One Vikings Position Group Still Feels Unsettled
When the Minnesota Vikings went into the 2026 NFL Draft, it was assumed that running back was a position they would target. Jeremiyah Love was the gold standard, but there was little path for them to jump up high enough to land his services.
The Demond Claiborne Pick Doesn’t Quite Fix Everything
Ultimately, Minnesota had other needs, and running back was something that could logically be addressed at any point in the middle rounds. Rather than lean into the need sooner, they waited and went with Wake Forest product Demond Claiborne at pick 198.
The speedster has a lot to like, and the Minnesota Vikings were very interested in his profile throughout the scouting process. He’s likely to come in as the third rusher on the depth chart, but it still seems a bit scary to think about him getting real game action.
In theory, the tandem of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason provides a great one-two punch for Kevin O’Connell. The former is a dual-threat back who can be an asset in pass protection. The latter is more of a bruiser, but he leaves the quarterback exposed. The problem is that Jones, as the leader, is an aging vet with a litany of injury issues.
After a healthy career year in his first season with Minnesota, he played just 12 games last season. It’s unlikely that he experiences an even cleaner bill of health this time around. If and when he’s shelved, the options get grim pretty quickly.
Asking Claiborne to play a significant role in year one isn’t a good bet. He’s fast and has a Jerrick McKinnon feel to him, but he coughed up the ball five times in just 179 attempts during his senior season. If that continues to happen at the NFL level, he’s going to find himself in the doghouse pretty fast.
Jones is probably in his final year with the Vikings, and finding someone to pair with Mason made sense for 2026. Both veterans hit free agency next offseason, though, and there’s still no long-term contingency plan. If health and production remain aligned, Minnesota could avoid disaster.
If even one or two things go sideways, it gets late early.
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