Ranking the 5 Best Vikings Players Under 25
In a single offseason, the Minnesota Vikings went from one of the oldest rosters in the league to one of the youngest by cutting ties with Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, and by watching C.J. Ham and Adam Thielen retire. Harrison Smith’s future, too, remains up in the air.
So, who are the best young players? We’ve ranked the five best Vikings under 25 in ascending order below (No. 1 = best young Viking).
Rookies were excluded for obvious reasons — no one knows if they’ll become the real deal.
Vikings’ Next Core Is Already Taking Shape
5. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins | DL
Yes, this list is a bit underwhelming because former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah struggled to draft productive players, and yes, Ingram-Dawkins gets the nod accordingly.
The Georgia alumnus saw a little action as a rookie, 250 defensive snaps actually, which is impressive for a 5th-Rounder. He may also convert to outside linebacker this summer. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned it last month: “One of the things we really liked about him was his versatility. He did a lot of different things at Georgia, and he’s a really heavy presence on the edge. When we’re trying to run the ball out at that Christian Darrisaw gap out there, and then he’s out there setting the edge, that’s different.”
“And then his versatility to get kick inside, I don’t know if we’ll see him get much tighter than maybe a three, but from the 3T all the way out to the edge, that’s a really versatile player. And then you pair that with what Caleb Banks can be from a versatile standpoint, really being kind of from that 4i/5T on down; it’s exciting. And he’s had a really good sprint, and that kind of year to jump; we’re hoping that it’s happening right now.”
If the OLB gig comes to fruition, Ingram-Dawkins could be Minnesota’s third pass rusher behind Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner.
4. J.J. McCarthy | QB
You can snicker, and that’s fine — we fully realize that much of the world only knows McCarthy from memes.
But the fact remains that he ranked sixth in EPA+CPOE to close out the 2025 campaign (Weeks 14 to 18), finishing his first season as a starter on a positive note. Of course, he’s battling Kyler Murray at training camp and in the preseason for the QB1 job, a tall task.
McCarthy still has plenty of upside, and if you’ve already written him off, you evidently haven’t watched Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield play ball in the last three years, two passers left for dead before reclaiming their careers.
3. Donovan Jackson | LG
Jackson had a solid rookie season with the Vikings, earning a Pro Football Focus grade just under 60.0 — impressive for a first-year guard thrown into action immediately.
Despite breaking his wrist early on, Jackson still played 14 games, offering Minnesota hope for a long-term solution at the position.
Moving forward, Jackson needs to turn last year’s flashes of brilliance into consistent, reliable performances each week. His strong showings against Chicago provide a promising foundation. If Jackson excels in 2026, it will come as no surprise.
2. Dallas Turner | OLB
The runway finally belongs to Turner. With Jonathan Greenard’s departure, the roadblock that kept Turner from being a full-time defender has been removed. After two years of waiting, Minnesota no longer has to contrive snaps for its former first-round pick.
Turner earned this opportunity late in 2025, concluding the season with 8.0 sacks and forcing 4 fumbles. The positive results coincided with his expanding role.
Had Greenard remained in Minnesota, Turner would likely have spent another season rotating behind him. While this setup would have strengthened the depth chart, it would have also hindered the development of a player drafted to be a game-wrecker.
That concern is now gone. The Vikings can build their outside linebacker room around Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel.
1. Jordan Addison | WR
Addison hasn’t quite topped 1,000 yards in a season, and his production largely mirrors the quarterback’s. If the Vikings’ passer is any good, Addison cooks. If the quarterback struggles with accuracy, Addison is pretty quiet.
The fact remains that Addison is an electric weapon. Now that Murray is in town, his talent could be fully unlocked, especially in a season when he can reasonably ask for a contract extension or soon after.
So long as Addison nips his off-the-field indiscretions in the bud, he’s the top Viking under 25 until fans see what the 2026 rookies are all about.
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