A pre-Combine draft simulation

Taking a swing at filling the Vikings' immediate needs

Feb 6, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; The 2026 NFL Draft logo at the Super Bowl LX Experience at the Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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By Matthew Coller

It’s that time of year, folks.

With the NFL Combine right around the corner, it’s time to start preparing for how the Minnesota Vikings may handle the draft.

This is a needs-based draft simulation using PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator. That means we try to address as many of the Vikings’ immediate needs as possible without doing anything too crazy.

Let’s see how it turned out…

A trade down

In this version, the Vikings arrive at the No. 18 selection with a lot of players still on the board that fit so they trade down to No. 22 and pick up the 86th overall pick from the Los Angeles Chargers.

By the traditional “Jimmy Johnson” draft value chart, the Vikings give up 925 points to get back 940 — a pretty even trade. By OverTheCap’s model, the points are 1960 to 2,177. A slight but negligible edge.

The sacrifice in terms of players was Florida’s intriguing defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who the Chargers took at No. 18, Washington receiver Denzel Boston (Panthers), edge rusher TJ Parker (Cowboys) and cornerback Aveion Terrell (Pittsburgh).

Admittedly, those were three of the players that were on the radar for the 22nd pick. That’s the risk taken by moving down.

So how did things play out after the trade?

About the picks

Toledo, S, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren — If you’re going to take a player from a smaller school, they better be freaky. Well, McNeil-Warren is freaky. He absolutely dominated the MAC, allowing a passer rating of 50.3 on throws into his coverage and earning a 92.0 PFF coverage grade. He is expected to shine at the NFL Combine with his top-notch athleticism.

There isn’t much evidence to suggest that guys from MAC schools have any faster or slower development curve than bigger programs but there is evidence that shows safety is one of the quickest positions in terms of making the college-to-NFL jump. McNeil-Warren could step in right away to a starting position alongside Josh Metellus and take on the role of playmaking safety. He did play both in the box and free safety in college.

In some defenses, there might not be as much need for top-notch talent at safety. In this defense, we have seen that there is.

Kansas, C, Sam Hecht — An experienced center who did not allow a sack in the last three seasons. He graded well above average by PFF in run blocking and pass protection and scored exceptionally as a zone blocker. His NFL.com draft profile says, “it would be hard to find a center with better technique.”

Is the second round early for Hecht? By PFF’s standards and other mock drafts, yes. However, with the Vikings’ next pick not coming until No. 82 and the Detroit Lions — a center-needy team — picking right behind them at 50, the reach looked like it was worth it.

The Vikings don’t have a current answer long term at center. They are probable to release Ryan Kelly and only have backup-caliber options on the squad. Being able to build long term around Hecht and Donovan Jackson in the middle would be a major plus. If they sign someone, this pick wont be needed but it’s a rough free agent class for centers.

Nebraska, RB, Emmett Johnson — If Kevin O’Connell wants 2026 to be the year that people stop saying he can’t figure out the run game, then a running back with some explosiveness might help his case. Johnson ran 251 times for 1,450 yards, scored 12 touchdowns and caught 46 passes for the Cornhuskers in 2025.

Whether the Vikings move on from Aaron Jones or not, they are still going to look to fill out their backfield beyond Jordan Mason.

Tennessee, WR, Chris Brazzell II — The tall, downfield receiver caught 61 passes for 1,006 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025. He is known as a go-up-and-get-it guy who NFL.com compared to Christian Watson.

He would immediately take over the role of Jalen Nailor, assuming he exits in free agency.

Arizona, CB, Treydan Stukes — A big corner at 6-foot-2 who took a huge step forward in 2025, registering a 90.4 PFF coverage grade and picked off four passes.

At some point, the Vikings must find young depth at corner.