Vikings Solved These Mysteries in the Draft
The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up their 2025 NFL Draft eight days ago, saying hello to five new rookies and signing about 20 undrafted free agents after that.
Vikings Solved These Mysteries in the Draft
The team’s fans eagerly awaited the draft, unsure how the team would proceed with so few picks.
And because the draft is now firmly behind the club, mysteries heading into the event are solved. These are those resolved mysteries ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = top solved mystery)
6. Days of “Just Trade Back” Are Over
Because the Vikings had only four picks heading into April 24th, a common prediction involved an obvious trade back. The easiest way to grab more picks in a draft? Well, just trade back. Easy.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not endorse the strategy.
Instead, Minnesota understood that Ohio State offensive guard Donovan Jackson would not make it too much longer on the draftboard, so Adofo-Mensah sticked-and-picked at No. 24, onboarding Jackson to complete his offensive line fivesome.
After majorly striking out on trading back during his first draft — the infamous 2022 class — Adofo-Mensah appears content staying in Round 1 for his top rookie. He trades in later rounds, but forecasting “trader Kwesi” from Round 1 might be a prediction that fans can put to bed.
5. Theo Jackson, Indeed, Is a Starter
Mock draft pundits — all over the place — assumed Minnesota would draft a safety like South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori or Georgia’s Malaki Starks. Local websites, like this one, were quick to say, “Not so fast,” predicting that the Vikings had no qualms with starting Theo Jackson in 2025.
National media got it wrong per Minnesota’s Round 1 pick, and voila, the team trusts Jackson as a starting safety. Whoodathunkit?
4. No Rookie RB Whatsoever
Twenty-five running backs joined new teams during the draft. That’s almost enough for one per team. Minnesota, meanwhile, drafted zero running backs, instead enjoying its current depth chart with Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Ty Chandler, and Zaiver Scott.
Adofo-Mensah signed Jacksonville State runner Tre Stewart, but it’s unclear if he’ll have enough juice to audition for RB3.
In a deep-deep running back draft, the Vikings said nope.
3. WR a Priority
Minnesota’s second pick in the draft occurred in Round 3, and the team’s enthusiasts believed the selection would be a cornerback, safety, or defensive tackle.
But Adofo-Mensah swerved and chose a wide receiver, Tai Felton, from Maryland. Because the club has spoken so highly of Jalen Nailor leading up to April, most thought the WR room was totally set.
Wrong.
Perhaps preparing for life after Nailor or hedging the bet against Jordan Addison’s legal antics, Adofo-Mensah onboarded a wide receiver when no one really saw it coming.
PurplePTSD.com‘s Brevan Bane wrote about Felton right after the draft: “Felton will join a Vikings WR core that boasts one of the best one-two punches in the entire NFL in superstar Justin Jefferson and his third-year Robin in Jordan Addison, as well as what is now shaping up to be a very entertaining and skill-sharpening battle for the team’s WR3 role between Felton, new free-agency acquisition Rondale Moore, and the reigning, defending WR3 Jalen Nailor, who is going into his fourth year after being drafted in 2022 out of Michigan State by these Vikings with the 191st pick in the sixth round.”
“Felton brings a pretty good lineage of Maryland WRs in the last 10 years, one of which is an iconic former Vikings that made a semi-important play in a divisional round matchup against the New Orleans Saints in January of 2018 to put his team in the NFC Championship.”
2. Defensive Secondary … Is Fine?
Down the stretch of mock draft season, most draft analysts settled on Minnesota choosing a safety, like the aforementioned Starks or Emmanwori, in Round 1. The Vikings drafted an offensive lineman in Donovan Jackson.
Surely, the club would select a safety or cornerback later in the draft for Brian Flores to implement in the long run, right?
Nada.
Adofo-Mensah drafted no cornerbacks or safeties, indicating that the defensive secondary must be just fine. He values what he has. Otherwise, the Vikings would’ve drafted Starks, Emannwori, or Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.
1. Offensive Line on the Brain
Moments after Minnesota collapsed and lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard Round of the postseason four months ago, head coach Kevin O’Connell vowed offensive line improvement, especially in the interior.
He wasn’t kidding.
In a draft when Minnesota could’ve chosen a safety or corner early, Adofo-Mensah picked Jackson, and now the offensive line features the best fivesome on paper in years, if not decades.
With the J.J. McCarthy era beginning, the Vikings’ brass chose not to dink around with a flimsy offensive line.
Vikings Landed 2 “Draft Steals”
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