Story by
The Vikings’ 2026 Draft Class Might Be Better Than It Looked
- Story by
- The Vikings’ 2026 Draft Class Might Be Better Than It Looked
Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
As soon as the 2025 season ended, we all shifted to the draft and impatiently awaited its arrival. Most of us thought the Vikings draft would be a cavalcade of players destined to fill roster holes with the best player available or one that all the experts said would be there for the taking.
Everyone felt that this draft would be different from the last four, with head coach Kevin O’Connell having most of the say, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski supporting and helping to make a plan. Most fans went in with a positive outlook on this go-round, trying to buffer against the terrible season that 2025 doled out.
Advertisement
Minnesota ’s Draft Plan Looks Clearer after the First Reaction
The 2026 Draft wasn’t seen as a strong year for top prospects. Reports indicated that several teams had only around 12 to 20 1st-round-caliber picks. That’s never a good way to start things.
Not getting to pick until number 18 cast a shadow over the Vikings’ fans’ hopes. As the draft approached, things were looking up, as all the pundits said the team would select a perfect replacement for a Hall of Fame player.
Other than the Raiders’ first pick of Fernando Mendoza being a lock, the only other one by all professional and amateur mock draft nerds was Dillon Thieneman, a safety, who would be the pick at 18. Harrison Smith could retire or, hopefully, stick around one more year as a mentor, and the team wouldn’t miss a beat other than a few growing pains. Safe, secure, stable pick to make most folks happy. All that changed in moments on April 23rd, 2026.
Advertisement
Another player all the aforementioned draftniks talked about was one to be avoided due to injuries that limited him to three games last season.
Sure, he seemed like an absolute beast based on tape from two seasons ago, before he got hurt, and he dominated at the Senior Bowl. Again, the injury bug bit at the NFL Combine, and he broke his foot. I myself wrote a “naughty list” of players to avoid, where I didn’t even mention him because it seemed so obvious that he was going to tumble down the boards.
Florida Gators defensive lineman Caleb Banks (88) comes up the fumble during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The Gators defeated the Tigers 27-16. © Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
The Vikings didn’t trade down at 18. They didn’t hesitate. They didn’t take the safety. When commissioner Goodell stepped to the mic, he called out, “Caleb Banks”, and everyone went, “What?!” Even my wife had a few colorful metaphors at the announcement, knowing of his injury history. This was the last guy I wanted them to take.
Advertisement
It was a gut punch. Not because I was wrong on my guess, which everyone else also had. Who cares? It’s all a guess. It was more than that; if it weren’t going to be Thieneman, it would be another safety, maybe a cornerback, a wide receiver, or even a different defensive tackle. I just didn’t want it to be him.
I stewed on it after the pick and 1st Round ended that night. Eventually, my thoughts turned to the next two days of the Draft, where I figured they would make up for it with some impact players at spots that needed shoring up.
The defensive line needed more impact before they took Banks, and there was no reason they still couldn’t take another lineman there, shore up the middle linebacker position, or add to the wide receiver core with the upcoming picks. However, pick after pick left me scratching my head, with players and positions in greater need of attention being passed up.
For the most part, I had no problem with the picks the coaching staff made because they weren’t bad players. Jake Golday and Domonique Orange were players I had seen on the prospects list, and I only thought that Orange would be available and be picked by the team.
Advertisement
I figured another linebacker-hungry team would take Golday before we even had a chance at him. Offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan was nowhere on my radar, with tackle being a position I felt the team had addressed in Free Agency and already has Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw on the roster. Jakobe Thomas was a safety I saw from time to time in my mocks, while Max Bredeson was a player I only knew because he was the sole fullback listed on NFL.com as a draft prospect.
CB Charles Demmings was a complete unknown, and running back Demond Claibourne and center Gavin Gerhardt were players I only saw in flashes while studying. I admit I wasn’t overly impressed by the end of the weekend. It didn’t help that coverage was negative about the Vikings’ picks, and neither the NFL Network nor ESPN even mentioned the Purple’s picks.
In their recap montage of the first round, which played almost at the top of every hour after the first round, the NFL Network skipped replaying pick 18. An ultimate slap in the face.
Was The Vikings Draft That Bad?
Advertisement
At first glance, I thought this draft was questionable at best. I loved the Orange pick! “Big Citrus” is such a big man, sturdy in the run game, and his teaming up with Minnesota’s veteran line was a recipe for a top rush defense.
The Golday pick was a little confusing at first, but he has played every linebacker spot invented, which shows his versatility. Once Johnathan Greenard was traded, it made even more sense for his pass-rushing ability. The Tiernan pick puzzled me the most because there was no mention of needing to replace the current tackles, regardless of their ages or injury histories.
They brought in Ryan Van Demark from Buffalo as a swing tackle, and Walter Rouse has been serviceable in spot duty, with the centers still on the board – a position that was supposed to be a target; it just didn’t make sense.
Taking Thomas at this point was expected, as the safety position needed to be addressed. He’s attached to the Greenard pick now and will need to have a strong career to show the trade wasn’t a bust. Bredeson was again a surprise until the NFL broadcast showed he is a hybrid back who could improve run and pass blocking, and he was picked about where most expected.
Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stephen F Austin defensive back Chuck Demmings (DB07) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
I was hoping for Emmett Johnson at this point, but the Chiefs took him a few spots later. Demmings was again a surprise, being from a smaller school. He’s also tied to the Greenard trade and possibly had the best team interview after they picked him. Claiborne may be a sneaky pick that pushes as a “steal of the draft” type player. Gerhardt fills the need at the backup center, but he’s in the realm of being a training camp cut or practice squad player.
Advertisement
The sad thing is that the two stations covering the draft seemed to be ignoring the Vikings altogether. Their picks were glossed over, if barely mentioned, other than when they were announced. I literally had to wait until KFAN personalities started talking about the picks on social media or on the radio.
They were similarly not very impressed. Banks had everyone polarized with the injury issues, but the thought is that if he’s healthy, he could be dominant. Brzezinski made a great point: the injuries helped him get down to them. Reports started trickling in that the Bears were going to take Banks at 25, and the Chiefs and Texans were trying to trade up with the Vikings to take him.
So, maybe teams were more interested than the expert mock drafters knew, and he got drafted right where he was supposed to be. If healthy, Banks, Orange, Levi Drake Rodriguez , Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins , and Jalen Redmond could be quite the mix up front. Similar to adding Golday to the mix with Andrew Van Ginkel and the suddenly elevated Dallas Turner .
Thomas is on the edge of being a starter if he shines in training camp. The rest are depth. Tiernan was considered the top tackle at the 2nd tier of prospects and could be the future at right tackle when O’Neill rides into the sunset.
Advertisement
It Was The Plan All Along
A concern as the draft went on was that it seemed overly defensive. Once we finally got better breakdowns of why these players were selected, things began to clear up. This was the front office’s plan all along: stick to your board and take the best player available.
Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski speaks with Vikings.com’s Gabe Henderson during a sit-down interview on Feb. 17, 2022, discussing organizational philosophy, front-office strategy, and the hiring of head coach Kevin O’Connell while outlining Minnesota’s leadership structure and long-term football operations vision in a detailed digital feature segment. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.
They said before the draft that they were going to take players who performed well in college and not worry so much about the analytics involved. Not only that, but these players fit the team’s schemes on both sides of the ball. They did exactly as they should have with this draft, considering it was top-heavy. There’s no guarantee that this draft course corrected everything the team messed up on in previous ones.
Advertisement
We won’t know its realistic success until two to three years down the road. After a week with better information, I feel much better about a draft I rated a C- and can move up to a B-. Maybe not immediate help at key positions, and they’re taking risks on a player with injury history, but solid to shore up where needed, and they didn’t reach for players in a panic.
Banks may be a homerun if he plays up to expectations, and the team will be lauded for taking the big swing instead of the safe pick. I would have given the 2022 draft an A, but it has become an F. Those who gave this draft a low grade in anger might have to adjust the curve in a few years, if we’re lucky.
