A post free agency draft simulation
Trying to acquire more draft capital and fill needs in the latest draft sim
By Matthew Coller
While the Minnesota Vikings were not particularly active in free agency, that doesn’t mean nothing has changed with their possible approach to the NFL Draft. In fact, it now becomes more likely that the Vikings will need to stack more draft picks in order to address positions that they did not invest in during the free agency period.
So let’s do a draft simulation using PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator in which we attempt to move down and land as many players that fit the Vikings’ needs as possible…
The draft
About the trades
When the draft arrived at No. 18 there were multiple players on the board that appeared to be a very good fit with the Vikings’ openings, so we moved down to No. 22 overall in order to pick up the 86th overall pick. It required adding No. 161 in order to get the deal over the finish line.
In terms of the traditional draft value chart, the Vikings gave up 927 points in exchange for 940 from the Chargers.
When the second round arrived, the desire to move down again also had to be weighed with the concern about trading down too far and sacrificing the quality of prospect. In this case, dropping from 49 to 56 seemed to split the difference. So the trade led to the Vikings grabbing the 100th overall pick, leaving them with six top-100 players. The Vikings gave up 410 points and the Jags sent 440.
Fun fact: With two extra selections in the top-100, this draft has almost as many top-100 picks as the Vikings have had since 2022 (8).
About the picks
Oregon, S, Dillon Thieneman
Brian Flores and Thieneman seem to be a match made in heaven. Last year with the Ducks, he played 434 snaps in the box, 247 as a free safety and 118 in the slot. Who’s usage does that remind you of? Maybe Harrison Smith? His performance was high level as well as Thieneman had a 91.1 PFF coverage grade in 2026 to go along with eight career interceptions and he is considered to be a “quarterback of the defense” type player.
At the NFL Combine, Thieneman showed that his athleticism is top notch as well. He ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and had the No. 1 athleticism score by NFL.com’s advanced Combine metrics.
Landing a perfect fit player while also trading down would be a huge win for the Vikings in the first round.
Notre Dame, RB, Jadarian Price
Price is an interesting prospect because he was playing behind Jeremiyah Love, yet still ran for 675 yards at 6.0 yards per attempt and averaged 3.9 yards per attempt after contact. In 2024, he similarly averaged 6.1 yards per attempt on 121 rushes. He also had two kick returns for touchdown and averaged 37.5 yards per return.
While the Vikings might be looking for a burner at running back, Price is far from slow. He ran a 4.49 40-yard dash with the fourth best broad jump at the NFL Combine.
With a running back room that lacks youth and likely only has one more year of Aaron Jones, Price would be a good fit as a role player in Year 1 with longer term plans to become a combo with Jordan Mason.
Texas Tech, LB, Jacob Rodriguez
You won’t find many players in college football that put together a stronger performance in 2025 than Rodriguez. He graded 94.8 by PFF vs. the run and 92.3 in coverage. Rodriguez was second in the nation in the PFF stat “coverage stops” and had four interceptions.
He also shined at the Combine with the fourth best athleticism score among linebackers.
The Vikings may have two starting linebackers and Ivan Pace Jr. in the mix but Blake Cashman is entering the final year of his career and Eric Wilson just signed a short-term contract. Wilson can also flex as an outside linebacker, as we discovered last year. They could use some future help and rotational options right away.
Clemson, WR, Antonio Williams
There might be a case to draft a receiver earlier considering the price of WRs in the trade/free agent market but this appears to be a draft with a great deal of depth at the position. Williams is a good example of that. He’s not big at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds but he’s known for his smooth route running and quality hands. In 2024, he caught 75 passes for 908 yards and last year he had 55 receptions for 611 yards. A 4.41 40 and 39.5 inch vertical jump confirmed that he has good enough athleticism to play at the NFL level.
Williams would slot in as immediate competition for 2025 third-rounder Tai Felton and any other veterans that the team adds with the hope that he can eventually develop into more if they do not want to commit to Jordan Addison long term.
Florida State, DT, Darrell Jackson Jr.
The Vikings could use some beef on the interior and Jackson Jr. delivers that. He is listed at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds and apparently has a 72-inch wingspan. Jackson Jr. isn’t a pass rushing threat but he had an impressive 81.3 PFF grade against the run.
Arizona, CB, Treydan Stukes
The experienced 6-foot-1 corner ran a blazing 4.33 40-yard dash at the Combine, which could help his case in the middle of the draft. He had an outstanding 90.4 PFF coverage grade last season and picked off four passes while allowing zero TDs.
The Vikings are in need of young depth at the cornerback position.
Options on the board
What other players were available? Let’s have a look…
— Rather than trade down from No. 18, the Vikings could have taken WR KC Concepcion, EDGE Zion Young or TE Kenyon Sadiq.
From a theoretical perspective, the wide receiver is the best pick here. Receivers are very difficult to find on the open market and they have an enormous impact on quarterback production. Concepcion is an exceptional route runner, which matches nicely with KOC’s requirements for receivers to create separation. He would be a great pick to replace Addison long term.
Sadiq is a freak athlete tight end who could add an additional element to the Vikings’ multi-TE personnel groupings. He would also be in line to take over for TJ Hockenson in 2027.
Young would be in play if the Vikings trade Jonathan Greenard.
— At 22, if the Vikings did not want Thieneman, they could have taken WR Omar Cooper Jr., DT Peter Woods, DT Caleb Banks, CB Colton Hood, WR Denzel Boston or DT Lee Hunter.
There’s almost enough options there that they could consider a trade down even farther. We might have done that in this sim if not for Thieneman being such a good fit.
— At 56, the top potential players were: DT Dontay Corleone, ED Derrick Moore, CB Kionte Scott, LB Jake Golday, WR Germie Bernard, CB Chris Johnson
— At 82, they could have taken WR Skyler Bell, RB Jonah Coleman or CB Devin Moore.
— At 87, the best options were: C Jake Slaughter, LB Kyle Louis, LB Deontae Lawson, WR CJ Daniels, ED Anthony Lucas, WR Chris Brazzell, WR Deion Banks, ED Keyron Crawford, RB Emmett Johnson
— At 97, the best options were: QB Carson Beck, G Keyland Rutledge, ED Mikail Kamara, WR Cyrus Allen, DT DeMonte Capehart
How the whole first round played out
