NFL Writer Floats Strange Jake Golday Take
The Minnesota Vikings used their 2nd-Round pick on linebacker Jake Golday from Cincinnati last month, and that evidently confused some folks.
Golday’s role might be a fair concern, though his hybrid traits explain the Vikings’ plan.
The Ringer’s Diante Lee used Twitter (X) last week to ask just why in the heck Minnesota picked Golday if it already had ample linebacking depth.
Golday’s Path Depends on Role, Urgency, and Flores’s Vision
Are you confused by the Golday pick?
Lee on Golday
Lee retweeted a post about Golday, captioning, “I still struggle to see how Golday is going to find an outsized role on a defense where Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel are both better versions of what he can bring to the table. Minnesota didn’t need another downhill thumper or tweener type in its LB room.”
He then noted that Minnesota’s existing linebackers won’t be around forever: “They’ll all be phased out soon, I know. Still don’t know if it justifies Golday being picked where he was.”
Vikings fans were thoroughly confused by the tweet.
The Vikings’ Main LBs Are 30 Years or Older
Last year, of those defenders who played or drifted into off-ball linebacking duty, these were the most productive for Minnesota:
- Blake Cashman
- Andrew Van Ginkel
- Eric Wilson
Those men will be these ages during the 2026 regular season:
- Blake Cashman: 30
- Andrew Van Ginkel: 31
- Eric Wilson: 32
It’s also worth noting that the contracts for Cashman and Van Ginkel will expire after Week 18. Therefore, three of the Vikings’ main linebackers are 30 years or older, and two have expiring deals. In that regard, it’s actually no wonder Minnesota drafted a linebacker early in April.
The Draft Is about 2027-2029 … Not 2026
Furthermore, Lee’s take questions whether Golday will fit in Brian Flores’s 2026 defense. That’s a fair point, but teams don’t draft players for just one season. A verdict on Golday’s career will not be read aloud in January 2027. The draft is about picking talent for the future — so 2027, 2028, and 2029 in this scenario.
It’s incredibly shortsighted to evaluate the Golday selection and say, “They already have some old linebackers.” The Vikings drafted Golday because they employ old linebackers, preparing for the future when Cashman and/or Van Ginkel age out of their normal productivity or depart the franchise in free agency.
The reality is the opposite of Lee’s tweet: drafting a young linebacker was smart, as the Vikings’ current options are old-ish.
An ILB or OLB? Both?
Of course, the curious and valid question about Golday will be his utility. From most mock drafters’ perspectives, Golday was scouted as an inside linebacker — in the vein of Cashman or Eric Kendricks from Vikings teams of yesteryear.
Yet, with Golday’s experience at EDGE, he could fill a hybrid role like Van Ginkel, which would fit Flores’s modus operandi. NFL Draft Buzz on Golday:
His best early fit is at weakside linebacker in a 4-3 where he can flow to the ball, use his range in pursuit, and lean into run defense without being asked to generate consistent pressure. His comfort in the slot from Cincinnati’s 3-3-5 gives coordinators flexibility in sub-packages, and special teams is his immediate NFL path. The speed, physicality, and motor should make him one of the better kick-coverage players in this class from day one.
Zone awareness needs significant improvement before a coordinator trusts him on passing downs, and play strength against power has to develop or NFL offensive lines will move him off his spot. But the raw materials are there, and Golday has earned every opportunity through work and competitiveness. The floor is a quality special teamer and situational run defender. The ceiling is higher than most linebackers in this class can reach, but it requires patience and a real development plan from the team that drafts him.
It’s also vital to determine Golday’s role in 2026 because the Vikings have only two proven commodities at outside linebacker: Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. The contenders for OLB3 include Bo Richter and Tyler Batty, and nobody is too confident whether those men have the gumption to fill the role.
If Golday is good to go in an OLB capacity, the Vikings might not need to sign a free agent like Jadeveon Clowney, Leonard Floyd, or Joey Bosa.
Training camp is about nine weeks away, where Golday’s role and skill set will become clearer.
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