his ACL in September.
Adofo-Mensah generally prefers high-round draft picks from large schools, but don’t rule out Revel Jr., who could be this year’s Quinyon Mitchell. The Vikings may even be able to trade down and still grab him.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.