My draft philosophy as a GM was always to take the best player available, regardless of position, in the first three rounds, with the exception that we would not draft a quarterback if we already had a franchise QB on the team (unless we had a QB in his mid-to-late 30s).
That was the case when the Vikings picked Tommy Kramer in the 1977 first round despite having Fran Tarkenton coming off his ninth Pro Bowl season, in which we were a Super Bowl team, but Tarkenton was 37 years old at that juncture.
In the fourth through seventh rounds, I planned to fortify positions of need unless there was a player with a superior grade at a position we didn’t consider a need.
How the Board Could Fall for Minnesota by Round
For this week’s exercise, let’s assume the Vikings go into each round of next week’s draft with two players graded equally, with one of them at a position of current need and the other not.
Here’s how I would have it play out in this scenario as a best-case result based on need:
Round 1: Safety
While I think center is the Vikings’ biggest need, it appears there won’t be a center rated high enough to take at No. 18 overall in the first round, so a second-round center is the more likely path for the Vikings.
Brian Flores needs an athletic, astute young safety to become an immediate starter. I believe the team wants Harrison Smith to return for at least one more year after he finished strongly last season.
A first-round safety should start alongside Smith (if he returns) and Josh Metellus and ahead of Metellus — who is limited in coverage — if the Vikings go with two starting safeties. Theo Jackson should not be a starter in this defense as his tackling and coverage skills are lacking.
Caleb Downs from Ohio State is the consensus top safety in the draft and is a likely top-12 pick. But Dillon Thieneman from Oregon should be close to Downs on many teams’ draft boards, and the 21-year-old Thieneman has been the player most connected to the Vikings in the majority of mock drafts I’ve seen (not that these almost always wrong mock drafts should ever be taken seriously).
In this case, I think Thieneman makes sense as one of the fastest-rising players over the past few months of the Combine, Pro Day, and team visits.
Thieneman is good in run support and excellent in coverage. He had 92 tackles and two interceptions for a final four Ducks team in 2025. In 2023 at Purdue, Thieneman had 106 tackles and six picks and followed it up with 104 tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss in 2024 for the Boilermakers.
He ran a blazing fast 4.35 40 at the Combine to solidify his middle of the first-round status.
Round 2: Center
There’s a decent chance the Vikings look to grab a defensive tackle in the second round, but center seems to be the bigger need after the retirement of Ryan Kelly. Kevin O’Connell says Blake Brandel will get the first shot to be the starting center, but he’s only played the position in a handful of games last season and seems better suited to be the swing guard and tackle who steps in for an injured starter. Michael Jurgens is a backup center at best.
A solid young center who can be a capable starter in his rookie season would make the Vikings’ offensive line one of the league’s better units (especially if top tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill can stay healthy).
Several intriguing and highly-rated centers in this draft could be available in the second round at No. 49. Iowa’s Logan Jones catches my attention as a very experienced player (50 college starts) who can excel in a zone and movement-based running scheme. Other possibilities as Day 2 (second or third round) picks include Connor Lew from Auburn, Sam Hecht of Kansas State, and Florida’s Jake Slaughter.
Round 3 (two picks, No. 82 overall and No. 97 overall): Defensive Line and Wide Receiver
The Vikings released starting DTs Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave this offseason. Jalen Redmond is a solid ascending player at one defensive line spot, and recent Day 3 draftees Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins have shown promise. The Vikings need another talented defensive lineman, either a starter or a rotational player, who can stop the run and push the pocket in the pass rush.
Top of the pre-draft charts are Peter Woods (Clemson), Kayden McDonald (Ohio State), Christen Miller (Georgia), Caleb Banks (Florida), and Lee Hunter (Texas Tech). Perhaps one of them will slip to No. 82, but it’s doubtful. This year’s draft is deep on the D-line, so there are plenty of other prospects for the Vikings to choose from, and if the grades are there, they should grab a young DT/DE with their first of two third-round picks.
Then, with the extra third-round pick, they should take a wide receiver who has a great college resume of solid production to potentially replace the departed Jalen Nailor as the third wide receiver.
Tai Felton was a third-rounder last season who played only 46 offensive snaps and had only three catches for 25 yards so the team needs to bring in a quality receiver to compete with and likely overtake Felton (and Myles Price could have a shot at this spot plus there have been some DeAndre Hopkins rumblings as a possible post-draft free agent signing considering his history of production with Kyler Murray).
The colleges are producing lots of speedy, athletic wide receivers, and there will be a bunch of good ones available at Pick No. 97. The Vikings should grab one if the grades are equal to other top players on their board at the time.
Round 5: Cornerback
It would not be a surprise if the Vikings pick a corner with one of their earlier picks, even possibly in the first round. They have Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and free agent signee James Pierre as their top three corners, and Flores often utilizes only two corners with a safety taking on the third corner role.
Dwight McGlothern had an impressive rookie season in 2024 and seemed to be trending toward more playing time in his second season, but it didn’t turn out that way, even after projected third corner Jeff Okudah was injured and played in only six games last season.
The Vikings need more young depth at corner, so I’ve got them grabbing one at Pick No. 163 in the fifth round.
Round 6: Running Back
The Vikings are running it back with Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and Zavier Scott as their three leading backs, and that’s not a bad thing, as they constitute a quality and proven group of backs with dual-purpose skill. The Vikings could use an explosive young back with quickness in the hole, burst, and breakaway speed.
That’s not easy to find later in the draft, but there should be some interesting potential running backs in the later rounds, and with Jones probably in his last season with the Vikings, this is the year to grab a young back they hope to develop into an impact player.
Round 7 (three picks): OT/OG, DT, CB
We know injuries have hit the Vikings’ offensive line hard in recent years, and the replacements for the starters—especially at the tackle spots—have usually been shaky. The Vikings should find a late-round gem among their Day 3 picks who can be groomed as capable backups on the O-line at tackle and guard.
They also should continue to build quality depth at defensive tackle/defensive end and at corner by hitting on these late-round picks.
