By Matthew Coller

Happy Friday, everyone! We have a draft in the books and a GM search ongoing. Lots to get to….

Matthew B… The draft pick that confuses me the most is the Tiernan in the 3rd round. Why take a backup Guard/Tackle prospect when starting-level Centers were available? I support getting more OL help, but I feel like backups could have been found later in the draft.

There is definitely a straight forward, “they stuck to their board” answer. We all love Best Player Available until it doesn’t fit a position group that we think we need, then they are crazy.

The short and long-term benefits are definitely there. For next year, if Brian O’Neill or Christian Darrisaw (or both) get hurt, they will have a developed swing tackle in Ryan Van Demark and developing young tackle in Tiernan to keep the train on the tracks while the starters are out. They also have very little in terms of guard depth right now. Considering offenses rarely ever play an entire season without someone getting banged up, I’ve come to feel like teams need seven offensive linemen who can legitimately start to get through a season.

In terms of the long term view, Brian O’Neill is a free agent after this year. Will Fries is owed $10 million if he’s on the roster on the third day of the league year in March and it’s not clear whether Darrisaw is going to be a 17-game guy going forward. The knee injury might end up never really going away. That happened with David Bakhtiari in Green Bay. He was able to play 11 or 12 games at a high level but he couldn’t get through full seasons late in his career. Hopefully that’s not the case. Gotta prepare for it though when the position is that hard to replace.

The player also has a lot to like. Top notch pass blocking by PFF the last two years with legit left tackle height and weight. If he had a little more length I’m sure he would have been taken much higher.

I’m good with the idea of taking a quality football player and figuring it out later.

Jake J… Where does Rob B rank in hierarchy within the organization with his current title (not the interim GM)? Would getting the GM be considered a major promotion?

The GM job is a major promotion, yeah. He’s obviously very high ranking already to be taking over the gig during this time but the GM job is running the entire building and having (presumably) final say on every roster decision. The GM also manages way more than just roster decisions. They choose the front office that they want and have their hands in pretty much every element of what goes on inside TCO Performance Center.

That’s why everybody who thinks that they could be a great general manager in the NFL would probably actually not be a great general manager. It’s truly managing dozens and dozens of people and juggling so many people’s interests and opinions while also taking all the scrutiny. If it was only as easy as building a team on Madden, a lot more people could do it.

Evan… Vikings: we aren’t releasing the GM candidates
Adam Schefter 15 mins later: Rob wants the job

In all seriousness, is it possible Rob gets the job and does take a completely different approach instead of “stay the course”? For example, we’ve pushed money down the road for years now and when Rob sat in the GM seat, he said we’re not going to keep doing that. Is it possible there *is* a paradigm shift because Rob has been here for 20 years and is aware that the same thing hasn’t been working and there is some FO overhaul with new guys and new, different ideas?

How many different approaches can there really be if the Wilfs won’t let the Vikings tank? I always felt like the bad decisions in 2023 after Kirk tore his Achilles came from ownership, not the GM. At that point, what GM wouldn’t want to sell and get the highest draft pick possible? I just want a GM who doesn’t have their hands tied by ownership

Is it possible? Yes.

A lot of the bad decisions that they made in both the Spielman and KAM era were when the team started to feel the “win now” pressure. The 2020-2021 decision(s) to extend Kirk and keep trying to hang onto every last ounce of the 2017 team that they could rather than just letting go and forging a new plan was an egregious misjudgment but you are probably correct in thinking that a lot of the moves that went sideways (hey Kaare Vedvick!) were driven by desperation to reach the unobtainable bar of winning every year. It’s probably not a coincidence that Rick handled things smartly when they were in building mode in 2014 and 2015.

At the same time, no excuses. They own the team and they set out the parameters. There are plenty of teams who do not tank that find ways to stay competitive while also building into the future. Just because it’s tougher than going all the way to the bottom doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The Seahawks were not tankers, they just happened to make a great decision at the right time to trade Russ Wilson that ultimately led them to the Super Bowl.

You can get an edge by making good money decisions, stockpiling draft capital, playing free agency and the trade market cleverly (see the DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams acquisitions).

This is where I think Rob could do a really good job. He made it clear from the handling of this offseason that he was not going to sacrifice the future for a big one-year play. That’s the type of approach they need. Make smart decisions over and over and over and you’ll give yourself a chance.

Matt D… Do you have a high level breakdown of the actual roster impact that a Greenard extension would’ve had? Whenever this kind of thing comes up, it feels like everybody just points to the overthecap number and declares that they either did or didn’t have enough money to keep the player around. I know it’s tough to nail down with all the void years and other levers you can pull, but assuming they handed out normal contracts to players, what did this trade actually buy them cap wise? The ability to extend both O’Neill and Addison? A mid range Kyler contract? Juaun Jennings and a bag of footballs?

I don’t know exactly what the extension would have looked like if the Vikings had done it. The Eagles’ extension for JG had a bunch of void years on it and lowered his cap hit a lot in the short term. As always, you can do anything you want in the NFL in the short term but it might have a big long-term sacrifice.

So they could have done it if they really, really wanted to. At the end of the day, they just thought it was better to let him get $50 million locked in with another team and give Dallas Turner a run at that position.

But not doing it opens up $34 million in cap space over two years. That could certainly go toward free agents right now or after June 1 when some more cap space opens up from the Jonathan Allen offset with Cincinnati signing him. It could play into future free agents that they sign in 2027 or give them more flexibility to sign Kyler Murray to a mid-level, Daniel Jones-type deal.

Not only is it $34 million in space for the next two years, it’s also not having whatever deal cap space down the road that it would have taken to make the deal work and lower the cap hit in the short term.

It’s a tough trade to make because Greenard is awesome but the benefits are pretty easy to see.

Jared M…Getting defensive draft picks to fit Flores’ system makes sense. But Flores was in high demand for head coaching jobs at the end of this season. With the likelihood of Flores leaving after this season or the next seemingly pretty high, isn’t it dangerous to draft for Flores’ system long term? How would the Vikings deal with that? Are the players versatile enough to fit any scheme? Would the Vikings hire someone in Flores’ mold who could craft a defense so that these new players still fit the scheme for which they were drafted?

Is the likelihood of Flores leaving after this year or next year high? It’s pretty clear that the NFL is not making him a head coach again. It’s possible that if the Vikings reach the Super Bowl that somebody could say “screw it” and hire him anyway but it doesn’t seem like that’s around the corner. If it hasn’t happened after three fantastic years of squeezing the absolute maximum out of these defenses, why will it happen next year?

I can’t think of a better place for Flores to work. He’s at the top of the pay scale in the entire league, he has control of the defense to do it his way and he’s working for an ownership that will invest whatever it takes financially.

The reason that teams make win-now decisions in the draft is because they don’t think they’re going to have multiple years to work with, so they pick players that they think can save their bacon right away. It doesn’t always work. So it’s a better philosophy to assume there’s going to be a multi-year process to develop Caleb Banks and Jake Golday into long-term players than to just take whatever guy you think could start Day 1.

With your scenario though, I don’t think it takes a mega genius to see a path for any of these guys. Caleb Banks is 6-foot-6, 330 pounds and runs a 5.0 40-yard dash. That’ll play in any defense if he’s good.

It’s an interesting thought though. Ideally you’d want to be scheme agnostic and pick the most talent and have the coaches make it work. At the same time, scheme fit has been absolutely everything in this Flores defense. It’s a place where Eric Wilson goes from special teamer to downright star. That doesn’t happen too often.

Brent O… Has there been any conversation about why they didn’t try (or maybe the did) to trade back in the first? I don’t hate the Banks pick, but with how everyone is talking about it, seems like there were options to get him later in the first round, and there were plenty of teams looking to move up. An extra pick seems like it would have been helpful for getting a WR or C earlier. Or did they feel like other teams were actually contemplating him in that range?

I haven’t really talked about the trade-back possibilities because I have no way of knowing what their opportunities really were. I don’t have the phones tapped and I haven’t heard anyone say that they had teams ringing the phones with deals.

If they had a chance to move back and get a good offer, they might have either still been able to get Banks or grab some quality talent later. That’s where it’s tough. The guys who were taken in the mid-to-late 20s are not considered to have Banks’ upside.

It’s definitely interesting to think about if they moved back two spots with Pittsburgh and got an extra fourth-round pick and allowed them to take Makai Lemon and then the Vikings nabbed someone like Skyler Bell (on the board when the Steelers picked in the fourth) how that would have played out.

I’m perfectly OK with a straight forward draft where they don’t try to play crazy trade games and just pick a bunch of dudes that they all agree on as an organization. Maybe there were more hack-the-draft opportunities left on the table though. It’s really hard to say. That’s why evaluating the draft is so tough.

Now that we’re done with this process and have the results, if we were doing an alternate universe draft, here’s who I would have taken that was on the board when they picked if I can’t take any guys the Vikings selected…

Makai Lemon, D’Angelo Ponds (no trade back), Jaishawn Barham, Darrell Jackson, Jonah Coleman, Jalon Kilgore, Cyrus Allen, Skyler Gill-Howard, Cole Wisniewski.

(For the record, I’m all in on the Jake Golday, Chuck Demmings, Max Bredeson and Demond Claiborne picks).

Dermo Man… Did you see Eric Edholm on nfl.com has released his post draft power rankings. Has the Vikings at 28, behind Titans, Giants and Browns. I think you’ve had him on before , would be good to get his full breakdown, sometimes differing views bring good perspectives.

Yep, I’ve been friends with Eric for a long time. He was awesome to me well before I was established with the beat and I’ve read his work forever. Great guy.

In terms of the draft rankings and grades, I’ve got some analysts scheduled to come on the show and I can get Eric to drop by too…

My theory about the draft grades is that the first-round pick weighs extremely heavily when it comes to these evaluations, so if the outside world thinks they reached big time on a player like Banks, then they aren’t likely to get a ton of credit for the Chuck Demmings pick.

Not only are the grades about the Banks “reach,” but also that the Vikings’ draft simply turned out differently than most of the analysts projected it. I think that always ends up turning into bad grades. They expected a safety higher, a center, a wide receiver and that didn’t happen.

Every analyst should give their opinion on each team’s draft. They spend all this time working on it, so they’ve earned the right to put their takeaways on paper. But we need to keep in mind that there is no evidence that draft grades or order have anything to do with future outcomes.

JeffInSeattle… I look at the Banks pick as the Vikings getting drunk & doing something stupid. It’s likely to be a bust and if it works out, it’s purely accidental. As far as the rest, I’m sure a few will develop into major contenders, but it’s ST help & depth for this year. If this is how it works out, it’s a successful draft.

I wouldn’t call drafting a 6-foot-6, 330-pound dude with one of the most impressive athletic profiles we’ve ever seen at the position “accidental.” I’d just say that the risk quotient is higher with him than a lot of other guys they could have selected.

With the rest of the draft, it’s definitely not hard to see how these guys could work out. Golday’s worst-case scenario is him turning into a normal linebacker. Orange should be able to step into his role quickly and handle 350-500 snaps. Bredeson is another one where it’s very likely to click and have an impact, even if there isn’t superstar potential.

You’re always aiming for 2015 where there’s just stars everywhere but it doesn’t often go that way. Past the first two rounds, it’s generally average starters and role players.

Colin O… Most of the draft analysts have talked/ written only about the shortened 2025 season for Banks, but it seems concerning he didn’t get more run earlier in his career? Do we have any evidence that “breakout age” applies to other positions, not just WR?

The study that was done on how long it takes each position to succeed is now pretty old, so I’m not sure if the numbers are still the same but defensive tackle was generally a position that took two or three years for guys to start reaching their peak. With Banks, you could see it going either way. He has the physical traits to succeed faster than most players because most DTs weigh 295 pounds not 330. But his lack of playing experience and major setback in 2025 might also mean that it’s going to take longer than that for him to master a lot of the technical stuff that he got behind on.

People don’t always realize how much technique and football IQ is involved at DT. Identifying offenses’ tendencies is a key to getting off the ball quickly. So it’s going to take a lot of teaching and learning. With a guy like this, I imagine the investment in his success will be very high.

Garrett K… I don’t want to sound flippant or disrespectful, more looking for what he does, but what makes Robbie Breeze good at his job as salary cap expert? Intimate knowledge of the complicated rules? Creativity in contracts? Interpersonal skills with agents and players?

I know that we all have OverTheCap.com now so we think that we could all manage the salary cap just as well as Rob but I promise you that’s not the case.

You touched on a lot of things there that would make him exceptional. This is the guy who negotiates the deals so there’s a ton of fine details that have to be worked out in every one of them. He has to be incredibly detailed in his work and also be able to work through snags in order to get contracts done with a lot of time pressure on him.

Rzuppelli…This is more of a question for Mr Sirles, given his agent background, but I’ll ask here anyways.

How do agents/players view it when a team is willing to trade a guy who wants a raise to somewhere that will pay them vs the team taking a hard line? Do they care?

Do you mean: Do the Vikings earn goodwill by making moves like this that ultimately make the player happy?

I’m sure that agents most appreciate when the team works through things in a fair way. With Jonathan Greenard, he was out of guaranteed money. It’s not just that he wanted a raise, it’s that most players do not want to play a single snap with zero guarantees left on their deal. Teams set up these contracts to be renegotiated with two years left. While they could have played hardball and let him sit out the entire training camp or whatever, it was just better to call it a day now. That worked for everyone.

Brad… How long do you think it will take Kyler to look comfortable running the show? It took Darnold a few weeks before the playbook seemed like it was really opened up, but as you say Kyler has been working with similar concepts in Arizona.

Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to take Kyler very long. He’s been a starting quarterback this entire time and he’s been forced to learn a new offense recently, so I’m sure that he’s going to be ready to roll pretty early in camp.

As we’ve learned from the past, training camp can be a tough thing to judge. I’m sure we’ll be out there counting completions and incompletions all summer long but this is a guy whose M.O. is being a baller. That might make it a little harder to know how far along he is. Usually when QBs take off in camp, it’s kind of a bad sign. Not with this fellow.

Gary A… We have a few days left to kibitz about the draft. All oft he why did we pick X, why didn’t we pick Y, and why didn’t we pick a safety/center/wide receiver? But soon enough, it’s all about the players we have and getting them to gel into a team. A big issue last season was the surprising number of dropped balls by our WRs. The constant changing of QBs was an issue. So was the velocity JJ could put on a short pass. But there were too many just plain drops. How do the coaches go after this? When teams fumble, the coaches add a lot of practice with the defense trying to knock the ball out. Do they do the same with catching the ball? Maybe the Vikings need to change the brand of glue our receivers use?

Coaches are not trying to teach Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison how to catch the ball.

Actually when you look at the percentages, Jefferson’s drops weren’t any higher or lower than previous years. It was more about perception because it was such a struggle to get him the ball that when he dropped it, it was incredibly deflating. Addison’s drop rate was much higher and he had some shocking ones.

Even if we look at the year-to-year data with the best receivers, there isn’t much rhyme or reason to drops. I think we can pretty safely say that the combination of velocity and poor timing made things a lot harder on the receivers and then it started to get into their heads a bit. Receivers like to get into a rhythm and when it felt like they weren’t getting accurate passes very often, it probably impacted them.

Here’s what you’re going to learn about Kyler Murray: He’s incredibly accurate and throws an extremely catchable ball. DeAndre Hopkins dropped 4 passes the entire time he was an Arizona Cardinal.

KellyJ…. I think the timing for a WR like Jennings may play a role. The Vikings get another $11.2M in cap space on June 2nd due to post June 1 designation for J Allen. They get up to another $12M plus in 2027 cap space due to offset language from Hargrave and Allen combined. Given this, I think my preference is a bigger swing for Jennings which is also a hedge for Addison, just in case he has another brain fart. Thoughts?

If they gave a pretty big contract to Jennings — a listener suggested 3 years, $45 million — I’d be perfectly fine with that. He’s a proven player in an offense with some similarities and he’s tough with size and can play WR2 if they need him to do that. He could be very valuable for them and there’s nobody else in free agency that even comes close. I’d say it would be a good investment, regardless of the Addison situation.

Eldon… Do you think we see a major shake up in the scouting department after the new GM is hired?

If I had to guess, I’d say no. It seems like the Wilfs really like this group inside the front office and believe in them. So I expect them to hire Rob Brzezinski or someone else and stick with most of the department.

But I’m of the opinion that they should either roll with this direction or completely overhaul the thing and let the new GM pick all of their own folks. Either stay the course or completely shift gears. No half measure.

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By Matthew Coller

I’m not exactly breaking news by pointing out that the Minnesota Vikings have had a troubling relationship with the run game in recent years.

In 2022, the Vikings ranked 27th in Expected Points Added on the ground. Josh Dobbs’ scrambling pushed them to 20th in 2023 but they slipped to 28th in 2024. Maybe a few more successful handoffs in Week 18 against the Lions… never mind.

Last year they improved in EPA, cracking the top half of the NFL, but only ranked 23rd in rushing yards per game.

On the defensive side, the Vikings’ numbers have been very strong, ranking 4th, 4th and 8th in yards per rush attempt allowed.

Yet in 2025, teams leaned on the run against them and the yardage total allowed ended up being 21st. They had 11 games with over 120 yards given up on the ground.

Around the NFL, there has been an increase in teams using the ground game to counteract defenses being aggressive with blitzes/stunts and playing two deep safeties.

The Vikings’ approach to the NFL Draft made it quite clear that they are paying attention to the way that opponents are attacking them on defense and the potential benefits of more success on the ground on offense.

Clearly they are hoping that first-round pick Caleb Banks grows into a monster run defender but that might not be the case right away in the NFL as he will need development in that area. The other defensive tackle that they selected, however, should be able to make a difference from the jump due to his sheer size and strength.

Iowa State defensive tackle Domonique Orange is 6-foot-2, 322 pounds (on a good day) and has enormous hands.

“I met Coach O’Connell and he’s telling me he definitely thinks I can come in and play right away,” Orange said on draft night. “He thinks I can be a dominant force. Shoot, I agree with him. Talking to Coach Flores, talking to basically everyone on staff, they definitely think I can come in and be an impact right away.”

Orange has the potential to shift the way the Vikings have been defending the run since Flores arrived.

In 2023 and 2024, they largely relied on Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard, two defensive tackles with strength but neither had the fire-hydrant body type that we have seen from true nose tackles of the past. Orange is more reminiscent of Green Bay legend Gibert Brown, Pittsburgh star NT Casey Hampton or Patriots centerpiece Vince Wilfork.

The strength-size combo gives the Vikings’ linebackers a chance to play differently than they have in the past. With undersized guys like Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson and Ivan Pace Jr., the more blockers who are slowed down or pushed back at the line of scrimmage, the more opportunity they have to shoot gaps and slice into the backfield to make plays.

An example in the current NFL of a true gigantic nose tackle impacting the entire defense is Baltimore’s Travis Jones, who comes in at 338 pounds and ranked as the third best run defender in the league by PFF. In 2024, Baltimore was the No. 1 run defense in the league and last year they were still strong despite a number of injuries at 11th in YPA allowed.

The big ole nose gives the Vikings an opportunity to play a front that we used to see in years past and has recently made a comeback. It will be possible to play Banks and Jalen Redmond on the 3-4 defensive end spots rather than asking them to get hammered with double teams. The Vikings used five-man fronts toward the back half of last season to mitigate the issues with stuffing the run and it was largely a success. Now they can carry that over when they choose or have Orange and Levi Drake Rodriguez played together in a four-man front in certain situations.

Whatever way Flores chooses to approach it, nothing screams “we want to stop the run” like drafting Orange.

On the offensive side, the Vikings didn’t spent a huge amount of capital on rushing but the players they picked have a very clear goal.

We will start with Demond Claiborne. The Wake Forest running back was a walking highlight reel in college with his explosiveness and ability to wind between tacklers and find gaps to wiggle through. Of his total yardage, 43% of it came on runs that went for 15 or more yards. At the NFL Combine he ran a 4.37 40-yard dash.

The Vikings backfield has two solid players in Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. There is no smarter back in the league than Jones and Mason can blast forward with the best of ‘em. However, the Vikings were 26th in runs that gained more than 20 yards in 2025. In 2024, they only had four 20+ runs, 29th in the league. They lacked jolt. Claiborne gives them jolt.

“I think being able to put my speed [with] my ability to make people miss in space is definitely something that I can do at a high level,” Claiborne said. “Being able to bring that versatility, that explosiveness, the ability to take every ball to the house anytime I touch it.”

How much will Claiborne play? Well, that is going to be up to him. We have seen previous speedsters Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu struggle to get onto the field with O’Connell calling the plays but the emphasis on explosive plays from the run game might be increased to the point where they have to force the issue.

And then there’s the fullback.

When the Vikings picked the top fullback in the draft in the fifth round, it didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out a clear connection between the CJ Ham’s retirement, the addition of ex-Miami offensive coordinator Frank Smith and Michigan’s Max Bredeson.

The hard-nosed blocker lined up in the backfield last season 52 times and 188 as a tight end but he often moved over from a tight end position behind the offensive line (some would call it the “sniffer” spot) and sometimes he ended up in the slot as a receiver.

“I think the fullback position is all about versatility,” Bredeson said. “Like guys who play fullback can play a lot of different positions, like play all four on special teams. Like you can line up all over the field. So I think the more versatility that a guy brings with the fullback position, like the more ability is just to help his team win.”

How can they use his versatility?

Let’s let Miami’s tape be our guide.

I watched five games of the Miami Dolphins offense from 2025 when fullback Alec Ingold was on the field.

You can quickly identify the ways in which the fullback played a key role and how Bredeson should be able to become a significant part of the Vikings’ run improvement right away.

Our first play comes against the New England Patriots.

Ingold lines up in the backfield with De’Von Achane in an awkward formation at first where the RB and FB are close to each other on the same side in the shotgun. Then at the last minute, the running back scoots to the other side of the quarterback and takes the handoff. Ingold runs by the DE and up to the second level as the pulling tight end hits the end. The result: Achane finds a hole behind the FB and gets a 9-yard gain.

The fact that Bredeson lined up as a tight end so often is going to likely work to his benefit because Ingold did the same in the Miami offense.

Sometimes he was the lead back and other times he was a decoy. On this play, he is next to receiver Tyreek Hill as the only TE in the set and blocks back across the formation as the run play goes toward his side. He doesn’t end up needing to do much on the play but it forces the Patriots to think about the run going in either direction.

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — Two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings traded up to acquire edge rusher Dallas Turner. Because of the amount of draft capital that was used to get the former Alabama star, there was a fair bit of scrutiny surrounding Turner’s rookie season and the first half of his sophomore year. During that time, defensive coordinator Brian Flores repeatedly asked for patience.

At one point he told a story about a conversation that he had while he was in Pittsburgh working under Mike Tomlin. The Vikings’ DC had discussed patience in the development process with future Hall of Famer Cam Heyward. The seven-time Pro Bowler’s spent his first two seasons in a rotational role. He only racked up 2.5 sacks and 31 tackles. In Year 3, the light came on. Heyward started 16 games, got 5.0 sacks and hasn’t looked back since then.

Similarly, we started to see things click for Turner last year about halfway through the season and he ended up leading the team in sacks.

Vikings fans and media might have to keep those two tales in mind as they evaluate the team’s decision to draft Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks.

Not that Banks is lacking the capability to make an impact right away. He is incredible quick and he steps into the league in the 98th percentile among defensive tackles in height, 98th percentile in wingspan, 94th percentile in hand since and 92nd percentile in broad jump (which is a good proxy for explosiveness). It would be almost impossible to keep a man that big and quick off the field.

In terms of becoming a finished product that looks like Cam Heyward or any of the other stars that he’s been compared to i.e. Calais Campbell, Akiem Hicks, Dexter Lawrence etc., well, that might take some patience in order to get there.

Just like with Turner, that’s not something that deters Flores.

On Friday, I asked Flores about his Heyward story and whether it applies to Banks.

“When you look at [Cam Heyward], you see that there’s value in that type of development,” Flores said. “He plays with a confidence and a physicality…it’s hard to say that not playing as much [early in his career] hurt him…And I’m not saying that’s going to be the case for Caleb or any any player. Everybody’s development is a little bit different.”

Banks has the signs of a player that might need a little more time. He did not reach 1,000 college football snaps due to playing in a rotational role at Flordia and then missing most of the 2025 season. To put that in context, the Vikings’ seventh round pick Gavin Gerhardt played over 3,300 snaps in college.

Not to mention that a foot injury will set Banks’ offseason back. He isn’t expected to be on the field until training camp.

Just because Flores knows it might take time doesn’t mean he’s going to sit around and wait. He talked about his approach for developing Banks in Year 1.

“I think it all starts with just trying to improve daily,” Flores said. “If through the course of that improvement, that [could] mean he plays a little bit more in this situation or plays a little bit more in this situation and he doesn’t play in this situation.”

One of the benefits of the defensive tackle positon is that players can be mixed and matched. If Flores decides that it’s better to have Banks play mostly in pass-rushing situations from the jump, he can put him on the field on second-and-13 or third-and-8.

Not only down-and-distance but also position. If Flores thinks that Banks is going to be better suited right away to line up over the B gap, he can do that. If he feels that he’s most comfortable in the 5-technique spot over the tackle, he can do that. The Vikings have enough defensive tackles with Jalen Redmond, third-rounder Domonique Orange, third-year DT Levi Drake Rodriguez and developing players Ty Ingram-Dawkins and Elijah Williams to mix and match as they see fit.

“I think one of the things you can’t do with a young player is, you don’t want to force the issue,” Flores said. “Obviously that’s npt good for confidence and development from that standpoint either. We’ll have a great plan for Caleb.”

Flores has already laid out his approach to growth with Banks, telling him not to focus on the bigger picture and what his “ceiling” is supposed to be, rather aiming to improve incramentally.

“Let’s take this one day to time, let’s string good days together, and let’s see what it looks like at the end,” Flores said. “I know there’s a lot of, ‘when do you see him playing? When’s he gonna be back?’ My answer is really going to be the same…let’s just bring good days together. Let’s get familiar with the system. Let’s get familiar with your teammates.”

Flores thinks Banks will respond well to his plans to work him in methodically.

“I think he embodies a lot of the things that we’re looking for in a Viking,” Flores said. “He’s smart, football’s important to him. He wants to be a great teammate. So we felt very comfortable…just my conversations with him already have been, let’s not worry about when we’re gonna be back or starting or anything all the way down the road.”

One interesting wrinkle to Banks’ role and development is the way that Flores has used defensive tackles in the recent past. In 2024, Harrison Phillips explained to Purple Insider that DTs are often asked to move blockers to create lanes rather than just rushing the passer themselves. That’s not uncommon in the NFL but Flores may take it to more of an extreme than others as his defense often leads the league in blitzing. On social media, Javon Hargrave shared some tweets suggesting that DTs don’t get production in a Flores defense.

What might that mean for the first-round pick in terms of his production?

“What you’re looking for is someone who’s open to... a different way, a unique way of doing things,” Flores said. “And most young players are…these are all new experiences for them, so it’s new, and my experience has been that they’re just trying to be sponges.

He continued…

“Our system is a little unique and then it can be uncomfortable and I would say this: it’s not it’s not for everybody either. And that’s okay. But with guys like Caleb and the young guys that we bring in were, we’re excited about trying to help them understand how we want to [do things]…. it might be a little bit uncomfortable, but here’s the here’s the reason behind it.”

With Banks and fellow DT Orange, Flores will have an opportunity to mold their skillsets to the way he wants to play rather than trying to work with 30+ players who have been in different systems before.

However it works out, the 2026 season might not hold all the answers to whether the Vikings made the right pick with Banks. It might not show everything he has in terms of “upside” or “ceiling” but the reason the Vikings selected him is that they believe he can eventually get there.

“I think, in a lot of ways, all of these players are like clay and we got to we have to build the right habits,” Flores said.

By Matthew Coller

No. 159: Michigan, FB, Max Bredeson

The Minnesota Vikings landed the top fullback in the draft in the fifth round, grabbing a player who mixed between blocking TE and blocking from the backfield while he was in college with the Wolverines.

It’s fair to wonder if the fifth round was a little early for a pure blocker but his blocking numbers and scouting reports suggest that he has a chance to be a difference maker in that role. Last year Bredeson posted an 85.2 PFF run blocking grade and 78.1 pass blocking grade. He allowed zero QB pressures last year and zero sacks as a blocker for his entire career.

Picking Bredeson may be a sign of what’s to come with the Vikings run game after hiring former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith. The Dolphins were top notch in the run game with FB Alec Ingold on the field. Bredeson should jump into the fray quickly in that spot.

But filling all of the duties left by retired fullback CJ Ham won’t be easy. Ham played every phase of special teams and became one of the league’s best pass blockers on third down. It will take some development for Bredeson to get there.

Here’s what the analysts had to say about him:

— “His passionate energy and blocking toughness are NFL worthy, if he lands in the right offense. Special teams will be key for him to make a roster.” — Dane Brugler, The Athletic

— “He fits blocks with good centering and strikes with initial pop. He has a hard time sustaining and clearing lanes on a consistent basis, though. He can handle basic zone-beater and play-action catches. He’s also above average in pass protection from the backfield.” — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

On his call with reporters, Bredeson described his experience working in different roles and alignments in the Wolverines’ offense.

“Being able to like know as much of the system as possible, I can be a plug-and-play guy,” Bredeson said. “Last year I was always in the tight end room but then on some days I’d go into the running back room because I had pass protection responsibilities.”

He continued… “I wouldn’t be in the receiver room, but I know if all of a sudden we go fast, I’m playing a receiver position. So I think a lot of it was just like when you play, when I was in the tight end room, you kind of have to know two positions at that point, try and find the third and just put the puzzle together from there.”

Bredeson is known as a driven player who worked himself from being a zero-star recruit and having to walk on at Michigan to getting drafted in the NFL.

No. 163: Stephen F. Austin, CB, Charles Demmings

Many prognosticators expected the Vikings to select a cornerback earlier in the draft but they landed an intriguing one in the middle of the fifth round in Chuck Demmings.

He is one of the freakiest athletes at the position, ranking 5th by NFL.com’s athleticism score of all the CBs who participated in the Combine. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash and had a 41-inch vertical — both of which he thought could have been better had he not been dealing with some knee discomfort in Indy.

Demmings was highly productive at Stephen F. Austin with nine interceptions and 35 pass breakups over his career. Over the last two seasons he had PFF grades of 80.4 and 81.6 in coverage and he only had one missed tackle.

The newest Viking corner, especially in the NIL era, could have decided to leave for a bigger program before last year but elected to stick with his university. It’s plausible that he might have been a much higher draft pick if he thrived at any of the interested schools, which reportedly included Mississippi State, Rutgers and West Virginia.

Here’s what the analysts had to say about Demmings:

— “Demmings has some learning-on-the-job lessons waiting for him in the NFL, but he has the cover athleticism and mental toughness to weather that storm and be better for it. He can offer immediate depth on defense and special teams.” — Dane Brugler, The Athletic

— “Demmings is capable of mixing into a variety of coverages but is at his best starting from a press look. He has the hips/feet to match route breaks and the speed to stay with routes as they unfold. His recognition and instincts are average from off coverages and he can be a step slow to drive on throws in front of him. While Demmings lacks ideal play strength and is not a firm tackler, his ball skills and man-cover consistency could land him a roster spot as a future CB4 with gunner potential.” — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Demmings will have a steeper development curve than some other prospects because of the quality of competition that he faced but his athleticism and attitude could help him get on the field quickly as a special teamer and give the Vikings some much needed depth behind Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers and James Pierre.

The newest Viking played outside corner, as most top college CBs do, but he talked with the TC media about how he was adaptable to whatever the scheme called for during a given game.

“I had three different [defensive coordinators] and the first DC I had…he liked to disguise and then post-snap, give it a whole different look and jump on the offense where the QB had to read,” Demmings explained. “My second year, we played a lot of quarters [coverage], that’s what he lived upon and that was good for my game because now it’s another tool in my toolbox.”

He continued…

“And for the past two years, had the same D.C. and we did a lot of cover three-man match and a lot of press…I went through a couple different schemes but it gave me a lot of tools in my toolbox.”

Read more

By Matthew Coller

If you just tilt your head to the left a little, you can kinda see it.

Maybe just zoom in with the microscope.

Actually, try using this calculator. Run it with the abacus as well, just to double check.

Now, have you ever done a trust fall? Because you’ll need to do that too in order to understand Day 2 of the Minnesota Vikings’ draft.

Going into the day, there were expectations that the Vikings would land some skill players, a center, possibly a starting caliber safety and maybe a cornerback if things fell correctly.

Instead they ended up with another defensive tackle, a linebacker, an offensive tackle and a safety that nobody in the mock draft universe had going in the third round.

To go along with that eyebrow-raising approach, the Vikings traded one of their best players for two third-round picks.

Uh… what?

Well, let’s see if we can pick it apart.

Friday evening began with the clubs picking in the early part of the second round scooping up the first-round talents who fell through the cracks. Players who would have made sense for the Vikings like speedy wide receivers De’Zhaun Stribling and Denzel Boston or physical cornerback Colton Hood or dynamic DB Treydan Stukes or pass rushers R Mason Thomas, Cashius Howell, Derrick Moore and Zion Young all went off the board immediately.

When they arrived at the 49th pick, there were enough talented players on the board that they could drop back two spots and still get their guy. So they traded back with the Carolina Panthers to No. 51. One of the best corners in the draft (though undersized), Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds went to the New York Jets at No. 50, leaving the Vikings with Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday.

Linebacker?

Not exactly. Last year Golday lined up everywhere on Cincinnati’s defense. Per PFF, he was in the box as a linebacker for 314 snaps, the slot on 248 snaps and on the D-line for 117 snaps.

If that sounds like Andrew Van Ginkel, you’re exactly right. It’s almost spooky how similar the two players are in size and athleticism too. Van Ginkel is 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and had a 38-inch vertical and 6.89 3-Cone drill at the NFL Combine, showing off his footwork and quickness. Golday is 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and had a 39-inch vertical and 7.02 3-Cone drill.

Golday was an elite run defender in college football with a 90.6 PFF run defense grade and he had a quality 77.5 PFF coverage grade. He was targeted 35 times and only allowed 217 yards into his coverage. As a pass rusher, the Bearcat added 18 QB pressures and produced 3.5 sacks.

He’s a very experienced player as well with over 2,000 snaps of college football.

While Van Ginkel has been a phenomenal player in Minnesota, his future is up in the air. He’s a free agent after 2026 and he missed time with injuries last year. Golday gives the Vikings depth at a position that’s pretty much unique to Brian Flores’ defense and a player to build around for the future that isn’t locked into one role.

He can play a traditional LB spot or edge rusher and learn the ropes from AVG. Had he just been an inside linebacker with no dynamic element, it wouldn’t have made as much sense. But he’s much more than that.

Shortly after the Vikings picked Golday, they announced that Jonathan Greenard was being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Huh?

Greenard has been a tremendous addition to the Vikings. He had 12.0 sacks in 2024, playing a major role in the team’s 14-win season, and then despite struggles to convert sacks in 2025 he still ranked in the top 20 in pass-rush win rate by PFF, producing 47 QB pressures, one more than TJ Watt.

He also became a heart-and-soul player for the Vikings. His motor was undeniable. His voice mattered. He brought intensity and IQ to the defense and an energy and relentlessness that was infectious.

So when the Vikings traded him for two third-round picks, it might have seemed a bit bizarre.

Wasn’t Dexter Lawrence just moved for a top-10 pick? Didn’t a team agree to trading two first-round picks for Maxx Crosby not that long ago?

The Vikings were put into a very difficult spot with their spending in recent years. Even with some very calm handling of the offseason, they were still only hovering above cap compliancy. Trading Greenard created around $12 million this year and $22 million next year.

It could allow them to make a summer addition to the roster or make a trade before the season begins.

The fact that Greenard wanted a new contract made things even more challenging. The Eagles immediately signed him to a four-year, $100 million deal with $50 million guaranteed. The Vikings were not in a good position to increase his salary and hand out that much guaranteed money. Could they have made him play out the rest of his contract over the next two years? Yes, but they would have had to live with big cap hits and figure out how to deal with his unhappiness.

They couldn’t get more in the deal in part because the trade had to come along with an extension. That brings the price tag down. So does an injury last year. So does the lack of sack production.

It is never good for a player of Greenard’s talent to leave the premises but there is a depth chart-related reason to do it.

At the end of last season, Dallas Turner thrived while filling in for Greenard’s pass-rushing position. He looked worlds more comfortable than when he was asked to cover for Andrew Van Ginkel’s versatile role. Turner showed all the signs of the star talent that they spent so much to draft in 2024.

Finding out about Turner matters because of how much draft capital they used to move up and get him but it was also going to be extremely difficult to get him into a favorable spot in the lineup with Greenard there. If both of them needed the third-down pass rush reps to be the best version of themselves, how would they both get them? Yes, rotations are good, but someone needed to be The Dude. As long as Greenard was there, it was going to be him. Now Turner can have a chance to be that guy.

So the Vikings got the No. 98 pick and a 2027 third-rounder, which could prove valuable down the road.

With the No. 82 pick, there was a thought that they could look for a wide receiver to replace Jalen Nailor. Two speedy deep-threat types, Chris Brazzell and Ted Hurst, were both available.

Instead they went with…. another defensive tackle? Really? Didn’t they just pick one Day 1 in Caleb Banks?

This one, Domonique Orange from Iowa State, is a completely different player than Banks. He is 6-foot-2, 322 pounds and he stuffs the darn middle.

Orange is the type of player that the Vikings have not had during Flores’ time in Minnesota, yet he is typical of Flores’ roots in New England. The Patriots had Vince Wilfork as a centerpiece for a long time. Also Pittsburgh, Flores’ other influence, had the center manned by Casey Hampton in their heyday.

The run stopping operation was focused on holding up guards and moving them with Harrison Phillips in 2023, 2024 or last year by winning 1-on-1s with Jalen Redmond, Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.

Opponents try hard to keep the Vikings out of blitz mode by running on early downs and there were games last season where it worked effectively against them. They faced the fewest pass attempts in the NFL in 2026 overall. Orange is a response to that.

He also makes sense within the context of the NFC North, where all three teams have coaches that like to build everything off their run game. So while there were other possible options, the Vikings put their resources toward the trenches.

As the board approached the Vikings in the third, a run on wide receivers started. At one point, five of 11 picks were wide receivers.

By the time they got to No. 97, 10 receivers had come off the board in Day 2.

The other position that seemed pretty obvious was center. But top players Logan Jones and Jake Slaughter were picked 57th and 63rd.

Safety and corner were other possibilities. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren from Toledo was taken after the Vikings rolled with Golday and LSU standout AJ Haulcy went 78th.

They decided with the 97th pick to take tackle Caleb Tiernan from Northwestern. He’s nearly 6-foot-8 and has quickness but lacks the ideal length to be a top tackle draft pick. He has nearly 3,000 snaps of playing experience and has graded by PFF as an elite pass blocker two years in a row.

Tiernan was Dane Brugler’s 8th best tackle in the draft.

“Tiernan relies on refinement to compensate for his average length and redirect skills, using disciplined hands and poise to execute assignments,” Brugler wrote. “He’ll have swing tackle ability, although his best position long-term might be guard.”

OK but why are the Vikings taking the 8th best tackle?

This one requires you to get out a telescope. Look into the deep future of 2027 and you might see something interesting: Uncertainty along the offensive line.

While Brian O’Neill still could get a contract extension, the Vikings’ hesitancy to pay Greenard might point to more contract disputes to come. If they can’t lock O’Neill into a multi-year extension, Tiernan may instantly become relevant at tackle.

The suggestion that he could play guard is interesting as well. Guard Will Fries technically signed a five-year contract last offseason but the NFL’s contracts are fake. In 2027, Fries is scheduled to carry a cap hit of $21.5 million and the Vikings can save $9.5 million on the cap if they cut him. He is owed $10 million cash if he’s on the roster on the third league year day in March 2027.

Considering Fries wasn’t a dominant player for them last year, they will have to consider cutting the right guard.

Tiernan also gives the Vikings instant depth. They have been crushed by injuries on the offensive line in recent years. Last season they struggled mightily to patchwork multiple positions and his addition gives them a talented, mature player to handle fill-in work right away.

Is it the deep-threat receiver or star RB that everyone wanted? Not exactly but it’s a sensible decision.

The last pick is a reach according to the draft prognosticators but once you read the scouting report for Jakobe Thomas of Miami, you will see Brian Flores’ fingerprints all over it.

Here are some of Brugler’s list of Thomas’s strengths:

● Fast and physical attacking gaps in the run game

● Runs the alley with conviction and fearless throwing his body around

● Sticks his hat into the midsection of his target and drives through

● Understands spacing in zone looks where he can track the quarterback’s eyes

● Finished interceptions he got his hands on

● Miami liked to blitz the safeties, and Thomas flourished in this area

Flores, Flores, Flores, Flores, Flores.

Thomas was a playmaker with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups this season. He was also the Fiesta Bowl MVP.

Production, fearlessness, IQ.

Regardless of whether Harrison Smith returns, the safety room should be pretty deep and competitive.

When you look at the totality of the Vikings’ Day 2, it fits. They got a lot better in the trenches, opened up cap space for a potential incoming move or extension(s) and they grabbed a playmaker in the secondary.

So why doesn’t it feel like it makes sense?

Probably because, similarly to Day 1, it diverges from expectation by quite a bit. Many players are either still on the board or were taken along the way that seemed to jive perfectly with the Vikings. Not getting anything in terms of instant-impact offensive prospects feels like something was left on the table as well.

If they eventually trade for a running back and sign a veteran wide receiver, it might feel different in the light of day.

This simply wasn’t a draft for the immediate, outside of a player like Domonique Orange. Acting GM Rob Brzezinski indicated that might not be the case but it’s a little tough to reason with when it actually happens.

This was cap management and “board integrity” after the team went buck wild in the first round with a massive swing.

They likely won’t get tremendous grades for anything they did, including the Greenard trade. How it works out long term, we’ll have to wait a while to see.

By Matthew Coller

Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Caleb Banks as DT4.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network listed Banks as his 51st overall player.

Arif Hasan’s consensus board had Banks as the 37th ranked prospect.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projected Banks as a second-round pick.

So why on earth did the Minnesota Vikings pick Banks with the 18th overall selection, shocking the mock draft universe that had them unequivocally taking Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.

Because he might become a monster.

Banks is 6-foot-6, 327 pounds and has an incredible build for the position with massive hands and long arms. Not to mention he ran a 5.04 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and broad jumped 114 inches.

These numbers aren’t too far off Eagles star DT Jordan Davis.

When we talk about ceiling and upside, the question is: What is the best-case scenario if everything clicks for this player?

For Banks, those comparisons are players like Akiem Hicks, Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones.

Those are the types that are so overwhelming physically that they manhandle blockers and become nearly impossible to stop one-on-one. They are cornerstones to defenses. Top paid players in the league.

That’s in there somewhere with Banks.

The proof is here, in this chart from Mockdraftable showing the percentiles where Banks ranks vs. other defensive tackles.

Every scouting report under the “strengths” category highlights Banks’ upside.

“Rare frame with well-distributed mass, huge hands and exceptional arm length,” Brugler wrote.

“Outstanding physical traits with good short-area quickness,” Zierlein wrote.

“He has legitimate All-Pro caliber potential as a disruptive, one-gap interior rusher with rare physical traits,” Chris Trapasso of DraftGradebook.com said.

So why wasn’t a player with the upside of being an All-Pro caliber disrupter ranked higher?

For starters, he hasn’t yet reached 1,000 snaps since high school. Because of an injury suffered last season, Banks was only on the field for 96 plays.

When he did play, the production was underwhelming. In 2024, he posted a 73.0 PFF grade and had 29 total QB pressures. In ‘24, he was 44th in pass rush grade and 30th in win rate. Banks was not elite as a run defender either with a 67.9 grade in his junior season and a 25% missed tackle rate for his career.,

Simply put: Banks’ performance hasn’t come anywhere close to his physical gifts.

The negatives in his scouting reports all point to consistency and hint at issues with technique.

“Gives blockers a big target to get the upper hand with body position and leverage, sacrifices balance as a tackler and leaves too much production on the field,” Brugler wrote.

One of the reasons for his inconsistency is his injury history. While Adam Schefter noted that Banks had a CT scan that was sent out to teams and is on track for a full recovery from a recent foot injury, it was the second injury he suffered in the last year. While the Vikings have leaned heavily on their medical staff’s advice (rightfully), common sense would tell us that a guy Banks’ size with foot issues is pretty concerning.

At the end of the day, the Vikings made an enormous bet. They believe that they can develop him into a matchup nightmare for opponents (maybe Chicago in particular, since they have solved a lot of the Vikings’ blitzes).

They also believed that it was impossible to acquire blue chip talent in the middle of the first round without taking a risk.

We have certainly seen that play out in the last decade with some Vikings drafts. Justin Jefferson supposedly couldn’t play outside receiver. Christian Darrisaw had injury concerns and allegedly wasn’t physical enough and Jordan Addison didn’t weigh enough to be a top receiver. Oops, oops, oops.

The difference is that those players dominated college football. And they played a lot of college football. This is likely to be much more of a developmental player than those guys were. The Vikings were clear going into the draft that they weren’t just picking a player to save their bacon right away. If they wanted to do that, they could have taken Thieneman.

If the Vikings had seen all the other talented players fly off the board and then decided to take a swing at Banks, there might not have been as much reaction. But they left a lot of questions with the way the board landed. Shortly after their pick, the Philadelphia Eagles made a move up to get receiver Makai Lemon and then a bunch of other trades came tumbling in. Could the Vikings have moved down and still landed Banks?

The next batch of players had a lot of guys without foot injuries who would have made a bunch of sense. Lemon, for one, might have created a pretty darn unstoppable receiver room. The Panthers took gifted offensive tackle Monroe Freeling, which might have made sense depending on Brian O’Neill’s status. Then the edge rushers started showing up. Akheem Mesidor. Malachi Lawrence. Keldric Faulk. All guys that made sense for Minnesota, especially if they trade Jonathan Greenard on Friday.

Thieneman went 25th to Chicago. Corner Chris Johnson landed right after that and Clemson’s Peter Woods ended up in KC with the 29th pick.

All of those guys fit the bill as solid, quality prospects.

Are their upsides the same as Banks? Absolutely, positively not.

And Banks is at a “premium” position. That matters. If Banks clicks, he’ll be worth $20+ million in surplus value.

So we will have to see how it plays out. This one is probably going to take time before we really know whether it was the right move or not.

The surprising part, other than going 20 spots above the consensus, is that they made such a big swing with Rob Brzezinski at the helm. He’s played most of the offseason down the fairway, keeping the band together and keeping the salary cap in place. On draft night, the Vikings were not expected to be the team that went for broke.

Maybe this will be one for the ages because of it. Or maybe it will turn out like the majority of unproductive, highly physically gifted players and end up being frustrating. Time will tell.

Here are some of the most intriguing players on the board for Friday:

CB Jermod McCoy
WR Denzel Boston
S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
CB Colton Hood
CB Avieon Terrell
G Chase Bisontis
G Emmanuel Pregnon
DT Kayden McDonald
DT Christen Miller
LB Jacob Rodriguez
DE Zion Young
DE T.J. Parker
CB D’Angelo Ponds
DE Cashius Howell
WR Germie Bernard
DE R Mason Thomas
S Treydan Stukes

By Matthew Coller

Draft night is finally here. Let’s have a look at the most pressing questions facing the Minnesota Vikings on Day 1 of the draft…

1 — Will the Vikings go chalk and pick Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman?

Ben Robinson of Grinding The Mocks was on the Purple Insider podcast on Wednesday night and he said that 48% of mock drafts have the Vikings taking Thieneman.

There are some analysts who believe that he will be taken before the Vikings get a chance but if he’s on the board, will they land him to replace Harrison Smith?

Thieneman is a great prospect, though safety has become a position that teams do not traditionally draft very high, in part because they are often available on the free agent market or cane be developed from later rounds.

It will be the “safe” pick if they go Thieneman, though it also might turn out to be the right one.

2 — If Kenyon Sadiq is on the board, would they pick him over more pressing positions?

The opposite of the safe pick is Sadiq, who is a freaky athlete who hasn’t yet hit his peak. He was fairly productive but not dominant last year at Oregon. The Vikings would be taking him to contribute in a rotational role right away and then take over for TJ Hockenson after 2026. It’s a short and long-term play, even if there are risks that go along with super athletic tight ends high in the draft.

3 — Will the Vikings trade Jonathan Greenard on draft night?

There have been rumors for months and it may come to a head on draft night. Deadlines make deals, right?

The team that has been most connected to the Greenard situation is the Philadelphia Eagles. How much are they willing to give up? The Eagles own the 68th pick from the New York Jets, which could be a target for the Vikings. However, Philly might be looking to get a better deal since nobody has stepped to the plate yet with an offer that the Vikings want.

The fact that Greenard wasn’t at the first phase of the offseason program raises the question of how hard he is going to push for a new contract if he’s not traded.

4 — Is CB Jermod McCoy an option despite his injury history?

Some analysts believe that McCoy might be the best cornerback in this draft class if he had been able to play the 2025 season. He tore his ACL and there are reports that he has some other issues that could be a long-term problem. Last year cornerback Will Johnson dropped into the second round because of injury issues. Is that going to happen to McCoy or could the Vikings have medical information that gives them confidence that he can be OK long term?

The risk might be worth the reward, even if there will be shades of Andrew Booth Jr. on everyone’s mind.

Read more

By Matthew Coller

Well, friends, the NFL Draft is almost here and we have mocked every scenario that can been mocked, studied every pre-draft visit and listened to acting GM Rob Brzezinski talk about his draft philosophy. Now all we can do is wait.

And I suppose we can have a little fun in the process.

As I’ve gone over dozens and dozens of scouting reports and NFL Combine performances, and watched every highlight reel under the sun. What keeps coming to mind as a prepare for the draft is prospects that remind me of certain prospects.

Maybe it can paint the picture with players a little differently in our minds or maybe it’s just fun to remember some guys. Probably a little of both.

So here are the 2026 prospects vs. former Vikings comparables…

(I welcome any/all suggestions for more in the comment section)

(Another note, I had CJ Ham on the podcast, so check it out below)

Oregon, S, Dillon Thieneman = supercharged Cam Bynum

While their backgrounds are quite different — Bynum was a fourth-round pick who converted from cornerback to safety and Thieneman might end up being picked as high as the top 15 — there are a lot of similarities. They are nearly the same size, they are both playmakers who are willing to be downhill tacklers and they have very high football IQ.

Where the direct comp breaks down is that Thieneman runs a blazing 4.35 40-yard dash and Bynum didn’t have anywhere near that type of raw speed. That’s why it’s the “supercharged” version.

The other way this one might go sideways is if Thieneman becomes more Harrison Smith-ish than I think he will. Based on his size profile, he’s much more of a deep safety than a guy who’s going to be playing up at the line of scrimmage as a blitzer/run stuffer/intimidator and much more of a guy who’s going to be closing windows and chasing down deep receivers like Bynum did effectively despite not having 4.3 speed.

Washington, WR, Denzel Boston = Jake Reed

The areas where Boston and Reed cross over is size, strength and hands. Both players aren’t just tall, they are around 215 pounds of muscle and they play like it. Boston and Reed both had the capability to run through tackles and box out smaller cornerbacks. You wouldn’t label either player a yards-after-catch hero but they both run through tacklers like they aren’t even there at times.

Reed and Boston each have big hands and they catch everything in sight. Boston’s QB play was pretty suspect and yet he made all sorts of grabs that were outside the frame, just as Reed had to do at times during his career with all sorts of different QBs coming and going.

Nebraska, RB, Emmett Johnson = Chester Taylor

Nobody was ever wowed by Taylor’s long speed as a 4.58 40-yard dash guy coming out of college and he wasn’t enormous at 5-11, 213 pounds but he was a highly intelligent player with a quick first step and a will to push as hard as possible for an extra yard. He also had very good hands and was capable of putting up 40+ receptions in a season.

That describes Johnson as well. His NFL Combine numbers were pretty bleh, only posting a 4.56 40-yard dash, but he was tremendously productive at Nebraska. He is an instinctual runner who has some jolt to his game to hit holes, even if he isn’t going to break off 50-yard runs very often. Johnson has good hands as well and the potential to become a quality duo type back.

Indiana, CB, D’Angelo Ponds = Antoine Winfield Sr.

It’s too obvious, right? Ponds is only 5-foot-8 and weighs 182 pounds but he posted an insane 43.5 inch vertical and he had spectacular production in college. He was the fifth highest graded PFF cornerback in 2025 and opponents only had a 55.4 QB rating throwing into his coverage. Ponds especially came up big when his squad at Indiana was playing in the biggest games.

If you want to take the comparison all the way, how about this: Despite his size, Ponds ranked 11th in NCAA among corners in tackling grade.

Nobody will ever tackle like Winfield Sr., who was the greatest pound-for-pound tackling corner in the last 30 years, but Ponds is far from soft.

Texas Tech, LB, Jacob Rodriguez = Eric Kendricks or Ed McDaniel

I went Eric Kendricks here because it’s such a good fit. Rodriguez is not only undersized and extremely fast like Kendricks, he also has a tendency to play like his hair is on fire and sometimes get too aggressive. Rodriguez is especially good when it comes to his coverage instincts, which is also a reminder of Kendricks.

I needed to include Ed McDaniel here too because he was way undersized for the time period and played with an aggressiveness and toughness that you can see in Rodriguez’s game.

Clemson, DT, Peter Woods = Chris Hovan

Very similar sized players, Hovan had his moments as a Viking in his early years and then faded into the background when the Williams Wall arrived. Woods isn’t a hefty fellow but he is very strong and his burst off the snap can send offensive linemen backward. He probably doesn’t have the pass rushing instincts to be a major threat to sack the quarterback repeatedly and he might not quite be big enough to be a one-man wrecking crew. But he’s going to be physical and make some plays in the middle.

Arkansas, RB, Mike Washington Jr. = Michael Bennett

If you are a millennial or older, you absolutely just said, “remember Michael Bennett in 2002?” He went for over 1,200 yards behind great blocking and then never shined that way again.

Washington Jr. ran a 4.3 40-yard dash at the Combine and has a similar upright type of running style as Bennett. If Washington Jr. gets into open spaces, there is absolutely no catching him and if the Vikings could come up with the right scheme and get the right blocking, he could be very dangerous. Is he the type to be a franchise RB? Probably not. Under the right circumstances he could be a lot of fun though.

Texas Tech, DT, Lee Hunter = Pat Williams

There aren’t too many humans ever in the history of our planet who are as big as Pat Williams, so this year’s draft didn’t have anyone that met his range but Hunter is a large man at 318 pounds.

The thing that is most reminiscent of Williams isn’t just the girth, it’s the quickness as his massive size. Williams used to get into the backfield before guards would have any chance at getting reach blocks on him, which may happen with Hunter as well because of his surprisingly quick first step.

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — It is not clear whether Rob Brzezinski is going to continue in the general manager role long term but we can safely say that he is going to lead the organization through the NFL Draft in a way that considers the future.

This year’s free agency portion of the offseason was proof of that. Brzezinski handled March as if 2026 wasn’t the final showdown. The Minnesota Vikings make a bunch of “all in” type moves or do anything from a salary cap perspective to sell out the future with contract restructures and kept some flexibility for after June 1.

So when Brzezinski said on Monday that there are conversations going on within the front office about selecting player that might not be major contributors in 2026 and instead have a more clear path to the field in 2027, it makes sense to take him at his word.

“It’s such a big thing in our league is having a path for the your draft picks to play, especially your early picks, you want them on the field, but there’s also a world where you have to identify what the role is year one but also what the bigger picture is down the line,” Brzezinski said. “It’s always a balance. And that’s what we’re talking about, what our needs are in 2026 and then what our needs are in 2027 — [they] are two very different things. So it’s a process of balancing those two things.”

If we consider the Vikings’ needs right away, it’s pretty easy to identify positions like safety and defensive tackle as spots where a first-round draft pick could be plug and play. It isn’t random that the mock draft universe is focused in on Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. If you pull up the Vikings’ depth chart, you will see a No. 22 sized hole at the safety position and Thieneman is a very good prospect. Bang.

If we look forward to 2027, the Vikings’ range of needs becomes much wider. You can make a reasonable argument for tight end, offensive tackle, linebacker and cornerback because each one of those positions has a key player that is not under contract after 2026.

The debate might be made pretty easy if there were players at obvious positions of need for 2026 who were also going to be the best long-term players. But there is a reason that the Vikings’ front office and coaches are discussing this particular subject: It doesn’t appear that those two things align exactly.

For example, defensive tackle might be the Vikings’ biggest need but NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t have any DTs ranked in the top 32 on his final big board.

Thieneman is his 16th best player but there is a question about whether he is going to be projected as a deep safety, which has generally been a replaceable position in free agency, or if he’s more of a dynamo game-changer type. He also might not be on the board when the Vikings pick because his buzz has been growing since the NFL Combine.

The strength of the draft appears to be in edge rushers, offensive tackles and wide receivers — all technically not positions of immediate need for the Vikings. Could they pick one of them simply because they are the best player in the draft and then figure out the usage later?

“What we do is, once we have the board stacked, hopefully objectively based on ability, then we identify who are the best fits for the Minnesota Vikings,” Brzezinski said. “But we want to make sure that we’re not passing a unique talent to fill a need for today. You know, a player that might not have the most impact in 2026, but could be a cornerstone for 2027.”

Brzezinski has been part of draft processes in the NFL for multiple decades and one thing that he’s learned, the acting GM said on Monday, is that teams can talk themselves into players because of how badly they need a certain position.

“You can’t manufacture what’s not there but when you have needs and you’re trying to fill needs, you’re looking always glass half full,” Brzezinski said. “You’re going to see what you want to see in certain players where you have needs. And the process is just about being as objective as possible and just having honest conversations.”

Where those conversations end up taking the Vikings will be revealed on Thursday but Brzezinski’s comments do seem to leave the door open for a lot more options than the one position that has been mocked to them repeatedly.

There is one particular position that seems to check boxes now and later. That’s cornerback. There are only a handful of corners mocked in the first round but Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy or Colton Hood both make sense as does Clemson standout Avieon Terrell.

Other spots like wide receiver, tight end and edge rusher could open the door to rotations right away and full-time spots down the road.

The bottom line is that the Vikings have a lot of different ways they can go in this year’s draft. Who they select may tell us a lot about how they are viewing the long-term outlook for certain positions. Or they might just pick Thieneman anyway because he’s a good football player.

Additional notes

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By Matthew Coller and Jonathan Harrison

Welcome to NFL Draft week 2026.

For the last five years, we have released a Minnesota Vikings draft guide with profiles of dozens of potential players that the Vikings may target in the draft with analysis about why they might fit the purple and key statistics.

This year’s draft guide is bigger and better with more profiles and breakdowns, including a draft simulation, late-round potential targets and an essay on the importance of this year’s draft.

You will find the link below.

If you are not subscribed yet, click here to join with a special draft day offer

(If you are reading on your phone and it doesn’t go to the special offer, open it with a computer)

HERE IS THE 2026 PURPLE INSIDER VIKINGS DRAFT GUIDE. ENJOY!!!

By Matthew Coller

Happy Friday, everyone. Only a few more days until the draft. Let’s get into your questions…

KellyJ… What are your thoughts on shipping Greenard to the Pats for pick 63? Then acquire D Lawrence for pick 18. Would likely have to extend O’Neil to make a little more cap space in 26 or possibly lower first year $ for Lawrence’s contract to make it work

First, I like the creativity. We don’t see three-team trades but if the Vikings were going to use Greenard to acquire Lawrence, this is the way it would have to go since the Giants do not need edge rushing help. It would create the cap space and get the draft capital to get the job done. It opens up Dallas Turner to play Greenard’s spot, too.

It does make quite a bit of sense.

The only thing I might tweak is that I’m not sure it’s going to take No. 18 to get Lawrence. It seems he’s very unhappy and is putting on the full-court press. Could it be No. 49 and 63 to get him and keep 18, 82 and 97? Maybe pick Keldric Faulk with 18 to add to the beef up front?

Dermo Man….Thanks for all the content. Assuming the Vikings stick and pick, and with realistic availability, please outline who and why you would take for each of the Top 100 picks and compare with what you think the Vikings will actually do.

If it’s me, I’m taking either Jermod McCoy, Denzel Boston/Jordyn Tyson/Makai Lemon or Spencer Fano with the first-round pick because I just believe those are the guys who have the best long-term chances of being foundational players.

I might go for Kenyon Sadiq too. Having that freakish TE/slot is a pretty good cheat code for an offense with good wide receivers.

Outside of that there’s so many options and each depends on what happens in the first. I think there’s very few running backs that are worth it but I’m sold on Emmett Johnson and Jonah Coleman being quality football players who I would bet on.

There’s a bunch of third-round type receivers I like. The super productive ones are always going to be my favorite like Skyler Bell or Antonio Williams..

Ball hawking safeties are also my jam. AJ Haulcy and Bud Clark fit that bill.

As far as comparing it to the Vikings, I’m not really sure because it’s a whole new GM running the show but it feels pretty realistic.

Hannes B… Which DT has the highest pass rush potential?

Well, there’s potential and then there’s odds of reaching the potential. The guy with the best potential everything is Caleb Banks. He is an absolute monster with freakish movement for his size. The broad jump is a decent measure of explosiveness and he was in the 92nd percentile at 6-foot-6, 327 pounds. That’s bananas.

The problem is that he has been this big and explosive and he didn’t produce at an impressive rate, so the chance of him reaching that potential are not great based on the history of guys like him.

What I noticed in my DT study was that pass rush production is great but if the guy was bad against the run, it wasn’t a great indicator for success.

The player that stands out is Oklahoma’s Gracen Halton. He’s been a decent pass rush producer and very good against the run despite not being quite 300 pounds.

Missouri’s Chris McClellan is a huge dude that had a 9.6% pass-rush win rate, which is almost good.

Kaleb Proctor from Southeastern Louisiana is another guy that could be a Day 3 player with pass rush upside.

It’s strange because this draft really doesn’t have almost anybody that’s exceptional when it comes to rushing the passer.

Bradley P… Does Seattle winning last year prove that every 20 years something weird happens or that anyone can win at any time? I love Dexter Lawrence but I cringe thinking of the team going back into cap hell and throwing more draft capital when they need an infusion of young talent.

I don’t think it does. Seattle had the strongest roster in the NFL and a quarterback who was a top-three pick that won 14 games the previous season. They were an outlier in the way that Vegas didn’t have them as a pre-season favorite but in hindsight it’s pretty easy to match them up with lots of other Super Bowl-caliber teams. They were the second best team in the NFL during the regular season and they won it all. Most of the time, teams have to be close to the best of the best during the season to have a real shot.

As far as Dexter Lawrence goes, the Seattle-ish argument is basically that they and the 2024 Eagles and pretty much everyone who’s ever won a Super Bowl or reached one without Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes has an elite front seven. Russell Wilson’s Seahawks, for example, as well. If you add Dexter Lawrence to Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jalen Redmond and Dallas Turner, you’ve got a chance to play in that sandbox.

Timothy G…. Are teams allowed to physically work out prospects during top 30 visits or just conduct meetings/interviews?

To tell you the truth, I’ve never asked. I assume the answer is yes because they worked out all the QBs on the field in 2024. The main thing is usually to bring in players is to answer medical questions and get to know them, see how the coach gels with them watching film, see how they interact with people around the building and how quick they can learn.

I know everyone thinks that they can figure out who the Vikings like by their visits and there might be some patterns that show up but teams also use those 30 visits for smokescreens all the time.

Chuck A… Talk me into/out of being terrified that there is no obvious plan at Center.

If I’m talking you out if it, it’s pretty simple: We saw Blake Brandel play there last year and it was alright. For a guy who never did it before, he was able to mostly provide league average caliber play. He knows the offense inside and out, which is very helpful for Kyler Murray and the other O-linemen said he was really good with communication. Plus it probably helps to have a dude who’s 6-foor-7 and has played guard and tackle before when you’re taking on the biggest DTs out there.

In terms of talking you out of it, well, Brandel has pretty much played like a quality backup for his entire career. I think he’s a tremendous interior backup player. But we saw over 17 games how his weaknesses got exposed in 2024 and that will probably happen again.

If he’s the weakest point of the line, it will likely be alright. If Fries/Jackson aren’t healthy or don’t perform well, it could be an issue.

Ben99… How will loosing Ham affect the Vikings offense? Drafting Sadiq seems a good idea suddenly: more 13, 21 personel opposing defense does not know which is which... play action with kyler murray...

Third down pass protection. Maybe it wasn’t really noticed (I wrote about it in 2023!) but Ham played a ton on third-and-long and he was fantastic. He ranked as one of the better pass protecting players in the backfield three years in a row in that role. Now they have nobody who can pass protect at that level. Jones tries his butt off but he’s nowhere near as big as Ham.

Josh Oliver might need to be in there on some third downs to help. I do like the idea of Sadiq on many levels. He could definitely be part of bigger personnel and I’ve watched him run block effectively so I think he’s going to be willing to do that even if he doesn’t fit the profile of a difference-making run blocker.

The league is using 12 and 13 personnel more to get advantages vs. nickel defenses and smaller LBs. Putting Jefferson, Hock, Sadiq and Oliver on the field together seems like a pretty great idea.

Tony T… Even with Dillon Thieneman, it doesn’t seem like there’s a sure-fire choice in Round 1. Considering Murray might be only average, would it make sense to trade this year’s pick 18 for a 1st next year and some day 2 picks this year? Stock up to trade up for a quarterback in 2027?

The sure-fire ideas don’t really add up with what the Vikings need. The defensive tackle position is suspect, running back is incredibly light outside of Love and Thieneman is the only safety to consider there. But the offensive tackle and wide receiver positions around 18 could be fantastic.

If there was a team ready to do what Atlanta did last year for James Pearce, then the Vikings absolutely have to do it.

All the reporting from this draft is that nobody is going to be willing to make 2027 moves because there aren’t any prospects that teams will want to trade up for and give up 2027 capital. You never know, I guess.

I like the line of thinking that they either have to do stuff in the draft to succeed in 2026 by trying to get proven prospects who can step in right away and help or be all about the future and make plays that could pay off later. But not something in between.

Brad L….Since it takes some time to truly evaluate draft success, what should we be looking for on (say) April 26 to judge short term success? If we draft ____ it will be considered successful.

The way I’ve always thought about it is the logic of the picks. I’ve been plenty wrong in my day-after analysis through the years (thanks for nothing, Wyatt Davis!) but when we analyze the board vs. their goals vs. the player they got, we can come to a pretty good conclusion.

Last year, for example, I felt like they had conceded an amazing future opportunity by not taking the Atlanta trade if it was on the board for them. But I also thought that Donovan Jackson was a really, really good prospect at a position that is underrated for its value and he could start right away on a win-now team.

In 2022, I questioned how far they moved down and the positions they took because it felt anti-analytical to pick a safety, guard and linebacker with three of the first four selections and my research said that top 12 picks were golden and anything lower than 20 is making a massive concession historically.

It’s definitely not aways right but I try to work through it that way.

Let’s say this year they pick Thieneman, Jadarian Price, Skyler Bell and Zakee Wheatley. We can all easily see where they filled needs and got quality, productive players. You’d grade that pretty well. If they went with big risks vs. the consensus board like Caleb Banks at 18 and Mike Washington Jr. at 49, I’ll be really wondering if they played it the best way.

That’s all you can really do since the draft is so freaking random.

Tony T…It feels like the Vikings have not had receivers that can reliably catch short yardage touchdowns since Thielen and Rudolph. What qualities predict red zone success for WRs and TEs in the draft?

Does O’Connell even think in these terms? It feels like O’Connell would be the greatest coach of all time if the sport had an endlessly long football field where you never needed to score, just rack up yards

Jordan Addison did have 19 touchdowns in his first two seasons, so that’s worked out pretty well for him but I agree on Thielen and Rudolph had a special ability to score TDs. Rudolph’s size was exceptional and Thielen had a freaky ball-tracking talent and A+ hands.

Could they use another red zone target? Probably. But let’s not forget that in 2024 Sam Darnold threw 26 red zone touchdowns, 20 of which were inside the 10-yard line.

Does O’Connell think about scoring touchdowns? Yeah man, I’m pretty sure he’s thought about that. They were 8th in red zone scoring in 2022 when they had a fella named Dalvin Cook. Maybe trusting Jordan Mason a little more down there would help.

If we’re framing it through a draft lens though, another red zone target wouldn’t hurt.

Thomas H…Do you think Brian O’Neill wants to explore other options rather than extend/renew his contract? For several years his contract has been cited as a possible restructure and extension in order to gain cap space but nothing has happened.

Everyone should want O’Neill to be a Viking for life including O’Neill. He’s a top 10 right tackle still, even playing through injuries last year, and he’s been a captain and O-line leader now for years. But business is business. The numbers for right tackles have been pushed up to the point where he should be looking for ballpark $25-$30 million per year and that might be tough for the Vikings to swallow knowing that they have Darrisaw making huge money and Jefferson on offense paid top dollar. If they have to extend Kyler Murray, I’m not sure how they afford a defense in the future.

O’Neill would be the logical guy to move on from because of his age, especially in a draft year that’s deep with tackles, you can pick one now and then develop them to take over.

From O’Neill’s perspective, he might want to see what the market has to say about him next year but I’ve always gotten the impression that he deeply loves playing for this franchise.

In terms of not restructuring, I think they might have held that card in their back pocket just in case they needed cap space. Also every restructure has to be paid for later, so any restructures you can avoid are good.

Rob…Would Dexter Lawrence be a fit within the current defensive scheme or would Flores have to change how the dline functions?

There’s no scheme where Dexter Lawrence doesn’t fit. It’s like Micah Parsons or Myles Garrett.

Flores would have to adjust for the sheer amount of double teams that would come his way. Opponents would be putting two guys on him basically every play, which would allow Jalen Redmond to get 1-on-1s and for the edge players to loop around to the middle or linebackers to blitz into gaps he opens up.

A DT like this has an unbelievable impact on a defense besides just his own personal numbers.

But any changes Flores makes would be because Lawrence is way better than anyone he’s had in that spot.

Bradley P…Matthew, choose your own adventure for pick 18: trade for Dexter Lawrence, stick and pick Dillon Thieneman, stick and pick your choice of any wide receiver in this draft or trade down to the top of the second round and pick up a 2027 first round pick.

The No. 18 pick is probably a lot for Dexter Lawrence considering the position the Giants are in and what he costs to sign to an extension.

Any time you give me my pick of the wide receiver litter, I’m just going to do that because I believe it’s the second most valuable position in the sport. However, in this case I would take the extra 2027 pick and take another receiver in the second round because I see a ton of receiving talent in this draft.

Stick and pick is fine but not as enticing compared to the other juicy options.

Matt D…I’m looking at the Felton and Ingram-Dawkins mid round picks from last year, who I think could both take a big step and contribute this season. I would probably describe those guys as a productive WR with elite speed and a defensive tweener. Who would your picks be at 82 and 97 if you were trying to draft players with those descriptions?

If I’m trying to find another productive receiver and a defensive tweener in this year’s class in the third round? In terms of elite speed, that would be Chris Brazzell II, Bryce Lance, Zachariah Branch, De’Zhaun Stribling and Brenen Thompson. All of them have the juice and good production.

The tweener… Penn State’s Zane Durant. Awesome athlete but he’s only 6-foot-1 and 290 pounds. Maybe he could be like a 5-tech?

Stephen L… With the exception of Xavier Rhodes, the Vikings appear to have been particularly inept at identifying talent at the cornerback position over the last two decades. Is this actually the case, compared with other teams, or is my perception skewed by my obsession with the Vikings and ignorance about the relative success of other teams in drafting starting cornerbacks?

I’d say this is a little on the aggressive side. Trae Waynes played outside corner on the No. 1 defense in the NFL in 2017 and Byron Murphy Jr. led all corners in INTs in 2024 and was a pretty cheap free agent pickup. Even Isaiah Rodgers was really good for them overall last year (PFF top 20 grade). Old Patrick Peterson was also really good for them too.

But they have used a fair amount of draft capital through the years on players that didn’t work out, most recently Andrew Booth Jr. and Mekhi Blackmon. That’s definitely made it look pretty bad.

If we go through the top corners in the league, you’re going to be shocked by this… it’s a lot of guys who were drafted high. Pat Surtain, Sauce Gardner, Devin Witherspoon, Trent McDuffie, Quinyon Mitchell, Derek Stingley…

If you’re always trying to put a band aid over the position with older veterans or third-round picks, it’s not particularly likely that you’re going to crush it.

I think their 2026 duo is overall pretty good but it’s possible that neither is going to be here in 2027, so my favorite angle for the Vikings in this draft is probably Jermod McCoy at 18 (assuming medicals are OK).

Joshua… Where would Tai Felton have fit into this draft class of WRs?

I’ll use an objective measure here… NFL.com’s official score…. Felton got a 5.96, which would have made him a Day 3 guy. That’s about the same as Brenan Thompson. It’s a shade below the Bryce Lances, Antonio Williams and Ted Hurst types that might go in the third round this year.

This receiver class is particularly outstanding in my view when it comes to the late second and third round.

We have to remember that he was the last pick of the third round and he was projected as a fourth rounder. So it’s going to take some time. And there’s no reason to avoid drafting more WR talent when they basically only have three guys on the roster right now.

Patrick G… when judging value vs. impact for short term (this season) and long term (next 4 years) what are your thoughts of Dexter Lawrence for 49 & 82 vs. Lee Hunter at 49 or Christen Miller at 49 and then another pick at 82 (RB? WR? C? CB?)? and who’s data do you trust? PFF lists Miller at 310 and Hunter at 330 that’s a noticeable difference; nfl.com combine info page lists Miller at 321 and Hunter at 318...that’s the difference of what they ate the night before....

The tough thing about comparing Lawrence vs. young guys is the money part. If there was no salary cap element, you’d say that Lawrence is easily worth way, way more than a third-round RB and a run-stuffing prospect. But the two prospects are going to cost less than $5 million on the cap and Lawrence wants $30 million ballpark.

I’d still take Lawrence at $30 million over this year’s DTs and RBs/CBs/Cs in a heartbeat. Not even close. But it does offer some team-building challenges for the future.

I believe NFL.com pages are NFL Combine weights and PFF’s are based on what they were listed in college and they haven’t updated them because nobody works there anymore.

Jason…Is Thieneman inevitable? Does drafting a safety that early fit with the claim from the front office that they are taking the best player they can? I am trying to get excited about this pick and struggling to do so.

Nah, he’s not inevitable because somebody else might take him. He makes a ton of sense at No. 12 for Dallas.

If they are just going by the best player and not heavily weighing positional value into that equation, then Thieneman has a great case to be the pick. He’s an awesome prospect. He just plays a position where there are 20 guys in the league who are good at it and they often become available in free agency for a fair dollar figure.

There is certainly a team building theory that if you just pick the absolute best prospect on the board that greatness at any position will move the needle. I mostly buy into that. If you have Fred Warner or Saquon Barkley, who cares if they are a LB or RB. If they pick Thieneman and he becomes great, then we’re never going to worry about positional value.

It’s definitely not the most exciting pick. It would be the ball-on-the-fairway pick. That was good for Donovan Jackson last year, even if that wasn’t a wow pick.

Joshua R…I have watched no tape. Do me a favor and put on your scout hat: Compare Emmett Johnson to another Emmitt who had a common last name, was quietly productive in college as a versatile back yet wasn’t a combine freak.

Emmitt Smith had one of the greatest O-lines ever assembled, a No. 1 overall QB who was a legend and a top-five WR stretching the field. The Vikings have the last part and they have the No. 1 overall pick. I’m not sure about the rest. He also had Daryl Johnston!

I like Emmett Johnson a ton. His first step quickness is great. He can catch the ball. His character reminds me of Aaron Jones. High intelligence, great attitude. I’d rather take a shot at that than throw a pick at a 4.3 guy because he ran a 4.3.

Florian K…Besides kicker/punter what position or player would the Vikings pick in the first round for you to think these guys are off their rocker?

Offensive guard or linebacker would be a pretty huge shock. I’m not sure there’s a linebacker (maybe Jacob Rodriguez?) who is worth taking in the first round unless they are trading back and they spent so much on Will Fries that they should at least play him in 2026 before deciding to move on for a younger player.

Pretty much everything else you can justify. Obviously the only RB that they’d be taking is Jeremiyah Love if he’s there in the first round.

That’s what makes this draft so interesting. In years past, we could bring it down to two or three positions. Now? No idea.

Matt D…Just for fun I asked Google AI to give me the positions to draft for each round, excluding QB, that would give you the best chance at the most players who are starters for at least 3 years. Assuming the AI is correct, which it probably is not, what do you think of this mock draft I did that follows that outline: Fano OL, Golday LB, Delp TE, Kaleb Proctor DL, Hezekiah Masses CB, Mason Reiger EDGE, Wetjen, Ty Montgomery, and Reggie Virgil WR. It’s not very exciting, and you obviously don’t need three WRs in round 7, but I don’t hate it.

Well, who knows. If they went Fano/Golday, they’d be picking two of my favorite guys for the Vikings in terms of fit and Proctor is an intriguing pass-rushing DT. The three receivers would be weird but they kinda did that with Rodney Adams and Stacy Coley that one year.

Fano is the ideal fit for them because he could bump inside with his skillset but he’s a great athlete and I see him as having the potential to become O’Neill-like. Everyone would hate the tackle pick but there’s no way they have a healthy offensive line for 17 games, so the guy would probably end up playing and then becoming a starter in 2027.

Evan… I like the idea of trading up for Styles, Love, or Downs, but shouldn’t we also be stockpiling draft picks to get a QB next year? I don’t think we can operate as if Murray is the long term solution. He could get injured, or he could play amazing and sign somewhere else next year. I guess that’s what’s so hard about picking 18 - we are exactly in the middle

Stockpiling picks for next year makes total sense because they might have to make a trade up for a quarterback.

That does conflict with the reality that they A) need young superstars badly B) are on their last legs with this particular roster.

I agree that you can’t assume Murray is the long-term guy and keeping options open is really important. Yet if you miss an opportunity to get Jeremiyah Love because you’re thinking about the next QB… well… this might be where I evoke the “NFL stands for Not For Long” cliche.

It’s a delicate dance between protecting the future and trying to win right now. How they handle it will be fascinating.

Jordan D…. I’m presenting the Vikings with the “All-In Button.” Should they press it? Dexter Lawrence for 2027 1st and 97. De’Von Achane for 2027 2nd.

If you were presenting this in a meeting, your argument goes like this: If we look at 2027, there are about a dozen different key players that might be gone. O’Neill, Fries, Mason, Jones, Hockenson, Greenard, Van Ginkel, Murphy Jr., Rodgers, Cashman…

You built this team to compete for a Super Bowl while the QB position was cheap and daggumit the QB position is cheap. This was your plan all along. Just go for it, man. You’re one Dexter Lawrence and Kyler Murray top-12 season away from playing in the divisional round. Caution to the wind, my friends.

Is that the right path? Theoretically probably not. In practice, YOLO.

Evan…If we could trade Greenard and 97 for #7, I’m all for it. But which other teams might be trying to trade up with Washington that we’d have to compete with?

Dallas needs defense really badly. They’d be one. I’m not sure that anybody else should be inspired for a trade up. Maybe a team like Carolina that’s looking for big-time players to take their next step or the Rams because they are lunatics who are going all-in this year. Aside from that, the Vikings would have a decent case with some of these teams like Washington or Kansas City to give them a win-now player for a top pick.

Eric M… Really appreciate the level of film study and analysis you do for the potential draft prospects. Your make a strong argument for drafting a corner in round 1 if a top one is there (McCoy) or trade down for CB 3-5 or a defensive tackle in the mid to late 20’s (and then Ponds, Terrell, Hood or Johnson as round 2 CB!) with an added round 3-4 pick. With the safety depth you have outlined, seems like that is a position that could wait.

With that being said. I assume the Vikings do a more extensive analysis of the players, so I don’t understand why safety is still being considered in round 1. Is it a smokescreen by the Vikings draft team, laziness by many draft analysts that parrot the same picks because they don’t actually study all the teams, or do they think the round 1 safeties are more likely to be a superstar than history would suggest is reasonable?

Technically my strategy is more watching really smart people’s film studies like Doug Farrar, Nate Tice, Ted Nguyen and a lot of others who are better at college football analysis than me and then pairing that with my ability to study the data and scouting reports.

Anyway, I wouldn’t call it laziness or a smokescreen because they might be right. Daniel Jeremiah was the first I remember saying Thieneman and he’s a tremendous draft analyst. It makes so much sense. They don’t have anyone at safety right now who is proven outside of Josh Metellus and he’s a fantastic prospect.

What I’m surprised by is that there is more of a range of opinions. Safeties do not tend to be drafted this high. Go look how rarely it happens. Even Nick Emmanwori was not a first-rounder. Neither was Xavier McKinney. So taking two in the top 20 would be a pretty big surprise.

First Round everything is more likely to be a superstar but nothing is a guarantee. Darnell Savage was 21st overall and he was just a guy.

I do think it’s hard for draft analysts to be as locked into every single team as the folks who spend 365 days per year on one team. But I can’t say that anyone who’s projecting a safety to the Vikings is being ridiculous by any means. It does make sense.

Walt K… Draft day is one LONG week away. A couple of weeks back we spoke about the Vikings possibly following the Falcons path and hiring Brez as a President of Football Ops, and then finding a GM who could work with KOC.

If that were to come to fruition, who are some candidates that you feel would fit in with the organization? Secondly, if the Wilfs do indeed want Brez as GM (imo he’s the odds on favorite), I would assume that they would want to see how he performs in this interim role. What are some things they would look at to help them assess his work product? They already know his worth behind the scenes, but are they really going to judge him on draft picks and FA signings who have yet to play a down for the team?

Well, I asked Mark Wilf at the owner’s meetings if he was interesting in a Football Ops person above the GM and he said no. He said implicitly that they’re keeping the same structure.

As far as candidate names, I’ve always been hesitant to start throwing people around when I have no idea who they are going to interview. Once I start to get some names to work with, we can talk about certain profiles and fits.

They are keeping it close to the vest exactly how they feel about Brzezinski’s candidacy. I couldn’t get a read on whether he’s the top guy going into the process or if he’s just holding the fort down.

In terms of judging him, it would be more about how he fit in that position than whether they liked the draft picks and free agent moves. They’d be getting feedback from the other leaders of the org and coaches about how they liked the process of working with him and coming to agreement on paths/decisions.

I think Rob is a great candidate for the gig but I really don’t have a clue where this is going. We’ve never seen anything like it before.

Masaki…I’m kinda intrigued by the idea of loading up on offense in this draft, especially as you have mentioned previously, along with other Vikings beat writers, that Brian Flores defense built to thrive when the team is leading…until last night you covered Dane Brugler’s mock complimenting the defense with younger talent, which I agree with. How would you compare the Vikings’ window or time horizon as opposed to the rest of the NFC North?

Everyone in the NFC North is going for it in their own way in 2026. The Vikings keeping guys like Hock and Jones told us that they aren’t looking way out into the future with everything they do. The other teams have their QBs locked in and they’re doing everything to win now. Which is why they also might chase Lawrence.

The Lions are on their last legs as a big-time contender. Green Bay seems set up to remain in the hunt for a while and Chicago has the most promising outlook because Williams could keep getting better and he’s cheap.

In terms of the all offense draft… if they landed Denzel Boston and Jadarian Price or something, it’s hard to convince me that it isn’t a bigger impact than Peter Woods and Chris Johnson or something like that. Defense definitely does win in the playoffs but also your QB is going to face a huge third down in the fourth quarter of a playoff run and he needs to be able to find somebody open no matter the coverage.

It’s hard for them to lose with almost any combination of picks but getting back inside the top 10 in offense is truly vital for being a serious contender. And they’d be setting up for losing their other RBs and in the future and potentially helping another QB or Kyler long term.

Speedi… Instead of trading down why aren’t we mocking moving up at various spots. If where a player is drafted correlates to their potential then giving up 5th 6th or 7th round picks for a move up o
maybe a better strategy then moving down? Is a player in the later rounds that much better for backup duty than the different free agents available at or near the veteran minimum? Some of those bring some nfl game experience with them?

Historically speaking trading down has done better than trading up. I’m not sure moving up in the third or fifth round makes any sense when you think about the caliber of prospects that we’re talking about.

The Vikings would be hoping that the 7th rounders are better than free agent backups because it’s great when you hit on even a depth guy in those rounds. But anyone who’s already played in the NFL is more of a sure thing than a draft pick.

By Matthew Coller

If you have been tracking reported visits to the Minnesota Vikings, you have probably noticed that there is a trend when it comes to the wide receiver position: Almost everyone that they have met with ranks by most analysts in the ballpark of a Day 2 draft pick.

With the Vikings holding the No. 82 and 97 picks in the third round, the shoe certainly fits when it comes to the team’s need to seek a contributing wide receiver who might have upside in the future. Players like Georgia State’s Ted Hurst or NDSU’s Bryce Lance, for example, rank on Mock Draft Database’s consensus board as No. 79 and 92, respectively — right in the range of where the Vikings are picking.

The third round feels right for the Vikings in this draft. They have very serious needs on the defensive side that are more likely to be addressed in the first round and there is expected to be a distinct drop off in prospect quality after the first six receivers go off the board. Plus there are defensive starters expected to be there in the second round.

Not to mention that they have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison under contract for the next two years so they might not view WR3 as having enough bang for buck to take in the second round.

So unless the Vikings believe that an exceptional receiver has fallen through the cracks, the third round will likely have a number of quality prospects who either have impressive athletic profiles are very strong production.

Via Mock Draft Database, here are the prospects between picks 60-100 on their consensus big board:

You could easily envision how any one of these prospects would fit into the Vikings right away. Here’s a quick rundown:

Branch — Dynamic after the catch, lightning quickness and agility.

Williams — Smooth route runner, best used in the slot

Fields — Big body receiver with good hands and impressive route running for his size

Sarratt — Great hands and contested catch ability

Hurst — Blazing fast deep speed and strong ball tracking

Bell — Undersized but knows how to get open, caught a million passes last year

Lance — Freaky athlete who takes the top off the defense.

On paper, if you plug any of those fellows into the Vikings offense alongside Jefferson and Addison, they should have an instant impact.

But we know that the draft is anything but a sure thing.

Can you really get a quality receiver in the third round or is that too far down the board to expect a success story?

Let’s have a look at recent history…

Here is a list of all the wide receivers picked in the third round since 2017, sorted by yardage gained. The players who became anywhere from solid contributors to stars are listed with an asterisk.

Here’s how it breaks down:

— Out of 40 third-round receivers taken since 2017, 19 of them became at least solid contributors. That bar is relatively low when we are including players like Jalen McMillan, who had 37 catches in his first year but fell off in Year 2 or Cedric Tillman, who has between 21 and 29 receptions each season. But they weren’t exactly busts either. So it would be inaccurate to call it a near 50% “hit rate.”

— If we block the group into tiers, there are..

Four stars: Kupp, McLaurin, Godwin and Collins.

Seven semi stars: Johnson, Gallup, Golladay, Downs, Wilson, Dell, Tucker.

Eight players who have been decent contributors.

There are a handful of others that you might not call a success but have had their moments like Dyami Brown, Isaac TeSlaa, Kyle Williams, Myles Boykin etc. who you wouldn’t say were a success but not a massive failure either. (The jury is still out on TeSlaa and Williams).

Based off the relative hit rate alone, taking a third-round receiver looks like it’s pretty well worth the investment. More than a quarter of the players becoming excellent starter-level players or stars is an outstanding rate for the third round.

It stands to reason that WR would be one of the most successful positions down the draft board because there are ways that teams can adjust their roles to make the shoe fit. Offensive linemen, edge rushers and cornerbacks don’t have very moldable positions, for example.

Plus college football’s quarterbacks are often so bad that good receivers can fly under the radar. And the NFL Combine traditionally has not done very well at separating receivers because it’s such a technical position.

What does does the data tell us?

If we compare where our set of third-round receivers were expected to land based on the Mock Draft Database big board, is there any connection between reaches or steals and success rate?

Here are the biggest reaches:

There are a couple pretty big hits. Michael Wilson, Tre Tucker, Diontae Johnson, Kenny Golladay.

Maybe teams that are reaching for these guys have more of a plan for them or more patience for development. Or maybe it’s a coin flip since there’s a lot of busts too.

Something interesting is that there are barely any steals. Receivers who are projected to be gone by the second round rarely are there in the third. The only players who fell more than 30 spots beyond their projections were Jalin Hyatt and Josh Downs. That’s it.

So if we look back at this year’s list, there might be some receivers who are way down the board that surprise us but the Vikings won’t be able to expect second-round projected receivers to be there. In fact, it’s much more likely that the guys projected in the third round will be taken before they are on the clock.

Is there any type of stylistic comparison between the success stories?

Size doesn’t seem to be a factor since big receivers like Collins and Golladay worked out as did tiny Tank Dell.

Production, however, is there across all of the hits.

Here’s how the best third-rounders faired:

— Kupp: 117 catches for 1,705 yards

— McLaurin: 20.0 yards per catch, 11 TDs on 35 receptions

— Godwin: Over 2,000 yards between his final two college seasons

— Collins: 19.7 yards per reception, seven TDs on 37 catches

It wasn’t always volume for the best guys. In McLaurin and Collins’ cases, it was big-play ability.

For the others…

— Johnson had 1,278 yards in his second-to-last season

— Gallup grabbed 100 passes for 1,413 yards

— Golladay had 87 catches for 1,156 yards

— Downs caught 101 passes and 94 passes in back-to-back seasons

— Dell had 91 and 108 receptions in his last two years

— Tre Tucker is the only one on the list without an exceptional stat sheet in some way. He had 53 catches for 680 yards.

The bottom line:

It would appear that drafting a third-round wide receiver is largely a strong play, even if half of the receivers didn’t work out. If the Vikings are going to pick a receiver in that range, it doesn’t have to be someone from a huge program but it does have to be a player who was productive. Of this year’s group that’s projected in the third, most of the players did have quality production, especially Skyler Bell of UConn, who caught 102 passes. Having a specific plan for the player’s role might also play a role in their success.

There is enough in terms of quality players to also believe that the upside could be someone who ultimately takes over for Jordan Addison under the right circumstances.

But even if they don’t become a major hit, players like Dyami Brown and Josh Palmer, who weren’t exactly big hits, still ended up landing $10 million contracts as free agents. If the Vikings pick a player who only gives them 25 to 30 receptions on a rookie deal, there is still a significant surplus value.

Conclusion: Worth it.

By Matthew Coller

On April 1st, Sports Illustrated draft analyst Gilberto Manzano did something bold. Call it shocking. Brave, even. He went out on a limb and dared to trek ground that no other NFL media mock drafter would do: Mock the Minnesota Vikings an offensive tackle with the 18th overall selection.

We shouldn’t use the word “hero” lightly in society but this is a truly heroic effort in a universe where the entire mock draft universe has decided that Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman is the only player for the Vikings in next week’s draft.

Being different doesn’t necessarily correlate with being right. Many centimeters of internet space are wasted every year with folks trying to go outside of the box and they end up looking silly on draft day.

Is that the case for Mr. Manzano? Or does he have a point? Or is he a madman?

OK maybe I’m making this a tad too dramatic. But seriously, should the Vikings look at offensive tackle with the 18th overall selection?

It’s certainly justifiable. In fact, it might be downright smart.

The argument for the Vikings going offensive tackle in the first round begins with the not-so-distant future.

As of April 14, 2026, outstanding right tackle Brian O’Neill is not under contract after 2026. If you look at the cost of right tackles, you’ll notice that six of them are paid more than $22 million per year and the highest paid RTs are pushing toward $30 million. Considering his Pro Bowl resume and key leadership role, it’s not absurd to think that O’Neill’s side would see in the ballpark of $25-$30 million per season in a contract extension.

That’s not just a fair price based on performance but also scarcity. Top offensive tackles rarely hit free agency. The RTs currently making over $10 million (some have/will move to LT) are Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell, Lane Johnson, Tytus Howard, Zach Tom, Tyler Moton, Michael Onwenu, O’Neill, Spencer Brown, Mike McGlinchey, Abraham Lucas, Jermaine Eluemunor, Terence Steele and Braden Smith. Out of that group, only three aren’t with the teams that drafted them. And you could make a case that their average annual salaries are above their performance levels.

That’s another part of the argument: These guys don’t become available often and when they do, it’s expensive to get them or they end up being short-term band aids. Look at this year’s free agency. Braden Smith was the highest paid free agent right tackle that signed with another team and he inked a contract worth $10 million per year. The next highest deal for a RT handed out was $5 million.

If the Vikings have reservations about signing O’Neill to a long-term extension at top dollar, they would have plenty of reason to draft a tackle.

On the other side, Christian Darrisaw had a rough time last season dealing with a knee injury. It’s unclear where things stand with his recovery but even if he was back to 100%, he has still had a concerning injury history. He has only played over 900 snaps twice since being drafted in 2021.

There is no question that Darrisaw is an elite player when he’s in the game but his past suggests that playing an entire season will be a challenge.

If the Vikings were to draft an offensive tackle in Round 1, it would be an insurance policy for next season. Rather than having a normal backup offensive tackle — presently Ryan Van Demark, a UDFA signed from the Bills — the Vikings would have a first-round draft pick coming off the bench to take his spot.

That actually applies across the offensive line. Maybe they wouldn’t want Spencer Fano to play center because it’s a complex mental position but draft prognosticators believe that he could potentially play guard. Will Fries has been injured before. Donovan Jackson has been injured before.

How often does any team get away with their starting five playing the entire season?

Right now, we are certain that a first-round tackle will be on the bench all year. By Week 3, he might be playing. (That’s when Jackson got hurt last year, by the way).

Another element of the argument pertains to this particular draft.

Acting GM Rob Brzezinski talked at the NFL Combine and the owner’s meetings about building a draft board objectively to pick the best players, not adjusting the rankings for need. Well, this draft appears to be strong with offensive tackles.

Mock Draft Database lists six tackles as top 32 players on its consensus big board and Max Iheananchor is 36th. Compare that to some other positions like defensive tackle — a clear Vikings need — where the top two players rank No. 29 and 31.

Fano is 11th on MDD’s consensus board. If the Vikings could grab the 11th best player in the draft at No. 18 when they have an oft-injured left tackle and a right tackle whose contract is up after this year, it’s pretty darn hard to say no.

Would you rather have a top rated tackle where it’s unclear when they’re going to play or reach on a defensive tackle who is going to play right away?

If the franchise was ending after 2026, maybe you’d go DT but I don’t believe that’s in the plans.

Of course, if the Vikings extend O’Neill and their medical folks love where Darrisaw is at and they believe that Van Demark is a wonderful fit, then they shouldn’t draft a tackle.

If there are doubts about any of that, it’s worth considering. Best Player Available might get tested.

Should this happen, the reaction will probably be confusion and it might feel like not getting to play with a toy on Christmas day. It also might be the best economic and practical decision they could make.

ADDITIONAL NOTE

— Ian Rapoport is reporting that Dexter Lawrence and the Giants have reached an impasse in contract negotiations. Buckle up.

The Vikings have every reason to make this trade and if the Giants want the No. 18 overall pick, it might be worth it considering that this draft is not particularly strong.

By Matthew Coller

The 1998 draft broadcast on ESPN opened with Chris Berman calling it “D-Day for the deal makers” with highlights of Charles Woodson intercepting passes, running back punts and putting a rose in his teeth. Then it quickly transitions into Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf.

The draft is inside Madison Square Garden Theater, where it was housed for many years before Roger Goodell figured out that he could coax crazed fans from all over the country to travel somewhere just to watch names being read off (rooting for you, Minneapolis in 2028!).

Drafts are often defined by the biggest hits and biggest misses but every time I rewatch a draft, there are several players who were marked as can’t-miss and then turned out to be a flop. When Berman welcomes us into MSG, the cameras show Manning, Leaf, Woodson and Curtis Enis. We’re not even two minutes in and I found myself saying out loud, remember Curtis Enis?

The desk is Mel Kiper Jr. and Joe Theisman.

Berman begins going around the country where ESPN has reporters stationed for the night and one of the places is West Virginia to cover the “most intriguing player in the draft, Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss.”

It would be hard to explain to someone now how intense the Leaf/Manning debates were. I’m not sure that there has ever been a discussion quite like it since then. Both were considered to have potential that went beyond franchise QB. They both had the talent to be legends. Knowing that Manning became a top-five QB in NFL history tells you even more about the type of prospect Leaf was. His arm talent was astonishing.

The broadcast sends it out to former QB Mark Malone for a report from Indianapolis. He says that the Colts spent the entire night before the draft trying to decide between the two. GM Bill Polian told Malone that they had then “a tenth-of-a-point apart.” Malone said that he and Polian talked for an hour about the pros and cons of each QB.

Manning had a bigger sample size than Leaf. He decided to come back for another year at Tennessee rather than coming out in the draft in 1997. Apparently Manning was nicknamed “The Caveman” because he watched so much film that it never felt like he came out of his cave. The intangibles, Malone says, will be the difference.

Kiper Jr. then lays out his big board. He has Andre Wadsworth as the No. 1 player in the draft. Yes, that’s right, Andre Wadsworth. “The next Bruce Smith,” Kiper Jr. says.

In case you’re asking, “who?” You’re not alone. Even I didn’t remember Wadsworth. That’s because he started 30 career games and got 8.0 total sacks in his career with the Cardinals.

This draft was preposterous in terms of the talent involved. Kiper Jr. says there is a “drop off” in talent and we see names like Takeo Spikes, Pro Bowl tackle Tra Thomas, Vonnie Holliday, Kyle Turley, Kevin Dyson and Grant Wistrom. All hits.

Moss’s name isn’t on Kiper Jr.’s list of the top players. Berman asks him about it.

“He was a man among boys when you talk about dominating cornerbacks in the MAC, he really stuck out,” Kiper Jr. said.

ESPN’s draft analyst notes that Moss needs development. Getting off press coverage, route running and so forth. Of course, he became the best receiver in football by about Week 3 of his rookie year.

The Colts are on the clock. Theismann presents Manning as more of a sure thing with a lower ceiling because of his physical ability.

Funny, Berman notes that the Colts brought jerseys with both players’ names on them to the draft. That means there’s a good chance that somewhere in a closet or a storage room there is a Colts Ryan Leaf jersey.

Before we get to the pick, ESPN pours some salt in the Colts’ wound by re-living the John Elway pick and runs down the ridiculous list of QBs between 1983 and 1998, including Jeff George, Jim Harbaugh and Chris Chandler. Yes, once upon a time the Colts were a franchise that couldn’t buy a good QB. Then they spent 25 years with excellence at the position.

Colts owner Jim Irsay is in the building and personally walks up the card. Berman notes that this basically never happens.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue makes the announcement and there’s a mix of cheers and boos. Theismann says that Manning has been working on getting rid of his little choppy steps while standing in the pocket. Naturally, he never actually did and it became a signature of his play.

Kiper Jr. warns the audience about setting expectations too high. Theismann disagrees, saying that Manning’s stats at the end of Year 1 are going to look like a veteran. Score one for Kiper there. Manning led the NFL in interceptions and went 3-13. (He went 13-3 the following year, so he wasn’t that wrong).

Manning tells Mike Tirico that he knew he was going to be the pick. Polian is with Malone.

“We felt that Peyton, because of his experience and his maturity level in the game of football fit best for us in this particular situation,” Polian said.

Something I forgot was that the San Diego Chargers didn’t initially have the No. 2 overall pick. They traded up there with the Arizona Cardinals and sent a 1999 first, a second, Eric Metcalf and LB Patrick Sapp to move up one spot. Good trade by the Cardinals, it turns out.

The interesting part about the trade is that Arizona had Jake Plummer, who just had a promising debut season in 1997. So the Cards basically put the pick up for sale and got a great deal.

The analysis turns to Leaf. The focus is on his upside. His ability to throw on the move at his size (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) was ridiculous. Theismann compares him to Drew Bledsoe.

“Five years from now, it may not look like [the Chargers] gave up enough to trade up, this kid has tremendous potential,” Kiper Jr. says.

When they roll the highlights as Leaf is accepting his No. 16 jersey, you fully believe Kiper. Leaf looks like Josh Allen more than Bledsoe. He was throwing on the run, moving all over the place, firing rockets to every part of the field.

It’s an always-and-forever point to make about the draft: We never know how someone is going to handle the NFL environment. There is no earthly reason that a guy who played like this in college should have gone 4-17 but it’s a different universe.

Berman brings up that in Week 5 the Colts were set to play the Chargers. Manning vs. Leaf. Can’t wait! The game finished 17-12. Leaf threw for 160 yards and Manning had 137.

The Cardinals are on the clock at No. 3. The way Andre Wadsworth is being talked about is the same stuff you would have heard about Myles Garrett or Nick Bosa when they were in the draft. The broadcast shows a mashup of NFL people describing him with one word and Polian says, “Bruce Smith.”

I went looking for why Wadsworth turned out to be such a bust. He had a prolific college career, ran a 4.65 40-yard dash and had a 35.5 inch vertical at 6-foot-4, 278 pounds. The answer turned out to be injuries. He was pretty good in his first season and then had a knee injury in 1999, microfracture surgery in his knee in 2000 and then arthroscopic surgery on his other knee. That was pretty much that. Brutal.

Onto the No. 4 overall pick with the Raiders. Everyone knows it’s Charles Woodson. But to whom?

Sal Pal joins from New England and reports that the Raiders wanted to trade the Woodson pick to the Patriots. Can you imagine if a Patriots team that won the Super Bowl a few years later had Woodson? They ended up picking RB Robert Edwards, who had a career-altering injury at the Pro Bowl, and CB Tebucky Jones. The Pats got basically nothing out of that draft. Trading up is risky but it’s not always wrong.

Mort is in Miami. He’s reporting that the Raiders want to take Woodson and then make a trade with New Orleans to pick Randy Moss.

Yes, I spit out my Diet Dr. Pepper.

The Raiders turned into a powerhouse a few years after the Woodson draft when they got Rich Gannon. Imagine Randy Moss on the 2000-2002 Raiders instead of the Vikings. Those teams were absolutely loaded on offense. It would have been insane.

Mort says the Saints want the 1999 first-round pick from the Raiders. The Raiders decided not to do it. They ended up taking tackle Matt Stinchcomb in the first round of the ‘99 draft. I had to Google him. So, yeah.

The Raiders pick Woodson. They show his punt return TD against Ohio State. All childhood sports memories come flooding back to me at once.

The Bears are on the clock. Berman says, “the saga of Randy Moss really gets started…”

Mort reports that the Jaguars are trying to trade up, presumably to take Curtis Enis. They ended up taking borderline Hall of Famer Fred Taylor a few picks later. This is why we love the draft.

Any time I watch Berman from this era, it’s a reminder that he was a one-of-one personality. He casually mentions that the Bears have Edgar “Allen Poe” Bennett there without flinching and calls Chris Mortenson “Mortimer.”

We sometimes talk about the running back dialogue as if it’s brand new in the NFL but Theismann says that he doesn’t think Chicago has the supporting cast to provide the best setup for a young running back. He suggests D-line or receiver. Imagine if they had listened and taken Moss. That would have been a nightmare for him.

Chris Myers is reporting that the St. Louis Rams want Enis but Chicago’s price is too high. The Rams found a little old running back named Marshall Faulk in a trade the following year. Do they take him if they pick Enis? The ripple effects of even the first five picks are wild.

Enis’ career was also derailed by injury. It turned out that he had a degenerative knee issue. When he did play, he was brutal, averaging 3.3 yards per carry for his career.

It’s interesting how the running back dialogue gets shaped from year to year by whatever the most recent results were. Spending a top-five pick on Enis rather than taking a bunch of other great prospects including Moss was crushing for a struggling Bears franchise. Recently we’ve seen Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson turn into stars, so it feels more like it might be worth the high selection to take Jeremiyah Love. There’s probably no perfect answer.

As Enis holds up his jersey, Sal Pal reports that the Bears were asking for three first-round picks from the Patriots to give him up. Whoops.

The Rams are next on the clock. They pick Grant Wistrom, who went on to have a good career and played a major role in their Super Bowl victory in ‘99.

Tom Jackson shows us how Wistrom avoids cut blocks with a random large man dressed up as an offensive lineman. TV gold.

Berman says, “there was no way the Rams were going to dabble with Randy Moss after the Lawrence Phillips debacle.” The Rams are one of the only teams in the draft that looks good for not picking Moss though.

The Moss conversation starts to heat up with the Saints on the clock with the No. 6. Berman takes us through Moss’s rap sheet.

The broadcast throws to a bunch of coaches who they asked about Moss.

Dick Vermeil says, “if you are going to invest a first-round pick in a player, there better not be any question marks in regard to his past performances off the field.”

Tony Dungy shows up. “You have to err on the side of caution because it can be very destructive to your salary cap, very destructive to getting the right kinds of guys in… sometimes you may miss on a guy who’s going to come in and do very, very well, but you have to play the percentages.”

Odd statement since Tony drafted Warren Sapp.

Mike Ditka explains that he grades character by whether it can be changed. “Do I think he’s changed already? I think he’s in the process of trying to change. Whether he’s changed or not, I don’t know.”

Andrea Kramer reports that she had a chance to read teams’ psychological assessments of Moss.

ESPN used to have some freaking good reporters, huh.

Here’s what Kramer found:

— One team was concerned about how Moss would handle getting millions of dollars. They also were worried about his lack of discipline effecting his “work habits.”

— A scout questioned his ability to lead and accept criticism.

— Another scout told Kramer that Moss had never been yelled at while he was at Marshall.

— Kramer said that a team gave phycologial tests to a bunch of players and the results of Moss’s were: “Until he develops more self discipline he will be his worst enemy.”

— She notes one report that wonders how Moss will handle bump-n-run coverage.

Basically, the league had no freaking idea what it was about to get hit with as soon as Moss took an NFL field.

Linda Cohn is live in West Virginia, who spent a couple days there learning about Moss.

Cohn spoke with coaches and teammates at Marshall.

“The Randy Moss that’s being talked about by some NFL teams is simply not the Randy Moss that they know,” she said.

Chad Pennington is featured.

“It’s amazing to see how much people base on perception,” Pennington said. “They make their point of view and opinions before they even meet a person, before they even get to know a person. When you do that, you can get somebody wrong and be mistaken. I think a lot of people are mistaken about Randy.”

Pennington says he believes Moss is “100% changed, he’s totally turned things around.” And his head coach says that they are just digging up old stuff from the past.

I cannot begin to tell you how much better TV this is than having 57 analysts spout opinions on Shedeur Sanders.

Before Cohn wraps up her report, she notes that another psychological report given to the Bears, Dolphins and Saints said the following: “This young man, under the right system should adjust quickly and respond positively in a most consistent manner.”

“It’s not all negative,” she says before sending it back to Boomer.

They continue the Moss discussion. You can tell that ESPN was planning on Moss going much higher than he actually did.

Kiper Jr. says that he thinks that if Lawrence Phillips hadn’t busted a few years before that Moss would have been a top-five pick.

Offensive lineman Kyle Turley goes to the New Orleans Saints. Chris Fowler notes that most mock drafts expected things to play out this way.

Now we’ve got former college coach Mike Gottfried talking Moss. The highlights are outrageous. Laugh out loud funny to see him flying around poor MAC players. Imagine being a current 47-year-old insurance salesman who once attempted to tackle Randy freaking Moss.

“He has a high upside — I mean, HIGH,” Gottfried said. “He has a downside as big as the Grand Canyon.” He added that Moss ran “undisciplined routes” and says that he takes plays off. Fowler wonders if he will listen to coaching.

What’s interesting is that some of the stuff that teams had in their reports about Moss were completely true. He did butt heads with people, especially post-Denny. He did struggle when things went sideways like when he walked off the field before the game was over in 2004.

What the evaluations missed was that he wasn’t just a freak athletically. He was a freak competitor who desperately wanted to prove everyone wrong. They also probably didn’t realize that Randy Moss is a really smart guy who was a football junkie.

With the broadcast in particular, when Fowler is talking about how Moss won’t listen to any coaching, it felt like we had crossed the threshold of piling on. Is Randy Moss a serial killer? You would have thought that the guy laid in a hammock with a shotgun during practice if you had never heard of him before and just watched draft night.

Now here’s the moment that would drive Moss for his entire career. The Dallas Cowboys are on the clock. According to Moss, Jerry Jones told him that the Cowboys were going to take him.

“If Moss ends up with the Cowboys, man, there’s a lotta storylines off that one,” Berman says.

Cohn says that the Cowboys have “serious interest” and notes that a scout has been staying in West Virginia to keep tabs on going on with him. She reports that Moss spent an hour with Randy and he also met Deion Sanders.

Chris Myers then reports they are not going to take him. In another moment that was said seriously but is comedic now, Myers says that the Cowboys brought in a “behavior consultant” because they had so many issues off the field with players. Classic.

They then toss it to Andrea Kramer. She is the first to bring up the Minnesota Vikings. Denny Green told her that “this is America, everyone deserves a second chance.” She reports that Moss’s brother is on the Vikings. I did not know that. Green told Kramer that they had not taken Moss off their draft board.

Berman predicts a free fall for Moss. Theismann suggests the Cowboys pick Moss. He was right again.

The Cowboys go with defensive end Greg Ellis and then the picks start flying off the shelf with no Moss to be found. Fred Taylor to the Jaguars. Cornerback Duane Starks gets taken by the Ravens. The Eagles pick tackle Tra Thomas. Linebacker Keith Brooking to Atlanta. The Bengals go with linebacker Takeo Spikes.

Let’s stop again and say… WHAT A DRAFT. If this was a different draft with less talent, it’s possible Moss goes much earlier.

The Panthers go DT. The Seahawks pick a linebacker and then the lights go out. Berman calls Kiper Jr. “The Prince of Darkness.” Is there anybody ever better than Berman for a strange moment of live TV like that?

Lights are back on and the Tennessee Titans are on the clock. They pick Kevin Dyson. Yep, that’s right. Randy Moss was not the first WR taken. Kiper Jr. says he was a “better all-around player than Randy Moss was.” Alrighty.

When Dyson is taken, the crowd lets out an, “uhhhhhh.”

Another hilarious moment. Berman says to Mel: “Is he a better receiver right now than Randy Moss?”

Mel replies: “I think so.”

Can’t miss by much more than that. But that’s the draft for you.

A few picks later, we’re back to trashing the hell out of Moss. The broadcast runs a montage of everyone saying negative things about him from earlier in the night. In case you missed it, Moss is theeeee woorrrssssssstt.

We’re now 2 hours and 45 minutes in and Cohn is reporting on what Moss is eating. It’s a little weird that we don’t see him at all like other players who fell down draft boards. There’s no distinct vision of him dropping, just talk, talk, talk, talk about it.

One for the books: Cohn reports the Packers told Randy’s agent that they “simply have too many receivers” to pick Moss. WHOOPS.

Myers reports that the Vikings are considering Moss but their focus is cornerback. Can you imagine? Are they the Los Angeles Vikings right now if that had happened?

The Pack trade up to take DL Vonnie Holliday and the Lions go with Terry Fair. They would pay for those decisions just a little in the next six years.

Now we have finally arrived at the Vikings’ pick. They run in the pick. It’s Randy Moss. The crowd goes crazy.

They start playing the highlights. No matter how many times you watch, you just can’t believe it.

Mel questions Moss’s ability to get off the line of scrimmage but the former quarterback Theismann is beaming.

“If you see a big grin in Minnesota, it’s Brian Billick, the offensive coordinator,” he says.

Theismann was on a heater in this draft.

“Moss brings a real deep threat,” he says. “I also think there are very positive influences around him.”

Now we’ve got Jaws.

“It’s a great fit because he’s got the size in the red zone to go up and get the football,” he says.

He’s concerned about Moss’s lack of route running discipline but he’s amped too.

Now everybody likes Moss?!

Cohn is with Moss. She asks about his conversation with Denny Green.

“He just said to be encouraged and let all the stuff tonight, just keep it in the back [of my mind] and concentrate on what I do best,” Moss says.

Moss admits to telling Cohn that if he knew he was going to face so much scrutiny, he might have considered staying in college another year.

So freaking many things had to happen in order for him to become a Viking.

Randy claims that he’s not holding a grudge against the teams that passed on him. Sure, Randy.

Berman returns with this gem: “We now know the Vikings are no rolling stones because rolling stones gather no moss.”

Amazing.

Dennis Green is up next and he has the biggest smile of his life.

“This is old, old news, it’s not like it happened yesterday,” Green says indignantly. “That’s been our philosophy, we’re taking the best player on the board.”

He says he thought about getting Moss the previous November.

“Randy Moss teaming up with Cris Carter and Jake Reed with Robert Smith in the backfield and Andrew Glover running down the middle with give us the most potent offense in the National Football League,” Green said. “That’s why we drafted him.”

Whew. Bang on.

Green is so animated he’s basically putting on a WWE promo.

“This is a great player who made some mistakes in his past, he was 18 and 19 years old,” Green says. “We are taking the high road. We’re saying we have a full glass of water here and we have a football player who’s going to mean a lot to our football team.”

Green then says he’s going to re-work the playbook now that Moss is there.

Berman is loving it. He asks if Moss is coachable and buzzes the tower about the Vikings passing on Warren Sapp. Yet he did it in a very approachable way that didn’t get a defensive response.

Green is sweating confidence about Moss.

They say goodbye to Green and that’s that. Moss is a Minnesota Viking.

Whew.

After a full rewatch of the first round, one thing that kept coming to mind is that things haven’t changed with these broadcasts. If it bleeds, it leads. The most focus was on the controversial player who drops in the draft rather than most of the best players at the top. Like Shedeur Sanders taking the spotlight from Cam Ward in 2025, there was basically zero discussion of Manning and Leaf beyond the first two picks. You would have barely known that they were picked.

It’s hard to believe that we haven’t found a better way to cover players like this, including with the “off-field issues,” that are always treated like they are one singular problem and not specific to the individual.

Every year it’s fascinating to study the dominoes that fall and how they impact the future but this is one of the craziest drafts ever for that. Are they still the San Diego Chargers if they pick Peyton Manning? What if Chicago selected Fred Taylor instead of Curtis Enis? How about all those trades offers that teams turned down because the prices were so high? If a team like Arizona or the Mike Ditka Saints take Moss, what does he become? Or is he so good that it doesn’t matter?

What do the Vikings become if Moss doesn’t come here? Right now there is an entire generation of fans who watched the Vikings because of Moss. Does Green last a few more years if they didn’t have Moss and were a mid-pack offense? Then again, without Moss, there’s a certain heartbreak that doesn’t happen.

Looking back at an old draft is a little bit like a Twilight Zone episode. You imagine all the things that could have been and think about all of the things that were just because of decisions made on one night in April.

Wild.

By Matthew Coller

This year’s defensive tackle class leaves a lot to be desired in comparison to some previous groups.

There are only three DTs who are being mocked routinely in the first round: Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, Clemson’s Peter Woods and Florida giant Caleb Banks.

McDonald has the fewest questions about his game. He is a 326-pound run-stuffing monster who tosses guards around and adds to his intimidation factor by painting his entire face for games. He made an exceptional 65 tackles and ranked as a top run defender in the country by PFF. Plus he only missed two tackles all season.

Woods, a explosive 298-pounder from Clemson, has a bit different of a profile but still stands out as a run defender. He was better during his junior year when he lined up across the line more than just being jammed in the middle to eat up blockers.

Banks has injury concerns but his size is only matched by a handful of NFL defensive tackles. He’s 6-foot-6, 327 and has unbelievably long arms and giant hands. He also has movement skill that is crazy for his size. The problem is that he dealt with injury issues in 2025 and his production in 2024 didn’t match his talent.

The Minnesota Vikings should be considering all three players with the 18th overall pick (or if they trade down in the first round) because their current roster only has one proven defensive tackle in Jalen Redmond and then project players in Levi Drake Rodriguez, Ty Ingram-Dawkins and Elijah Williams. They let go Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave and haven’t signed anyone else to take their place.

The question about this set of DTs is whether any of them is actually worth a first-round pick.

There are a wide range of opinions on McDonald, Woods and Banks. For example, Dane Brugler of The Athletic has McDonald as his 32nd ranked overall player with Woods at 35 and Banks at 52. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has Banks as the only first-round pick of the three, whereas NFL.com’s Eric Edholm ranks Peter Woods as the best of the group and his 23rd overall player. Yahoo! Sports recently did a mock draft pairing McDonald with the Vikings.

While they are different types of players, the biggest concern for this set of mammoth mem is that none of them have an impressive track record of rushing the passer during their college careers.

Here is how they graded by PFF in their last two seasons versus the run and as pass rushers.

McDonald: 91.2 run stopping, 63.1 pass rushing

Banks (2024): 67.9 run stopping, 73.2 pass rushing

Woods: 74.5 run stopping, 65.4 pass rushing

By these measures, our trio of DTs would make up some of the worst first-round picks that we’ve seen in recent memory if they were taken on Day 1 of the draft.

Here is a chart of how all of the recent first-round defensive tackles graded, with grades over and under 85 (elite) highlighted:

Right away you will notice that very few players were scoring in the 60s or 70s by PFF on either side of the ball. Generally speaking, players without completely dominating performances in college slip to the second round. It’s hardly impossible that it could happen. Back in 2021, there were no first-round DTs.

You’ll probably notice something else: Some of the players that McDonald, Woods and Banks have been compared with have much, much better PFF scores. Vita Vea and Dexter Lawrence weren’t elite pass-rushing talents but for their 340+ pound size, they scored in the 80s, better than all three current prospects. Vea also produced one of the best run defensive grades in PFF’s history.

Here’s how the list shook out by categories of complete DTs, run stuffers and pass rushers:

Players who were elite at both: Jalen Carter, Derrick Brown, Quinnen Williams, Ed Oliver, Christian Wilkins, Jeffery Simmons.

Players who were not elite pass rushers but stopped the run: Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen, Tyliek Williams, Jordan Davis, Dexter Lawrence, Vita Vea, Da’Ron Payne.

Players who were not elite run defenders but rushed the passer: Derrick Harmon, Byron Murphy II, Calijah Kancey, Javon Kinlaw, Jerry Tillery

Players who were not elite at either: Darius Robinson, Mazi Smith, Bryan Breese, Taven Bryan

Kinda good at both: Devonte Wyatt

Some observations:

— Every single DT who graded elite at both turned out to be a very, very good or great NFL player.

— The four DTs from last year are not yet determined but none of them were game changers right away. The others outside of Payne are the freakiest of the freaky freak monsters in the NFL and all of them had better pass rush grades than McDonald.

— All the players who weren’t elite at either skill were busts.

It’s worth saying that nothing in the draft is ever totally predictable. This research does not prove that any of the players will or won’t thrive but there is a conclusion to be drawn: Banks and Woods fall under the category of not being elite at either skill. That should be very concerning to whoever decides to draft them.

Woods does have a better argument than Banks because in 2024 he was much closer to the 85 mark with an 81.3 run grade and 74.0 pass rush grade.

McDonald has a much better argument to fall under the umbrella of players like Davis and Vea. But he isn’t quite the same size as those who worked out.

Davis is 6-foot-6, 341 pounds and ran a 4.78 40-yard dash. Vea is 6-foot-4, 347 pounds and benched an incredible 41 reps. Lawrence is 6-foot-4, 342 pounds and has one of the widest wingspans in the entire league.

Another interesting trend in researching defensive tackles who were taken in the first round is that run defense grade doesn’t always translate.

Below is a chart of the final season of each first-round defensive tackle’s college career by PFF run defense grade and their most recent NFL season.

One thing to factor when looking at the chart is that NFL grades are naturally not going to be as high as college grades because it’s impossible to dominate pro competition in the same way but if you consider that a 60.0 PFF grade is the top 30% of the NFL in run defense grade, then we find that 17 of our 24 first-round DTs are below that mark.

Out of the top 20 run defenders in the NFL last year at DT, we find all sorts of Day 2 and Day 3 picks. Baltimore’s Travis Jones ranked third, UDFA Poona Ford was fifth, fourth-rounder Harrison Phillips sixth, UDFA Tier Tart seventh, Atlanta’s David Onyemata (fourth-rounder) eighth, sixth-round pick DJ Jones 10th and UDFA Jalen Redmond 11th.

That doesn’t mean first-rounders can’t stop the run. The top two were Quinnen Williams and Cam Heyward and Vita Vea, Derrick Brown and Jeffery Simmons are all in the top 25 but former Viking Jonathan Bullard is right in that same mix.

We might conclude here that it’s hard to be a one-man wrecking crew against the run as a DT these days.

In 2015, PFF graded 25 defensive tackles over an 80.0 grade. In 2025, there were three.

There’s a few possible explanations for that. Teams have gotten smarter about how they run the football. The NFL has seen a massive jump in Expected Points Added on the ground over the last 10 years. Defenses also have focused more on getting after the passer, so DTs are more often being told to stop the run on the way to the quarterback. The amount of stunts and blitzes that defensive coordinators are dialing up likely makes it more difficult to go straight forward and stop the run.

You might argue that it’s a cheat code to have a guy who does it exceptionally well and that’s fair. But we can’t assume based on the college performances from McDonald, Woods or Banks that they actually will do it well and stopping the run certainly isn’t worth a first-round pick when we look at EPA.

The average NFL team’s total EPA from passing the ball in 2025 was 60.3 points and the average rushing was 11.2 points.

Certainly there are impacts on the passing game from running successfully like having more opportunities to dial up play-action and sack avoidance. It’s also clear that teams are handing off more these days than in the recent past. But pressuring and sacking the QB are still having more impact than stopping runs.

The Seahawks were the NFL’s best run defense last year in terms of EPA allowed but the next six best teams behind them all missed the playoffs. Seattle was also No. 4 in pass defense. Usually it’s best to be good at everything, but if you’re going to choose, you’d still prefer shutting down the pass game.

That doesn’t mean the Vikings should avoid all run-focused defensive tackles in the draft. In fact, there are a high number of players in this year’s draft that would be worth looking at in either Day 2 or 3.

Here are a few of the best names and their PFF run defense grades:

Christen Miller, Georgia (43rd on Brugler’s big board) — 90.2 PFF run defense grade

Lee Hunter, Texas Tech (55th) — 84.3 grade

Nick Barrett, South Carolina — 82.9 grade

Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida St. — 81.3 grade

Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati — 80.9 grade

Chris McClellan, Missouri — 75.2 grade

When it comes to the current group of defensive tackles, it’s worth noting that the possibility exists for there to be extenuating circumstances and each one of them might end up becoming a star. McDonald is strong enough and quick enough to become a version of Vita Vea and Caleb Banks could click and look something like Linval Joseph and Woods might get better usage and become Harrison Phillips-plus. But if we are playing the odds game, the better path is to look for mid-round DTs and sign a cheaper veteran who fits the system.

By Matthew Coller

Happy Friday, everyone! Two more weeks. Twooooo more weeks.

Let’s dive into your questions…

Dan…. Adding Dexter Lawrence, apart from its merits, would simply be awesome because it makes next year’s Vikings team even more of a quintessential Vikings team. They’d be setup for a chance at another one of their wild, once in ten years runs at the playoffs with a random quarterback who might just click, great receiving weapons, and a strong defense anchored by a great defensive line.

I say go for it! If they shy away from the risk, are their odds of a deep playoff run going to be any better in 2027 or 2028 than they could be this year with Kyler and Dexter? There’s tons of uncertainty 1-2 years into the future, but they’ll have their work cut out for them just to keep the pace with this year’s solid roster.

You are right about that. It would have all the markers of a classic Vikings team that loses in the NFC Championship. The dominating defensive line, rent-a-quarterback, filthy wide receivers, really good kicker etc.

The argument for trading for Dexter Lawrence is exactly the way you laid it out. I know folks are asking a lot of questions about Kyler Murray but he’s played in the NFL long enough that I feel like I have a very good sense for what he can be with the Vikings at his best. Imperfect but capable of producing a top-10 offense.

If they added Lawrence and he produced 45 QB pressures and 7.0 sacks and was a top-five run-defending DT, it’s plausible for the Vikings to have the best defense in the NFL if some other things go right (i.e. health, schedule).

There’s a case for saying screw it because this is the final year of the roster that was build up since 2023. It feels like the 2019 or 2022 Vikings. It’ll be a way different team one year from now.

Signing Lawrence to a $30 million deal would look pretty tough at first but the 2027 Vikings have a bunch of expensive players leaving, which would create space for him. He’s not that old. His health record is very good. It would be a foundational piece to build around.

Where the rubber meets the road with Lawrence is the price tag. If the Vikings only had to give up the 49th overall pick, it would be very tough to say no. It would be pretty much like the TJ Hockenson trade where they knew that the 2022 team was about to come apart so they took a swing at a star player with a second-rounder. If the Giants aren’t moving Lawrence for anything less than a first-round pick, I’m out.

Jeffrey S…Am I crazy for thinking 18 is too high for Thieneman or EMW? On the hand, I would be intrigued by Faulk (I don`t think he would be more than a rotational player year 1) or Sadiq at 18....

No sir, you are not crazy. It’s not that Thieneman or McNeil-Warren aren’t good prospects. They absolutely are. There are some folks who are incredibly high on Thieneman and think that he’s one of the best safety prospects to come out in the draft in the last 10 years. If the Vikings think that either guy is a franchise type player who can dominate from the safety position, then they should probably just take either guy if they are on the board.

My skepticism is this: If either guy hits 80% of what we think they can be, then it’s one of the easiest positions in the NFL to replace. I assume that’s one of the reasons that the league doesn’t take safeties very high. Starks and Emmanwori were great prospects and they went 27th and 35th last year.

It’s so rare that safeties are taken in the first that I had to go back to 2019 to find a guy taken close to where the Vikings are picking. (Kyle Hamilton was kinda close at 14th). That was Darnell Savage. He’s a great example of my concern He ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and was considered a highly instinctual player. He was also a little undersized. Savage was OK with the Packers, then signed a three-year, $21 million second contract. There were a lot of good players on the board when they made that pick, including Montez Sweat, Byron Murphy Jr., Kaleb McGary, Deebo Samuel…

Anyway, you get the point. The guy can’t just kinda be OK if you’re investing that much. It’s gotta be a home run. That’s not true for some other positions.

My takes are varying back and fourth on Faulk. He’s physically gifted and has a chance to be good under the right circumstances. I also kinda see a Jihad Ward in him. Tweener with traits but… where does he really fit?

I’d be good with Sadiq.

Timothy G… Are UFL players draft eligible? Is there a scenario where a UFL player with legit measurables makes a handful of splash plays and gets their name called?

I believe there was one instance of a UFL player or CFL player (I can’t remember) who was drafted recently but it’s a rare situation. The guy would have to drop out of college early and then go play in either one of those leagues and then do enough to get the NFL’s attention. The guy who did it was very poor and needed the money but now that’s not the case in college.

Most UFL players are undrafted free agents or guys who have played in the NFL who are looking for one last chance.

Brent K…Matthew, with a couple weeks to go before the draft, I’m going to go off topic for a moment. How many guitars do you own? Which is your favorite? What do you have your eye on for your next one?

Regarding the Vikings draft, so many analysts are pointing to safety for the Vikings, it feels like it might be purposeful misdirection from the team. Either that or a major leak from someone. Your thoughts?

I own nine guitars. My wife got me a Randy Rhodes Jackson for my birthday last year and a Yamaha Revstar a few years ago, so I play both of those a lot. My other most played guitar is a Nick Johnston Schecter super strat style. I’m not sure what’s next. I might want to invest in something amp wise. I have a Boss Katana and a mini Fender amp that comes with a great amp modeler but I’m always on the hunt for better tone.

My theory on why Dillon Thieneman is the pick for every draft analyst is A) He’s a really good talent in a draft that’s weak at the most valuable positions (edge rusher, quarterback, cornerback) B) People Google the roster, see Theo Jackson and Jay Ward and assume that the situation at safety is dire (not saying they’re necessarily wrong) C) the Vikings aren’t a hot team to talk about so mock drafters just toss a name in there that makes sense and move on.

The mockers may very well be right. They were right about the Vikings picking JJ McCarthy. Donovan Jackson was definitely on the radar last year. Jordan Addison wasn’t a big surprise in 2023. Maybe it will be chalk.

I just think there are a lot of options that make sense for the Vikings if we look one more year down the road. Defensive line, outside linebacker, cornerback, tackle, receiver, tight end etc. It doesn’t seem like the mock universe ever looks big picture on these things.

Brad L… Lots of talk about drafting for defense (which makes sense). Yet I feel like I’ve heard Flores isn’t keen on playing rookies. So, how do you see that all playing out?

The Vikings haven’t given Flores much to work with. It doesn’t seem that he’s had much patience with players who are projects but the only guy he’s had in the top-100 picks since he got here is Dallas Turner. It’s pretty hard to pin a rookie-hating label on him when they never give him top talents to develop.

In Miami, Christian Wilkins started 14 games as a rookie first-round pick. Safety Brandon Jones had a big role in 2020 as a rookie. Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, a second-rounder, started 12 games in 2020. Third-round pick Jerome Baker played a lot as a rookie in 2019 and then was a full-timer by 2020.

If the examples we’re using of Flores not developing young players are Esezi Otomewo, Akayleb Evans and Nahshon Wright, I don’t think that case holds up in court.

There is something to the complexity of the defense when it comes to Flores getting young players in the mix and I would have liked to have seen them be more patient with UDFAs and late-round guys rather than just shuffling in and out project players but I’m confident that he’s going to have no trouble playing Dillon Thieneman or Peter Woods or Jermod McCoy if they take those guys high in the draft.

I think 90% of NFL fan bases probably say that their coaches hate the young players. I remember when Zimmer didn’t have Garrett Bradbury taking first-team reps in minicamp, I got emails about Zimmer hating rookies.

Evan… I liked your power rankings, but there is nothing worse than the Vikings being #8 - right in the middle. What can the Vikings do this season to move the needle (in any direction, whether we go to the bottom or top)?

Thanks. I will say that my issue with power rankings in general is that they don’t include the deviation between each number. There is not an equal distance between each pick. So the gap between the Rams and Seahawks is small but the gap between the Seahawks and the next best team is large, if that makes sense.

The gap between the Vikings, Packers, Lions and Bears is very small. The Vikings just have more variance with a new quarterback, so it’s fair to put them fourth in the NFC North in a power ranking, even if I actually think they have a good chance to win the division. I don’t think if Kyler works out that the Vikings are very far behind San Francisco either and I think I had them third.

To your question, a big trade could definitely move the needle. If they got Dexter Lawrence or De’Von Achane, then things change. I’m not sure there’s any draft scenario outside of getting Jeremiah Love that could do it or late spring signing. They’re going to have to prove that it works with Murray.

Jason… I am probably over reacting to a couple of mock drafts I saw. But in some of those, Spencer Fano had fallen below the Vikings 19th pick and they still had the Vikings taking Thieneman. It seems like Fano would be a home run given his ability to play all over the line including center. Is there a scenario where Fano is realistically there and the Vikings pass? Essentially talk me out of picking Fano if possible.

Under the current circumstances with questions about Darrisaw’s health and O’Neill’s contract, I don’t see how you can pass up on the offensive tackle that some people have as the No. 1 player at his position in the draft. The only way they’d do that is if they feel great about an extension happening for O’Neill and they are completely fine with Darrisaw. But even then, if O’Neill gets another contract, you’re talking like $60M between the two tackles. That’s a lot.

I’d far prefer Fano to Thieneman based on scarcity. Tackles are not available in free agency. You cannot find good ones anywhere but the first round. So you either do it when you have and aren’t desperate or be forced into a spot where you have to get one in the future in the draft no matter what. Plus the guy can also reportedly play guard. So if someone gets hurt or if everything’s wonderful but you move on from Fries after this year, bang, freaky O-line.

Evan… You’ve gotten me interested in trading up for Mansoor Delane. Thoughts on trading Greenard to the Chiefs or Cowboys? Do you think either team would be interested? No additional 3rd round pick. We could also trade back from 49 (if Jacob Rodriguez is gone) to get some more draft capital

I’m a little bit of the mind that the idea of trading Greenard isn’t great if you have Kyler Murray here because you’re trying to win. However, your scenario would definitely be intriguing. They have not had a No. 1 cornerback who can really match up versus the top WRs since Xavier Rhodes and I’m curious to find out what Flores’ defense would look like with that guy. Belichick’s secret was always having that dude, whether it was Ty Law or Aqib Talib or Stephon Gilmore. When Flores was in Miami he had Xavien Howard.

I don’t like trading down in the second very much. The return just isn’t worth it. Where the Vikings are already picking is on the edge of where most starters in the draft come from so I’d prefer to just stick and pick than adding a random extra fourth that doesn’t have much chance to succeed. That type of stuff would drive me crazy when Rick did it.

Matt D… I listen to a lot of Vikings podcasts and I feel like one thing that never gets talked about often enough or in enough detail is how often the team uses specific formations, personnel packages, defensive coverages, etc. compared to the rest of the league. I might just be a terrible Googler or too cheap to subscribe to the right services, but it’s also harder to find that stuff online than you’d think. Do you have a breakdown of that for the Vikings offense & defense? I think I heard the other day that the defense runs cover 3 at the lowest rate in the league.

Yeah, those can be tough things to find. TruMedia is where people get a lot of the stuff that ends up on Twitter but that’s something that only a business can afford. Cody Alexander’s Match Quarters newsletter has a lot of defensive data like coverage percentages and stuff like that. SumerSports has personnel package data. Ray Carpenter’s website has that too. It ends up being a mix mash.

Some stuff from Cody that’s interesting. The Vikings were No. 1 in split-safety coverages (middle of the field open) and were dead last in Cover-1. They were not last in Cover-3 but didn’t have a high percentage. They played the most zone defense in the NFL and were No. 3 in “base” defense. I assume that counts Metellus as a linebacker. Here’s where those stats came from:

MatchQuarters by Cody Alexander

2025 NFL Weekly Data Download: End of Season

Welcome to your weekly source for NFL data and discussion surrounding the NFL’s defensive ecosystem. This is where film analysis and data meet…

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4 months ago · 11 likes · Cody Alexander

From RayCarp.com, they were in 11 personnel 65% of the time (draft WR3!) and 12 personnel 20% of the time.

Florian K… Two questions. 1. There’s lots of talk about Murray’s skills but, besides his height, what are his weaknesses? 2. What do you know about the college scouting department? Is there much turnover year to year? Are scouts directly employed by teams or are they some kind of contract workers?

His biggest weaknesses are that when he tries to really drive the ball, it sails on him. He tends to make huge mistakes when he’s trying to do something magical. He passes up on looks that are there with his first read and doesn’t hang in the pocket long enough to let routes progress. Also health is a pretty serious concern.

Jonathan Gannon and Drew Petzing did a really great job in 2024 of balancing Kyler’s playmaking with running a real offense that had more strict rules. He had a really good overall season but there’s a stretch where they play Seattle, Minnesota, Seattle and the defenses kinda ate him up. Good defenses are often able to corral him because good D usually has discipline and good coverage.

I don’t know a lot about the scouting department but they are definitely full-time Viking employees. There hasn’t been a ton of turnover in the Vikings front office in recent years but I don’t pay much attention to it when it happens, to be honest with you. I have zero way of knowing who inside that department is good/bad at their jobs and what type of impact that might have on decision making. You can be a great scout and nail 80% of players but if they draft the 20% guy, you look bad. It’s a tough profession.

IceColdNorth… Starting TE Hockenson is a free agent after this season. As we seek to add weapons at the position, would you favor a Day 1 TE selection (Kenyon Sadiq), a Day 2 (Eli Stowers), or a Day 3 (possibly Oscar Delp) when weighing positional value and the fact that many TEs don’t produce much in Year 1? The fact that both Sadiq and Stowers played lots of college reps from the slot position is intriguing given the departure of Jalen Nailor.

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By Matthew Coller

On December 14, 2013, around 20,000 people showed up to Mesquite Memorial Stadium to find out if Kyler Murray was actually invincible.

Murray’s 14-0 Allen High School was taking on undefeated powerhouse DeSoto for a chance to play in the state championship at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The junior quarterback who ran like lightning and threw touch passes that dropped into receivers’ hands like they had butterfly wings had already become the biggest act in Texas football after taking Allen to a state championship as a sophomore and destroying opponents throughout his junior year.

This game was different. DeSoto was very good.

The weather was also less than ideal. Around 40 degrees with 20 mph winds were not the conditions that Murray would prefer for downfield passing.

For the first time since he took over as Allen’s starter, Murray was at serious risk of losing. Before that game, he won his first 26 contests. And with 8:37 remaining, his team was trailing 35-20.

Is this where Superman finally meets his kryptonite? Allen hadn’t trailed in any game all year since the opener. Will his Houdini act hold up? Is this proof Murray is mortal?

What he did next — if there weren’t articles and videos, you’d say it was fiction, straight out of the movie Friday Night Lights. Those who weren’t there will tell you they were. Those in attendance will pass the story through generations.

But to understand the ending of the DeSoto game, you need the whole story…

The rise of Kyler

The funny thing about Kyler Murray’s stardom is that it starts with a sports radio show.

In 2005 a show called BaD Radio on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas was doing a segment where they read listener emails and they received one from a parent involved with youth football for seven and eight-year-olds. They were named the Vikings and their coach was a former Texas A&M quarterback named Keith Murray.

The radio show offered $200 for a jersey sponsorship and the team accepted.

In the coming weeks, they started getting emails back from Murray letting them know that the BaD Radio show squad was crushing opponents by 30+ points and they were en route to the championship game.

Hosts Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell were invited to attend the game.

They couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the kid wearing No. 1 running circles around the other squad. Keith Murray’s kid Kyler was unbelievable. They vowed to keep track of where he ended up once he got to high school.

Seven years later, the name Kyler Murray reemerged at one of the biggest schools in the state, Allen High School. The school is best known for having a stadium that has the fifth largest capacity of any school in Texas and cost $60 million. It opened in 2012, just as Murray was arriving.

NBC 5 DWF sports reporter Pat Doney just started covering football in Dallas around 2011. Before Murray’s sophomore season, he spoke with Allen’s offensive coordinator at a coach’s clinic and they chatted about the quarterback position for the upcoming season. The Allen assistant coach thought that they were going to have to run the Wing-T offense that year because they had just graduated a good quarterback and were unsure about the position.

Murray wasn’t the Week 1 starter, so they ran a version of the Wing-T — which is a run-heavy system that teams use when they have a rushing QB who can’t really throw — and it wasn’t going particularly well. In Week 3, they were playing Coppell High School, a strong program, and they were down in the game. Allen coach Tom Westerberg decided to make the switch and bring in the small kid with crazy wheels.

Allen lost the game in overtime but Murray instantly showed that he belonged and gave them a chance to win the game.

“And they never had to think about the Wing-T ever again,” Doney said over the phone.

Murray started to win and win. In the state championship game, Allen beat Lamar High School 35-21 to take the title.

Kyler’s junior year blow up

Kyler Mania was just in its early stages though. As exciting as he was, some folks argued that the team had been so strong that it gave Murray a chance to become a winner.

“A lot of people like to try to downplay it because they say, well, it was Allen,” Doney said. “Allen is always good. But if you look at what Allen has done since Kyler Murray has left, they’ve only won one state championship….So it was like putting Shohei Ohtani on the Dodgers.”

In his junior year, Murray started putting up performances that had rarely ever been seen in Texas football. On opening night, he went for 460 yards passing and averaged 27 yards per attempt and rushed for 80 yards and totaled five touchdowns. Two weeks later, Allen scored 62 points in an 18-for-24, 276 yard, three-touchdown showing. The next week they posted 77 points and Murray ran for 146 and scored seven touchdowns.

In years past, when a mythical player in Texas high school football emerged like this, the only folks who would really know what was going on were in that particular community. You could see highlights on the local news every Friday night and read about it in the newspaper. But Murray’s emergence was different. Twitter and other social media sites had just started to become popular and suddenly Murray’s insane highlight reel could be viewed by anyone, any time. He became an instant celebrity.

Greg Tepper, editor-in-chief of the longtime high school sports magazine Dave Campbell’s Texas Sports said that in the social media era, people could get a much better understanding of Murray’s dominance.

“He’s the biggest phenomenon in Texas high school football history, that I’m comfortable saying,” Tepper said over the phone. “There’s a really interesting story to be written at some point about him coming up in the era, like the early days of video internet. One of the other guys who I think is on the very short list of greatest high school football players ever is Cedric Benson. Cedric Benson, when he was at Midland Lee, he was a myth. He was a message board myth. He was a guy who was like, like, ‘oh, there’s this kid out there in oil country. And you’ll never believe it, but he’s 17 feet tall.’ He was a folktale. Yeah. He was unbelievable. Kyler Murray, you got to see it up close and in person. And you got to see it on live television and on Twitter. It was different.”

In the five games before Murray’s matchup with the monsters from DeSoto, Allen won 42-13, 63-6, 42-14, 56-21 and 48-13. The closest matchup of the entire season was a 36-17 victory.

Matt Stepp, High School Insider for Dave Campbell’s Texas Sports had never seen anything quite like it.

“His junior year is when it really — the legend of Kyler really started to manifest itself,” Stepp said over the phone. “He was just so dominant. I’ve been covering Texas high school football for 20 years, but I’ve been around it for as long as I can remember. There’s very few players that have come through that had the kind of aura that Kyler had. Like, when Kyler stepped on the field, you just knew there was no way that Allen was going to lose.”

The hype grew and grew.

“There was always this buzz in the building when Allen played with Kyler Murray,” Stepp said. “You could see it how he’d warm up and there’d just be people not exactly gawking at him, but in awe. I don’t want to compare a high school football player to Michael Jordan but you know you talk to people where he played and you watch the ESPN documentary The Last Dance and people talk about as soon as he walked onto the court there was this aura about him — Kyler was like that for Texas high school football. He walked on the field and the defenses could throw whatever they could throw at Allen and he would find a way.”

Kyler Mania was hitting a fever pitch but the matchup with DeSoto was different than other competitors that Allen faced that year.

While DeSoto didn’t have a guy who ended up being the Heisman Trophy winner or the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick, they did have a quarterback who was dominating high school football at a similar level as Murray.

Senior Desmon White, who went on to play wide receiver at TCU, was the Associated Press Texas 5A Player of the Year and his district’s Most Valuable Player as a senior. White passed for 2,886 yards while running for 1,175 that year and scored a combined 43 touchdowns. A beast. With White at the helm, DeSoto posted 50+ points eight times that season.

As the game went along, it was clear that White was on his game and Allen was struggling to stop him on the ground. He finished with 189 yards rushing. On the other side, Murray’s magic wasn’t working the same way that it had all season.

Those who were there saw a side of Murray that they had never seen before when the team was suddenly trailing for the first time.

“When they were losing, you could see that leadership and that he was chewing some people out. I remember seeing a different side of Kyler,” Stepp said. “Maybe because he had to show that different side because they were in trouble in that football game. Maybe he felt like that was the only time he was really in trouble. But most of the time, he was a pretty cool, calm, very low-key, incredible competitor.”

Allen was down 15 early in the fourth quarter and the nearly 20,000 fans packed into the stadium were starting to wonder: Is this where Murray’s magic finally runs out?

“DeSoto is a national powerhouse,” Doney said. “They are an incredible program. Everyone who was in the stadium remembers, I was right there, feeling like, what’s Kyler going to do now? How is he going to pull this out of the bag?”

After DeSoto scored to bring the lead to 35-20, Murray struck back instantly, throwing a deep dime to his wide receiver Jalen Guyton, hitting him perfectly on the run and he did the rest for a 68-yard touchdown.

“If you gave him an inch, he would take a mile,” Doney said. “That is what I remember covering him in high school: you could not make any mistakes against that Allen team because if you let the door open just a little bit, Murray at 5’10”, or whatever he is, was coming and he was ramming the door down.”

Allen scored a defensive touchdown to bring them within two points. On the two-point conversion, Murray rolled out to his right but couldn’t find a receiver, so he bought time by dancing around, then flipped the ball all the way back across the field to a wide open target to tie the game at 35-35.

With one chance to win the game in regulation, Allen was forced to punt, but the ball got caught up in the wind and hit a DeSoto player, giving Murray another chance to do something legendary.

Starting at his own 40-yard line, Murray either threw or ran for all 60 yards to reach the end zone, including a 24-yard scamper to win the game.

“He basically goes Super Saiyan, he refuses to lose this game,” Tepper said. “That was the point. It was that game where the myth started. This is the guy you can’t kill. He’s the final boss. He’s the one where you can’t find a way. If he has the ball, he’s going to do it. And that carried through to his senior year.”

“I remember after the game, everyone just having the same smirk and shaking their head saying, ‘I can’t believe it,’” Doney said.

That was basically the closest he ever came to losing.

The following week, Murray played in front of the largest crowd ever to watch a high school football game in Texas, around 54,000 people, and won his second straight state championship.

As a senior Murray had a couple close calls, including another tight game against DeSoto in which he narrowly escaped but he ended up finishing his high school career 42-0.

He finished his final high school season with 4,715 yards and 54 touchdowns and rushed for 1,498 yards and eight TDs.

You’d struggle to post those numbers as an NFL talent at a small school in a tiny division. Doing it at the highest level of Texas college football is sheer insanity.

All three reporters interviewed agreed that Murray had a great case for being the greatest Texas high school football player of all time. That list has Mahomes on it. That list has Stafford on it. Myles Garrett too. And plenty of other legends that didn’t become NFL icons.

“He won Mr. Texas football back-to-back years, 2013, 2014, first time we’ve ever done that,” Tepper said. “I think he’s the biggest phenomenon in Texas high school football history.”

The phenom and the future

Tepper admits that he had a “freezing cold take” about Murray when he was coming out of high school.

“I’m on record saying he should go play baseball,” Tepper said. “To talk to people in the baseball world, I mean, he was a first-round draft pick in baseball. I was on record saying, hey, if he wants to be a professional athlete, he should go play baseball because he’s too small. Too small to play quarterback. That was the one knock on him was his size.”

Backyard picnic and water cooler sports chatter was filled that summer with discussions over whether he should be playing baseball or football.

“That became a big talking point in a big debate where a lot of sports fans in the area were quickly trying to become his financial advisor and finance counselor,” Doney said. “I’m sure it was a difficult decision for him at the time, but it seemed to me — he didn’t tell me this, his family hasn’t said — but it seemed very clear to me based on the decisions he was making that football was the game, the sport that he loved.”

Also the idea that a crazy playmaking undersized QB couldn’t hold his own at the higher levels had already been smashed by a previous Texas high school football legend.

“He went to A&M, and that was right after Johnny Manziel had set the world on fire in college football, throwing up the money signs, all this stuff,” Doney said. “We had seen a dynamic, game-changing playmaker take over the world. The guy was unbelievable at the highest level of Texas high school football. And if you do that, it’s hard for me to believe that you’re not going to be able to have some level of success in college.”

The rest is history there. It took until Murray transferred to Oklahoma to find his footing and once again he rose to the occasion as a freakish playmaker and wildly accurate quarterback, winning the Heisman and being selected No. 1 overall.

During his time in Arizona, the state of Texas hasn’t forgotten about Murray. He has gone through ups and downs — many ups coming against the Cowboys, unsurprisingly — but there is a sense in the Lone Star State that one of their favorite heroes of the past will have new life in Minnesota.

“He’s a winner,” Doney said. “And that’s why I believe he’s on track to get back to his winning ways. It’s just being in the right situation.”

By Matthew Coller

The Minnesota Vikings have a wide array of ways that they could take on the NFL Draft. Let’s have a look at three very different approaches along with the benefits and drawbacks of those moves…

Everybody stay calm mock

In this mock draft, concept is playing it safe. Keeping the ball on the fairway. Not doing anything that would fundamentally shift the franchise. Just simply adding solid prospects at positions of need both now and later. No risky picks. No trades up or player trades.

The stay-calm iteration has the Vikings trading down with the Kansas City Chiefs to the 29th overall pick. They get No. 74 overall and make a fourth-fifth pick swap that moves the Vikings up 64 spots. The trade allows them to add another potential impact player within the top 100 picks without a major sacrifice.

While they might not have been able to land the No. 1 or 2 corners in the draft, they still get a talented 21-year-old defensive back who they can develop behind Isaiah Rodgers and Byron Murphy Jr. and who can act as depth right away.

On Day 2, they roll with a safe prospect in Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller. With his size and strength and production against the run, there is presumably a high floor as a rotational contributor but his upside is limited to being a top-notch run defender and occasional pass rush contributor on early downs.

Early Day 3 is a good spot to pick a running back in any draft, particularly one who runs a 4.33 40-yard dash but has some question marks.

The middle of the third round is where it made sense to look for a center but the top prospects — Connor Lew, Sam Hecht, Jake Slaughter and Logan Jones — were all still on the board so the Vikings pick up some insurance at the edge rusher position in Joshua Josephs first and then land Jones as a player who can develop for a year behind Blake Brandel.

And then with the Chiefs’ 109 pick, the Vikings get a blazing fast receiver who may be able to step into an immediate role.

Overall, it’s a solid B draft. Nothing special, nothing risky. Nobody’s dancing in the streets but nobody’s crying either.

The upside is that the Vikings strengthened some positions where they were weak right away with players that have potential to be long-term starters.

The downside is that there aren’t many players on this list that are going to truly move the needle in the short or long term.

Find help right now mock

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