Ranking the Vikings’ Last 5 Draft Classes
The Minnesota Vikings’ 2020 draft is no longer part of this article’s criteria; it would’ve taken the cake if so. But as the purple team pivots to the 2026 batch of rookies, let’s look back at the last five years, which have been tumultuous, outside of a few picks, to say the least.
Minnesota’s recent draft record is uneven, though one class clearly stands above the rest.
The worst draft of the last five years is quite obvious; here’s a look at the complete pecking order.
A Full Ranking of Minnesota’s Most Recent Draft Hauls
Ranking Minnesota’s draft classes from the last half-decade.
5. 2022
The Group:
Lewis Cine | S, Georgia — R1
Andrew Booth | CB, Clemson — R2
Ed Ingram | G, LSU — R2
Brian Asamoah | LB, Oklahoma — R3
Akayleb Evans | CB, Missouri — R4
Esezi Otomewo | DL, Minnesota — R5
Ty Chandler | RB, North Carolina — R5
Vederian Lowe | OL, Illinois — R6
Jalen Nailor | WR, Michigan State — R6
Nick Muse | TE, South Carolina — R7
This is about as brutal as it gets. None of these men work for the Vikings anymore, and we’re only four years removed from the haul.
Cine can’t even cut it in the UFL, Booth hasn’t had much more luck, and Ingram is now a solid starter — in Houston. Others, like Evans, Otomewo, Chandler, Lowe, and Nailor, received new contracts this offseason, but those all occurred with non-Vikings teams.
The 2022 draft is one of the worst in franchise history. Perhaps NFL history.
4. 2025
The Group:
Donovan Jackson | OL, Ohio State — R1
Tai Felton | WR, Maryland — R3
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins | DE, Georgia — R5
Kobe King | LB, Penn State — R6
Gavin Bartholomew | TE, Pittsburgh — R6
The Vikings sold most of the picks from this class in pursuit of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and outside linebacker Dallas Turner. So, when the time came to draft players in 2025, former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t have many picks.
Jackson and Ingram-Dawkins seem like hits, but that’s about it. Minnesota even [oddly] waived King midseason 2025, and he was quickly scooped by the New York Jets.
3. 2023
The Group:
Jordan Addison | WR, USC — R1
Mekhi Blackmon | CB, USC — R3
Jay Ward | S, LSU — R4
Jaquelin Roy | DT, LSU — R5
Jaren Hall | QB, BYU — R5
DeWayne McBride | RB, Ala-Birmingham — R7
Addison alone made this draft worthwhile; the Vikings are on track to extend his rookie contract. After the 2022 class, that’s pretty rare.
Ward, too, has turned the corner into a playable safety, and there’s a small chance that he plays a starter’s role in 2026 if Minnesota doesn’t leave this month’s draft with a new safety.
Adofo-Mensah strangely traded Blackmon away last summer for nothing, and he performed decently for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025.
2. 2024
The Group:
J.J. McCarthy | QB, Michigan — R1
Dallas Turner | LB, Alabama — R1
Khyree Jackson | DB, Oregon — R4
Walter Rouse | OL, Oklahoma — R6
Will Reichard | K, Alabama — R6
Michael Jurgens | OL, Wake Forest — R7
Levi Drake Rodriguez | DT, Texas A&M-Commerce — R7
McCarthy still has time to morph into a long-term starter, but Kyler Murray is now in the house for the 2026 Vikings. Turner is on track to be worth the Round 1 squeeze.
Rouse, Jurgens, and Drake Rodriguez remain dependable depth players.
The real prize, so far, believe it or not, is the kicker. Minnesota has been starved for 25+ years at kicker, and Reichard is the guy fans have dreamt about for eons. This draft wasn’t wholly spectacular, but Reichard is sure as hell wholly spectacular.
The Viking Age‘s Luke Norris noted on Reichard a few months ago, “The best player for the Vikes during that final stretch — and arguably throughout the entire season — was second-year kicker Will Reichard, who went a perfect 12-for-12 on field goals in Weeks 14 to 18, three of which went for 50 yards or more, and also connected on all 12 of his extra-point attempts.”
1. 2021
The Group:
Christian Darrisaw | OL, Virginia Tech — R1
Kellen Mond | QB, Texas A&M — R3
Chazz Surratt | LB, North Carolina — R3
Wyatt Davis | OL, Ohio State — R3
Patrick Jones II | DL, Pittsburgh — R3
Kene Nwangwu | RB, Iowa State — R4
Camryn Bynum | CB, California — R4
Janarius Robinson | DE, Florida State — R4
Ihmir Smith-Marsette | WR, Iowa — R5
Zach Davidson | TE, Central Missouri State — R5
Jaylen Twyman | DL, Pittsburgh — R6
It makes sense that the best Vikings draft of the last five years did not belong to Adofo-Mensah. And that’s not a controversial take. It’s just the truth.
Former boss Rick Spielman departed this draft in Cleveland five years ago with two undisputed starters: Darrisaw and Bynum.
The rest of the draft was ugly — Mond, Davis, and Robinson are out of the NFL — but even Patrick Jones II is a decent EDGE defender.
You must be logged in to post a comment.