Buzz around Vikings Bonus Draft Pick Skyrockets
The Minnesota Vikings employed a quarterback named Daniel Jones for a couple of months last season, and now a member of the Indianapolis Colts, that man controls a segment of the purple team’s 2026 draft fate.
Buzz around the Vikings’ bonus draft pick is soaring, giving fans a new reason for excitement. Here’s why the optimism is growing and what it could mean.
The Vikings can earn a 4th-Round compensatory pick if Jones starts for most of the season in Indianapolis, and that outlook is off to a fantastic start.
Hope for Vikings Bonus Draft Pick Soars to the Moon
The Colts’ QB1 helped Minnesota out on Sunday.
Daniel Jones Affirms QB1 Status
The Colts flogged the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, defeating Mike McDaniel’s club by a score of 33-8. Jones accounted for 3 touchdowns along the way, totally bedazzling Colts fans who have been starved for top-tier quarterback performance since Andrew Luck retired — six years ago.
Jones very much looked the part of a franchise quarterback, if only for a game.
The Associated Press on Jones’ play: “Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones delivered the perfect start. He was sharp, effective and consistent, and he helped the Colts snap the NFL’s longest active opening-day winless streak at 11. Now he needs to show he can repeat that performance.”
“Jones aced his first major test since beating out Anthony Richardson for the starting job nearly three weeks ago. He completed 22 of 29 throws for 272 yards — including a career-high 197 yards in the first half — scored twice on 1-yard runs, made all the right calls at the line of scrimmage and had no turnovers while taking only one sack. The result: He earned his first win as a starting QB since last Oct. 6 for the New York Giants, the team that cast him aside later that year.”
Good News for Vikings’ Compensatory Hopes
Why does this matter for the Vikings, aside from wishing well upon a former teammate? Simple — they can earn a 4th-Round draft pick next April if Jones remains the Colts’ starter. It’s that simple.
If Jones were to be benched or if he didn’t win the QB1 job at all in the summer, Minnesota would be tentatively on deck for a 5th-Rounder, not a 4th.
In draft speak, a 4th-Rounder is reasonably expected to contribute. Fifth-rounders rarely pan out. It’s like an inexact cut-off for draft expectations.
The Full Criteria for a 4th-Rounder
Determining Minnesota’s draft pick for Jones’ free-agent exit is straightforward.
If he plays 60.6% of snaps or more, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will enjoy a 4th-Rounder next April. Benching Jones for Anthony Richardson or anybody else would result in a 5th-Rounder — if Jones falls below the 60.6% offensive snap threshold.
If you want to know why Adofo-Mensah signed Jones in the first place — and then didn’t play him at all in Minnesota — it’s because of this very reason: playing the compensatory draft pick game, which some call “4D chess.”
Sustainability for Jones
Of course, Jones has a long way to go before Minnesota’s plan comes to fruition. His team just beat up on the Dolphins, a franchise that appears on its way to rock bottom.
Still, Jones’ opening salvo in Indianapolis played out nearly perfectly, and for those who are twisted to track compensatory picks — this website is indeed that sadistic — the table has been set. Jones did not look benchable in Week 1.
The Athletic on Jones
James Byrd of The Athletic noted on Jones’ Week 1 performance: “Jones and the Colts scored on all seven of their drives Sunday with three touchdowns and a perfect 4-for-4 showing on field-goal attempts by kicker Spencer Shrader.”
“The Colts became the first team to score on every possession of a game since at least 1978, per the NFL. Jones is also just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to record at least 250 passing yards and two rushing TDs in a season opener, according to Colts PR. But for as great as Jones played, he hardly acknowledged his hand in the Colts’ win or what it could mean as he tries to revive his career.”
Next up for the Colts? The Denver Broncos, a club that led the NFL last year in defensive EPA/Play.
“He wasn’t interested in discussing his vindication, only what lies ahead. Sure, it was just one game against the Dolphins, who, like the Colts, entered the season with many question marks looming over their franchise. Time will tell if the Colts who showed up Sunday will show up all season,” Byrd continued.
“Time will tell if the Colts can end a four-year playoff drought. And time will tell if the Colts can deliver on all of the optimism Irsay would surely have been oozing after that kind of season debut.”
If you’re a Vikings fan, good news from Jones is good news for you.
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