Part 2: The Players — Vikings Draft Targets Come into Focus
So, you saw in Part One (here) of these articles the strategy I think the Vikings should take. I didn’t name names, but only the way I think they can get the best possible pick and impact player in the first round. I wanted to keep them separate to focus on one or the other.
This draft is top-heavy in my opinion. In 2025, there were a multitude of good-to-great players in the draft, giving most mock drafters a bevy of choices to mess around with.
The Vikings’ Shortlist Is Starting to Take Shape
In 2026, I feel that you take the best player available at your spot about mid-way through the 1st round and don’t reach too far up if you don’t need to. This is a “draft for depth” in most eyes, which is the vibe I get from national pundits who do more work on this than I do.
As I said previously, I think the Vikings should stay put at their current positions and wait for the outcome of the prior selections, and they will have a player available that the staff and fans can be happy with.
The struggle I’ve had this year is that, when you look at most positions the team could go after, they have decent depth built up, except for a few areas that need shoring up. They need players who can start right away or shortly into the season and make their depth look even better.
Last year, there was an extremely deep running back class. That is not the case this year. Last year, there was a strong offensive lineman group. That seems to be true, with maybe more depth in this draft, especially at center. Edge rushers are at a premium as well, near the top.
The deepest and most prevalent position this year is tight end, where it seems a team could take a player at the position in almost every round, followed by wide receiver. Round 1 is the focus here, with several types of players potentially available, all with immediate impact possibilities in ascending order.
5. Middle Linebacker
The Vikings have a pretty strong set of starters with Blake Cashman and recently re-signed Eric Wilson. They are both solid against the run and have the ability to get into the backfield from time to time. They are great free agent signings from the last two seasons.
The only issues are that Wilson is an older player, turning 32 at the end of September, and that Cashman has a history of injuries that keep him out of the lineup for stretches. Behind them has become a huge question mark, with Ivan Pace Jr. falling off after his rookie year, when he seemed like a draft steal, and a few guys who have yet to really prove themselves.
This may be more of a “future” pick, but if Cashman goes down again, it might vault them to a starter. At 18, there won’t be a linebacker available unless Sonny Styles plummets down the board.
The next prospect, CJ Allen, is a steep drop, though a solid 2nd-round player. I wouldn’t expect them to trade up or far back to fill this position. Allen could be there at 49, but they only take him if he’s the best on the board.
4. Running Back
I had this as the last need in 2025, and it jumped up one spot. Aaron Jones is back, and Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott are still on the roster. Last year, this was the most glaring miss by the previous general manager, with a draft class deep in running backs from top to bottom.
Cam Skattebo could have been snagged in the 4th round and been an immediate impact player as he was in New York. Instead, we got Tai Felton, who did next to nothing in our stacked wide receiver room. Jones is even further past 30 this year, and he had nagging injuries again in 2025.
Mason is known more for his bruising style, and Scott has a decent combination of speed and strength and showed some real flashes behind a depleted offensive line, but nothing to hand him the starting job.
The players to watch are Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Jonah Coleman, and Emmett Johnson. Some are considering Love a generational player and expect him to be gone well before the Vikings can draft him at 18 or move up.
The trade cost could be too much unless he tumbles within a better striking distance. The others are good backs, but the drop off from Love is considerable. I only had one scenario where he fell all the way to 18. Not crazy, but it’s a low-percentage possibility.
Unless Love gets to them, they should wait until the 3rd or 4th round to snag a player at the position. They could get one of the other three at the best value there, and they might be players that crack the starting lineup if Jones goes down.
Johnson is a bit of a fan favorite as he grew up blocks from US Bank Stadium as a Vikings fan. Running back might still be a bit devalued, but the Super Bowl MVP was Kenneth Walker III, and he just got a bag to head to Kansas City.
3. Wide Receiver
Last year I didn’t feel like this was as big of a need. This year, they may need a player who can play right away if injuries or other off-field issues arise. Justin Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the league, and Jordan Addison is an ultimate compliment.
The problem is that Addison has had many off-field incidents that greatly reduced his availability last year. Jalen Nailor was a great number three, but he moved on to the Raiders to find more playing time. The rest of the room is at best unproven. Not a good feeling to be teetering on the brink of collapse if multiple issues arise.
The position is deep this year with several receivers listed in the top 100 player rankings. Should a player like Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson fall to them, it would be hard to take a player at a higher position of need.
However, there is enough depth to take a player who could be an impact at wide receiver 3, with 2-spot potential. Unless they can’t pass on the guy on the board, they could look to rounds 2 or 3 for players like Bryce Lance – another hometown player- or Chris Brazzell II, who only gives me pause because he has “multiple driving violations” that the staff and fans already have experience with.
You can never have too much of a good thing. Especially if there are current question marks on the roster.
2. Cornerback
I’ve never seen a team run out with basically only two corners on the roster with Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers in 2025. The Jeff Okudah signing was quickly deemed a bust, and the team had to bring back Fabian Moreau, who actually played great as the 3rd option.
Rodgers was a surprise signing who played great all season, and Murphy was as solid as ever without playing out of his skin. Former management really screwed up the position by trading away Mekhi Blackmon, who played well for the Colts, and letting Nashon Wright walk after acquiring him in a cheap trade from the Cowboys. He decided to blow up playing for the Bears.
Everyone would feel better if the Vikings signed a high-profile corner who can lock the opposition down and give the kind of depth most teams would envy. This has high pick potential and is well worth it at 18, while also filling a need.
Monsoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, and Avieon Terrell could all be available at 18 for the Vikings to snatch up. McCoy has medical concerns after missing all of 2025 with a torn ACL. Terrell has some speed issues, with a below-average 40, but he knows how to make receivers fumble by punching the ball out.
If the Vikings don’t strike here, they may jump on Brandon Cisse in the 2nd round, who fits the size that Brian Flores likes in his system. This would be a great spot to take a player of need and the best player available.
1. Safety
Safety is undervalued until you lose one of the best ever to play the position for his entire career on your team. Harrison Smith has been “released” by the team, but didn’t attend a retirement press conference with Adam Thielen and CJ Ham, leading many to believe he’ll make another run in 2026 for a 15th season.
He started the season on injured reserve, but after he fully recovered, he was still a force on the field. Again, he has to retire at some point, and his replacement may be sitting at 18 with the coaching staff and fans ready to find a new favorite.
Theo Jackson was good and is a great compliment, while Jay Ward held up well with Josh Metellus in the rotation, but none have the pedigree of Smith. Mettelus is also a bit of a liability in deep coverage with his hybrid role fitting well up at the line and against tight ends. Safety has to be addressed in this draft.
There are two prospects in the first round, Caleb Downs and Dillon Thieneman, who could be available and could fill the void left by Smith if he’s really hanging up the cleats. Downs is a straight-up stud that can basically do it all in coverage and coming up in run support.
Thieneman is almost a Smith clone in terms of his overall size and mental aptitude. If teams’ overall belief is that safety isn’t as important, they could both be available at 18, giving the Vikings a tough choice. It could also be a boon to be able to trade back slightly and still get the guy they want if someone else covets one of them.
Downs is speculated to go early with his skills, with Thieneman almost exclusively projected to go to the Vikings in most mock drafts. The drop after that is precipitous, with players not a reality until maybe the 5th round. Everyone from the draft war room to the draft party would be happy with this pick, regardless of either player. If Smith sticks around, who better to mentor the rookie for a year as they adapt to Flores’ difficult-to-learn defense?
Honorable Mention
This goes to tight end. The Vikings have a great group with TJ Hockenson, Josh Oliver, and Ben Yurosek. Hockenson seemed to be a victim of inconsistent play from the quarterback and offensive line, amid a cavalcade of injuries, with Oliver known more for his blocking prowess.
They weren’t running many routes, trying to protect the passer. I only bring this up because Kenyon Sidiq may be available at 18 as well and has freakish stats and combine numbers that could make him a player you can’t pass up at that spot.
He’d also be cheaper than Hockenson. Of my draft picks, he and Thieneman are the most consistent players available at 18, and if I didn’t draft one because he was already taken, I drafted the other.
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