Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft: Where Do the Vikings Turn in the 2026 NFL Draft?
At 4-8 and losers of four consecutive games, the 2025 season is all but over for the Minnesota Vikings.
In order to make the playoffs this season, the Vikings would have to win out over the final five weeks (a stretch featuring the Cowboys, Lions, and Packers), and another team currently in the playoff picture would have to utterly collapse.
NFL.com currently has the Vikings with a <1% of making the playoffs, so, it seems time to start looking ahead to 2026. Minnesota currently sits at a tick under $36 million over the salary cap next year, so there likely won’t be too many major free agency additions, at least in terms of big contracts being handed out.
Because of that, the 2026 NFL Draft is where the Vikings will have to get the most juice out of their offseason squeeze in terms of acquiring talent. Here is a three-round mock draft to look at where the Vikings could go next April with their selections.
Note: Draft picks/positions are based off PFF’s NFL mock draft simulator.
Minnesota Vikings 2026 NFL Mock Draft
R1, P11: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
LSU has been a popular target for the Vikings in the draft during the 2020s, and cornerback is one of the most glaring needs on this roster right now, particularly for young depth. There are three cornerbacks on the active roster right now, and Byron Murphy is the only one under contract past 2026.
As a result, enter Mansoor Delane of LSU. Delane transferred to the Tigers this summer from Virginia Tech, and he has put opposing receivers on lockdown all season. On 35 targets through 11 games, he has allowed just 13 receptions for 147 yards without giving up a touchdown all season. He also has nine pass breakups and a pair of interceptions. Among all cornerbacks with at least 100 coverage snaps in the FBS, Delane ranks fourth.
Some could knock him for his size (6’0″, 190 pounds), but even with Murphy being one of the leaders in Minnesota’s defense, Delane will immediately be in the conversation for CB1 if the Vikings draft him.
R2, P43: RB Jonah Coleman, Washington
The Vikings need to establish a running game, and it clearly won’t be happening with either Aaron Jones or Jordan Mason if 2025 has shown us anything. Jones especially could be a cut candidate in 2026 as dumping his contract would save Minnesota $7.2 million against the salary cap next spring.
If Jones were a cut candidate, it would create a need at running back for the Vikings assuming Ty Chandler doesn’t suddenly emerge as a starter, and it opens up an opportunity for one to be selected early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Jonah Coleman could be a candidate out of Washington. Coleman is a powerful runner out of the backfield, using his compact 5’9″, 228-pound frame to bowl through defenders and pick up yards. The Vikings have obviously felt a need to throw the ball on 3rd-and-short or goal-to-go situations over the past few years, but Coleman’s physical prowess could change that mentality.
Coleman has also proved to have soft hands out of the backfield, catching 30 passes for 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Huskies this season.
R3, P75: LB Jake Golday, Cincinnati
Cincinnati brought the Vikings one of the best UDFAs of 2023 in Ivan Pace Jr., but his presence on the defense has been limited this season, being benched for Eric Wilson. Wilson has had a breakout season for the Vikings at the age of 31, but is that something Minnesota should bank on continuing into 2025?
My guess is no, which is why the Vikings dip into the linebacker pool here and select Jake Golday in the third round. The redshirt junior has ridiculous athletic ability for a 6’4″, 240-pound player, which landed him on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List at the beginning of the season.
After transferring to Cincinnati from Central Arkansas in 2024, he proved that he could be a very solid coverage linebacker in the Big 12, allowing just 86 receiving yards on 18 targets. This year, he’s arguably gotten even better with more of a prowess at the line of scrimmage as well. There’s the potential for a very solid pairing with Blake Cashman in Minnesota.
R3, P97: TE Justin Joly, NC State
It’s time to start thinking about a future at the tight end position in Minnesota. T.J. Hockenson has seen a steep decline in production during the 2025 season, and it seems like the knee injury that ended his 2023 campaign has caused him to lose a step since coming back to the field.
Hockenson will be 29 years old at the start of the 2026 season, so it’s hard to picture a world where he suddenly bounces back, and blocking has never been a major strong suit of his. Don’t be surprised if the Vikings utilize one of their picks on a tight end this spring, and Justin Joly out of NC State is someone who comes to mind as a prospect who should be available in the middle rounds.
Joly isn’t exactly an improvement over Hockenson in terms of his blocking ability at the tight end position, but he is one of the best receiving tight ends in college football right now, and he uses a 250-pound frame to turn 50/50 balls into 70/30 balls in his favor. He isn’t going to wow anybody with breakaway speed, but he can control the short and intermediate areas of the field with his route running and strong hands.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap, Pro Football Focus, and Spotrac helped with this article.
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