The Rookies Who Could Start for Vikings in 2025
The Minnesota Vikings welcomed about 25 rookies from the draft and UDFA at the end of April, navigating a class with very few picks because of the expensive Dallas Turner trade in 2024.
The Vikings have several rookies from the draft and undrafted free agency, and a few could end up with starting gigs.
Accordingly, the Vikings did not have a 2nd- or 3rd-Round pick this offseason, but a few rookies could still perhaps sniff the starting lineup.
These are those rookies in alphabetical order.
Oscar Chapman (P)
Chapman could realistically win the primary punting job for the 2025 Vikings. It shouldn’t be considered a hot take.
International punters and kickers have increasingly caught on in the NFL, and Chapman could be no different, facing the incumbent Ryan Wright this summer in a “punter battle.”
PurplePTSD‘s Kyle Joudry wrote about the battle in late April: “Mr. Chapman is coming in at 6’3″ and 197 pounds. The specialist did work for Auburn from 2020 through to 2024, meaning he has five college seasons to draw on for experience. Keep in mind that he was playing within the SEC, meaning that he faced strong competition. In 2024, Chapman played in a dozen games. He punted the ball 41 times, averaging 42.5 yards per punt.”
“The year before Chapman played in thirteen games, punting 61 times while averaging 44.6 yards per punt. In each of those two seasons, Chapman picked up a single carry — one went for 10 yards, the other for 6 — suggesting he has a bit of athleticism that could get the gears turning for Matt Daniels, opening up the potential for a trick play or two (has there ever been a football fan/coach who doesn’t love a good — emphasis on good — trick play?).”
Part of the NFL’s international program, Chapman will likely remain attached to the roster in 2025, no matter what, even if Wright wins the battle.
Joudry added, “As for Ryan Wright, the NFL career has been a bit up and down. Wright’s rookie season demonstrated ample promise. The young punter had a single, lonely touchback all season — just 1 of his 73 punts, working out to a tiny 1.4% touchback rate — while averaging 42.3 yards gained per punt. As a sophomore, however, things went worse.”
“The touchbacks jumped up to 7 in 59 punts (11.9%), meaning there was a higher rate of negative outcomes even though there were less opportunities. Worse yet, the average yards gained per punt dropped down to 41.6.”
Tai Felton (WR)
Indeed, the Vikings have speedy pass-catchers like Jalen Nailor and Rondale Moore in the mix this summer. They just added more WR talent in the form of Felton from Round 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
It’s probably a long shot for Felton to trot onto the field in Week 1 at Soldier Field as the primary third wide receiver. Remember, though, that Jalen Nailor is injury-prone, even if he played all 17 games for the first time last season.
If an injury strikes for Nailor — not out of the realm of possibility, Felton could rise as the WR3 in 2025.
Donovan Jackson (OG)
The surest starter on the list, something actually has to go majorly wrong for Jackson not to start at the Bears on September 8th.
The Vikings used the draft’s 24th overall pick on Jackson, a guard from Ohio State. If all goes according to plan, he’ll live next to Christian Darrisaw on the Vikings’ offensive line for the next five years at minimum.
Our own Janik Eckart recently wrote about Jackson: “Despite his draft status as a rare first-round guard — in fact, he is the first guard the Vikings selected since Randall McDaniel in 1988 — he still has to dethrone a veteran to take a starting spot.”
“At this time of the year, however, it’s more about acclimating to the new teammates and the NFL level rather than competing with them. Depth chart questions won’t be answered in May, but we can still learn something about the order in which they might be stacked on the very-early depth chart. One nugget: Donovan Jackson is already running with the top offensive line. Indeed, not all five guys from the intended starting offensive line were out there. Christian Darrisaw is still recovering from his torn ACL.”
The Vikings haven’t drafted an offensive lineman who’s virtually guaranteed to start since Darrisaw — four years ago.
Eckardt added, “For him, free-agent addition Justin Skule subbed in at left tackle. Will Fries is in the final stages of the leg injury that cost him the majority of last season, and Blake Brandel, last year’s 2024 left guard, functioned as the right guard in his place. That opened the door for Jackson to step into the vacated left guard spot.”
“It is noteworthy that Brandel is cross-trained at the other guard spot and not kept at left guard, making it quite obvious that the Vikings expect him to be the backup guard sooner rather than later. Whether he will ultimately lose his job to Jackson in time for Week 1 remains to be seen. The rookie surely has the talent to challenge him early in his Vikings tenure.”
Yes, Jackson must win the job, but he should be classified as the LG frontrunner.
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