Kevin O'Connell's Minnesota Vikings season ended with a 9-8 record . After knocking off a watered-down Green Bay Packers team in Week 18, Matt LaFleur's group went on to collapse with a 21-3 lead in the Wild Card round against the Chicago Bears .
Only Ben Johnson's squad still remains in the playoffs among NFC North foes, and that means it's full on draft focus for everyone else. Minnesota is locked in to the 18th overall pick.
Last season they landed Donovan Jackson (guard) in the first round. 2024 saw them pick J.J. McCarthy (quarterback) and Dallas Turner (edge) in day one. The roster has plenty of holes, so there is a handful of directions they could go in April.
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Credit: Ethan Morrison / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Mock drafts will continue to be all over the board as the evaluation process plays out. Here are some names to watch for the Minnesota Vikings
With cap issues galore this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings will need to make some difficult decisions. Among them is a potential cut of tight end T.J. Hockenson . He hasn't been nearly as good as expected, is expensive, and has been injured.
That would leave just Josh Oliver and Gavin Bartholomew as future talents at tight end. Kevin O'Connell adding Kenyon Sadiq would give the Vikings another offensive wrinkle.
#Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq's value as a blocker, working the seams, and red zone value are all super valuable to the Oregon offense and are skill sets that should translate at the NFL level. Incredible athlete that consistently showcases the ability to catch the ball among chaos. pic.twitter.com/DGN6UzQrYX
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) December 16, 2025
Projected as TE1, he could go anywhere from a fringe top-10 pick, to somewhere in the early 20's. He's an athletic freak with speed and athleticism galore ( don't worry, he can block too ). He turned in 560 yards and eight touchdowns this season for the Ducks. Sadiq would be a matchup problem for linebackers, and draw eyes off of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in Minnesota's offense.
Last offseason the Minnesota Vikings had to take big swings at the cornerback position. They brought back Byron Murphy Jr. and he ranked as just the 71st cornerback per Pro Football Focus. Isaiah Rodgers shined in Week 1 , and finished 17th per Pro Football Focus .
Beyond that tandem though, the room is barren. Brian Flores had just three cornerbacks on the Week 1 roster, and Jeff Okudah was every bit the flop and injury concern he always has been.
I know it's a different level of competition on Saturday than Sunday, but give me a CB who is psychotic about fitting/containing the run
Everyone has a different definition of what makes a good CB
To me? Tackling & fitting the run is essential
Aveion Terrell, you're a "My Guy" pic.twitter.com/IthVamvZqw— Jordan Silveira (@JordanTSilveira) November 7, 2025
Avieon Terrell had 48 total tackles this season for Clemson. In 12 games he had 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He picked off three passes over the course of his college career, and his brother A.J. Terrell has shown well for the Atlanta Falcons .
There's also a possibility that LSU's Mansoor Delane could be available to the Minnesota Vikings. He would be another cornerback option in this range.
In free agency the MN Vikings addressed their interior defensive line by adding both Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen . The former was Minnesota's best interior lineman not named Jalen Redmond . The latter was not good and finished ranked 84th by Pro Football Focus.
Hargrave is a cut candidate though, as he carries a cap hit over $21 million and has just under $10.5 million in dead cap. There's only $4 million in cap savings to cut Allen, so he'll likely be back, and the Vikings need more from him.
Kayden McDonald declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. My DT3 with an 86.26 grade — well within Rd1 territory.
– 3 sacks, 9 TFLs, unanimous All-American
– Allowed just 1.58 yds per run stop (TruMedia)
Explosive linear power, infallible leverage profile, block stacking & gap control. pic.twitter.com/9rVQJOCXb9— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) January 9, 2026
Kayden McDonald would bring youth to the Vikings defensive front. The Ohio State product had three sacks and nine tackles for loss from the interior this season. His 65 total tackles were impressive and he is considered as one of the best interior defenders in this class.
What Harrison Smith decides to do next season could put a need for safety in play during the first round. Minnesota should always be seeking offensive line help, and they could take a swing on another quarterback if the veteran stopgap option isn't where they want to go.
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