PFF Maps Out Vikings’ Perfect Draft Scenario
We are quickly closing in on the 2026 NFL draft – to be held in Pittsburgh, April 23-35 – and opinions are everywhere, especially with the combine now complete. Pro Football Focus has put forward an ideal first three-round draft haul for each of the 32 teams, including the Minnesota Vikings.
Defense Dominates PFF’s Vision for Minnesota’s Early Picks
The Vikings have four selections (18, 49, 82, and 97) across the first three rounds, and PFF has gone defense heavy with their choices for Minnesota – a route I fully agree with. The four players they have chosen to join Minnesota in their ideal scenario are;
- DI Calen Banks (Florida)
- Emannuel McNeill-Warren (Toledo)
- LB Josiah Trotter (Missouri)
- WR Zachariah Branch (Georgia)
Caleb Banks is picked at 18th overall, another choice that I am fully on board with. Favored positions for the Vikings’ first-round selection include cornerback and safety, but solidifying the trenches first is a smart move.
Banks can be the long-term solution on the interior of the defensive line alongside Jalen Redmond, who was the Vikings’ breakout player in 2025. Here is what PFF had to say about taking the big interior defender in the first round.
Although the Vikings spent a combined $81 million on Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen last offseason, the team will likely turn to the interior defender well in 2026 with the group underperforming. Banks was limited to 96 snaps in 2025 but generated a 73.2 PFF pass-rushing grade the year before, with his stock potentially rising into the middle of the first round after a scintillating Combine.
Ideal Picks on Day 2
Minnesota has three picks on Day 2, and if they could start things off by landing both Emmanuel McNeill-Warren and Josiah Trotter, that would be incredible. It feels like a bit of a pipe dream to me, with McNeill being seen as potentially a first-round pick by some and Trotter as a second-rounder, rather than a third-round pick as he would be here.
There are question marks over the depth at wide receiver for the Vikings, so adding an athletic speedster like Zachariah Branch certainly has its merit. Here is what PFF had to say about their selections.
If the Vikings pulled this draft off, I would be happy. The biggest oversight is at cornerback, a position Minnesota might find difficult to address adequately in free agency. However, strengthening the other areas of the defense may help Bryon Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers have better seasons in 2026.
Other positions that could come into focus on Day 2 are running back, tight end, and center. These positions could also be where the Vikings look to finish the draft on Day 3.
Outside of the first round, Minnesota could pursue a replacement for Harrison Smith at safety with McNeil-Warren (91.9 overall PFF grade). Additionally, Trotter (26.5% pass-rush win rate) could be a fun asset for Brian Flores’ blitzing scheme, and Branch (82.6 PFF receiving grade) may be a WR3 if Jalen Nailor departs in free agency
Overall, bringing a quality addition to all three levels of the defense and a playermaker to the offense would be a good couple of days’ work for acting Vikings general manager Rob Brzezinski.
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