Meet the Betting Favorites to Join the Vikings in Round 1
In one day, the Minnesota Vikings will announce their 1st-Round draft pick in Pittsburgh, and like all other teams, there are a handful of frontrunners. It’s the first draft for interim general manager Rob Brzezinski while in charge, and the team needs him to get it right, especially the first pick.
Vegas has narrowed the board, with a small cluster of prospects separating from the rest.
Generally speaking, Vegas expects Minnesota to leave Thursday evening with a defensive player.
Four Names Lead the Board as the Vikings Close In on Pick No. 18
Who’s your prediction for Thursday night? Per DraftKings, these are the favorites.
4. Jermod McCoy | CB, Tennessee
Moneyline: +1000
McCoy’s draft placement is a general mystery for one reason: he missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL. Most 1st-Rounders are not afforded that grace and usually fall to Round 2 or later. But McCoy has all the traits of a 1st-Rounder, especially after showing off his 4.36 speed at his Pro Day this month.
The Vikings have three trustworthy cornerbacks on the current roster: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and James Pierre. Those guys will do the trick in 2026 with Brian Flores calling the shots, but of course, the draft is about youth, and Minnesota hasn’t picked a productive cornerback since Trae Waynes or Mackensie Alexander in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
If Minnesota isn’t scared by McCoy’s injury resume, he’ll probably be there at No. 18.
3. Kenyon Sadiq | TE, Oregon
Moneyline: +850
Sadiq, all of a sudden, became a Vikings’ draft darling this week, with folks like The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis and ESPN’s Jordan Reid mock-drafting him to Minnesota. VikingsTerritory also conducts informal fan polling every draft week, and fans echo the sentiment. Per fans’ estimation, Sadiq is now neck and neck with the first guy on this list.
If Sadiq is the highest-rated player on the board at No. 18, the pick makes perfect sense for a future-focused approach. At 21, he brings pass-catching ability, solid blocking, and the physical traits teams look for at the position.
This arrangement works out nicely, as T.J. Hockenson is under contract until the 2027 free agency window, giving Minnesota time to develop Sadiq without rushing things.
SI.com‘s Joe Nelson on Sadiq: “Sadiq is an athletic specimen and the consensus best tight end in the 2026 draft class. With T.J. Hockenson in the final year of his contract, the Vikings are going to need a tight end to assume the No. 1 job. Perhaps that’s why there is so much Sadiq steam connected to Minnesota on the Monday before the first round arrives later this week.”
“I still think there’s a really good chance the Vikings trade down in the first round. Sliding into the mid to late 20s would still get them a difference-maker, while likely adding another Day 2 pick. That would give the Vikings four picks in Rounds 2-3, which is extremely valuable since selections 40-70 (roughly) aren’t believed to be much of a drop-off from picks 20-30.”
2. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | S, Toledo
Moneyline: +550
Before ThienemanMania took over the Vikings’ draft circuit, McNeil-Warren lurked as a frontrunner. Two years ago, a different defensive back from Toledo, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, flew off the draftboard in Round 1, and the Philadelphia Eagles don’t regret the pick. That institution might just produce magnificent defensive backs.
With Harrison Smith nearing the end of his career, the safety position will soon become a significant need for Minnesota. McNeil-Warren brings size, range, and a knack for taking the ball away, making him an ideal candidate to step in immediately as a 1st-Round talent. A strategic trade down could allow Minnesota to secure McNeil-Warren while also accumulating valuable additional draft capital.
1. Dillon Thieneman | S, Oregon
Moneyline: +320
And then there was one.
Thieneman has earned the spot as Minnesota’s draftrunner — and then some. His remarkable NFL Combine performance changed everything. He notched a record 10’5″ broad and 41″ vertical jump in Indianapolis, in addition to showing off unexpected 4.35 speed.
The mock-draft community has largely assumed that Smith won’t return in 2026 — he may or he may not — and in their estimation, replacing Smith with Thieneman just seems too poetic. The only problem? There’s no inside intel from the Vikings to match the mock-draft machine’s enthusiasm.
Still, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert mock-drafted Thieneman to Minnesota this week and noted, “The Vikings haven’t given up on the return of longtime starter Harrison Smith, who is contemplating retirement. But Smith is off the roster for now and, in any case, Thieneman is too good and versatile of a prospect to pass over.”
“Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski has made clear that he won’t overthink draft decisions. This one is obvious to many.”
It’s also worth mentioning that Thieneman’s climb up the draft rankings has been so ferocious that he may not be available to the Vikings. Some mock drafts have him joining a team in the Top 15 picks.
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