Part 1: Strategy — How the Vikings Could Approach the 2026 Draft
Last year was a difficult draft for most to handle or really enjoy when making mock drafts. The former general manager had decimated the Vikings’ draft capital by using future assets to move up for Dallas Turner and J.J. McCarthy.
While there is still time to prove those were the right moves, the lack of draft success before 2025 has caught up with the team to the point that the 2026 draft will have to be damn near perfect. The tough part is we really won’t know that for a couple of years as they develop.
Four Clear Draft Paths Define Minnesota’s Strategy at No. 18
In 2025, I felt the best strategy in the draft was to trade back to acquire more picks. With only four picks to start with, the Vikings needed more ammo and some key positions to fill. The Vikings took my third option of staying put and were rewarded with left guard Donovan Jackson, one of the players I speculated they might end up with.
Sure, it wasn’t the most exciting pick, but it was the best pick, and it strengthened a position that had been suffering for several years. Jackson was a solid performer and was the player Head Coach Kevin O’Connell had been dreaming about drafting.
Other than a broken wrist that caused him to sit out a few games, Jackson soon earned the respect of fans in an otherwise bad season. Will Fries at right guard was the most consistent performer among those who kept getting rotated out of the lineup due to injuries. Jackson was a close second.
The rest of the draft picks are all “wait and see” players. Tai Felton didn’t do much of anything. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins got a good amount of playing time as a rotational player and had a few splash plays. Kobe King got cut late in the season and got picked up by the Jets.
Gavin Bartholomew was put on injured reserve for the season. Some of the undrafted free agents the team brought in outshone some of the drafted players.
Now the team has Rob Brzezinski as their General Manager — even if it ends up being temporary and nine draft picks to work with to make moves if they feel they need to. With more ability to move up or down in the draft or even acquire future picks, the strategy this year will be different than last year.
I used Pro Football Network to run my mock drafts. Not a bad program, as you can trade players and picks, and the computer will throw out trades for the automated teams to you and between them, adding surprises every so often. It’s also free!
I ran 15 mock drafts where I controlled the Vikings’ choices, making tradebacks, trade-ups, and staying put to find the best possible plan for the Purple Squad to take and what they should avoid. I’m only going to talk strategy here with a player breakdown in a follow-up article.
4. Trade Back to the End of 1st Round or Out
Last year, my suggestion was that they aggressively trade back out of the 1st round to acquire more picks since they were sitting at pick 24. With the draft cupboard so bare in 2025 and the previous failures in the draft, the team needed to shore things back up.
This year, that scheme would not be a great idea. To me, this draft feels top-heavy with several players available for depth. Minnesota doesn’t need depth players; it needs impact players, and it needs them now. Could they find diamonds in the rough? Sure. But they can’t risk that by trading away high picks to fill the roster.
They’ve done a great job with lower-level picks and undrafted free agents over the last few years who have played very well, but now they need guys who go from the draft floor straight to the playing field. This strategy should be avoided at all costs, especially if the guy everyone thinks they should take is sitting right there.
3. Trade Up Back Into The 1st Round
As I said, this draft is deep on supporting players and depth with a good amount of talent at the top. Sitting at 18 is right in the middle, and they should get a good player no matter what, but maybe they get aggressive and try to get back in the 1st round and snag another player of need.
The problem here is that you’re probably giving up 2027 picks to get there, and that draft is supposed to be stacked with talent. In the later rounds, I found that in most cases I could trade back and still get players of need and great value. I also found ways to get more picks for 2027, filling the missing 4th-round pick that goes to Carolina with a 3rd-round pick or two.
I think staying put in the upper rounds is still the way to go to lock down players who fill the team’s needs. One way to do this may be to trade away a player as part of a package deal, if necessary. Jordan Addison has many fans ready to part ways, and he could give the team some ammunition to move up. There are also Johnathan Greenard rumors that most hope don’t come true. Unless someone takes an absolute tumble down the boards, I don’t see any reason to open this door.
2. Trade Up
Sitting at 18 doesn’t sit well with some folks, as the Vikings went on a bit of a winning run at the end of the season. Once again, the team plopped down in sort of a no man’s land with the top picks just out of reach. However, there is some hope that they could move up if there is a payer they absolutely covet.
Should there be a player they feel could dramatically alter the team’s strategies on either side of the ball, they could make that move, since they have more draft capital. Again, they would have to give up picks in 2027 to get there, putting strain back on next year’s draft.
If they see that’s the way to go, then that player had best not only be an impact player from the start but a starter before the season ends. The team and the staff as a whole can’t have more draft failures on their resume.
Can they do it? Yes. Should they? I feel that only if someone with high impact falls near them and they only have to go up a pick or two to secure “their guy”. Selling the farm won’t be in the best interests of the future over the next few years.
1. Stay Put
2025 had fans all in a twist, wanting to make a move one way or the other. When they didn’t, I was pretty surprised that they didn’t at least trade back. In the end, that was the best decision they could have made. You build through the trenches, and Jackson was a great pick.
Once the entire line can play as a unit and not be a fruit basket upset by injuries, they could be the best line in the division and maybe one of the best in the league. That’s why I think they should once again stay put and take the best player available at a position of need. Several great players will be taken at the top of the draft.
What’s unique is that several great players in the 20s are worthy. The Vikings need a safety, center, and cornerback the most, with running back, wide receiver, and tight end being needs to fill for future consideration.
With all the mocks I’ve gone through, the Vikings can get any of these players by being patient. Some might see it as more of a luxury to take the best player available, but it’s never bad to have too much of a good thing. Staying at 18 also lets them decide if trading back a spot or two and still getting their guy is in play.
The draft rarely goes the way most of us think it will. I don’t believe in the “that will never happen” scenario because I’ve seen it time and time again. If the team stays at 18, I think we will all be happy with the outcome on draft night.
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