Vikings May Have Something in Demond Claiborne
When the Minnesota Vikings entered the 2026 NFL Draft, there were more than a few positions they needed to address. They targeted both sides of the football and did a good job of grabbing talent all across the board. One of the positions they couldn’t afford to ignore any longer was running back.
Kevin O’Connell has grown synonymous with a lack of a running game. He has leaned into Aaron Jones and the running joke that has become Cam Akers (who is, again, available, by the way).
Claiborne Has a Clear Path to Snaps
It would have been fun to see Minnesota-native Emmett Johnson in a Vikings uniform, but they infused youth by choosing Wake Forest product Demond Caliborne.
Playing plenty as a freshman, Demond Claiborne has 44 career games under his belt at the collegiate level. He ran for 1,049 yards as a junior two seasons ago, before bumping his yards per carry average up to 5.1 this past season. Claiborne has 26 career rushing touchdowns, of which 21 came in the past two seasons.
Claiborne is not a one-trick pony either. After hauling in 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns as a junior, he caught 28 passes last season. While Wake Forest is hardly a blue blood, he played against plenty of stout talent in the ACC and was a clear outlier on a program that otherwise struggled.
When dealing with the underwear Olympics, Claiborne balled out as well. He turned in a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash with a 1.59 10-yard split. His broad jump was impressive at 10’2″, and he has often been suggested as a ridiculously twitch talent.
The Minnesota Vikings needed to reset the youth at running back. Ty Chandler didn’t pan out, and neither Mason nor Jones is a long-term answer. Claiborne can cycle in this year while getting some run on special teams, and he could very well be the guy at some point next season.
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