The Vikings’ Draft Frontrunners after Free Agency
In 33 days, you will learn the identity of the Minnesota Vikings’ 1st-Round draft pick, assuming interim general manager Rob Brzezinski doesn’t trade out of the pick. And after free agency, in addition to the NFL Combine, the purple team has a few clear draft frontrunners.
Minnesota’s pick at No. 18 still points heavily toward defense in late April.
Minnesota will pick 18th on draft night — April 23rd — and all signs point to a defensive player that evening out of the gate.
Four Names Rising to the Top of Minnesota’s Draft Board
Ranked in ascending order, these men are most likely to end up with the Vikings in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft (No. 1 = current draft frontrunner).
4. Peter Woods (DT) | Clemson
Woods ranks 21st on the current Consensus Big Board. He’s the top defensive tackle, according to the draft community, and within the last two weeks, the Vikings have said sayonara to Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, their two starting DTs from last season.
The clues hint toward an interior defensive lineman somewhat early in the draft. If that assumption is correct, the clearest path to minimize risk — the other highly-touted DT prospect is Florida’s Caleb Banks, who’s injured and carries a “boom or bust” draft reputation — is Woods.
Think of it this way: if the Vikings stick-and-pick at No. 18 and they want a defensive tackle, Woods will probably become a Viking on April 23rd.
3. Emmanuel McNeill-Warren (S) | Toledo
This would likely be the “trade down” method. Some say the 2026 draft’s sweet spot is the 2nd and 3rd Rounds. There’s a world where Minnesota agrees to trade the 18th overall pick to a team like the Kansas City Chiefs or the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a couple of 3rd-Rounders.
Then, Brzezinski could pick McNeill-Warren from Toledo, nominate him as the long-term Harrison Smith replacement plan, and feast on two extra 3rd-Rounders.
It’s worth noting that some fans will wince over a trade-back-then-draft-a-safety arrangement. That plan flopped in 2022 when former boss Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung and missed on Lewis Cine.
2. Avieon Terrell (CB) | Clemson
In the last 10 years, the Vikings have drafted these cornerbacks:
- Mackensie Alexander
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Andrew Booth
- Kris Boyd
- Cameron Dantzler
- Akayleb Evans
- Jeff Gladney
- Harrison Hand
- Mike Hughes
- Khyree Jackson
Two passed away. Others were not cut out for long-term sustainability in the NFL. And none secured a second contract with the Vikings, aside from Alexander, who returned for a one-year stint after venturing elsewhere.
Write this down: Minnesota is unusually overdue to connect on a cornerback draft pick — of any kind.
Terrell ranks 22nd on the Consensus Big Board. LSU’s Mansoor Delane will probably be the first corner drafted, but after him, Terrell to Minnesota checks some boxes if the franchise is ready to dream big at cornerback after all the tragedies and failures.
Pro Football Focus‘s Max Chadwick mocked Terrell to Minnesota earlier this month and noted, “The Vikings have finished outside the top 15 of team PFF coverage grade in each of the past six seasons and need plenty of help in their secondary. Terrell’s 90.6 PFF overall grade over the past two seasons ranked fifth among Power Four cornerbacks.”
1. Dillon Thieneman (S) | Oregon
If you’re a human, and you’re publishing an NFL mock draft right now, a mysterious force overtakes your hand, guiding the mouse to Thieneman’s name at the Vikings’ No. 18 spot. Those are the rules; the galaxy demands it.
That’s how frequent and fervent the Thieneman buzz is for the Vikings right now — every mainstream mock draft connects him to the purple team.
Thieneman fired up an NFL Combine for the ages, and he’s become a rapid riser, once on deck for Round 2 placement but now shoved into Round 1, usually at the Vikings’ spot. He ran a 4.35 forty in Indianapolis and nailed all the drills.
The Draft Network‘s Keith Sanchez on Thieneman to Minnesota: “This pick just seems to align perfectly. The Minnesota Vikings just saw safety Harrison Smith retire from the NFL, and now they have a hole at the position. Dillon Thieneman is coming off of one of the best NFL Combine performances in recent memory, which elevated his draft stock. Thieneman can come right in and fill a need defensively.”
No matter what Harrison Smith decides about retirement or a return, Minnesota could draft Thieneman in Round 1 and call it good.
It would be preposterous as of March 21st to suggest Thieneman is not the Vikings’ mock-draft darling. He’s everywhere.
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