Comparing 2026 prospects to current/former Vikings
Looking at this year's draft class in comparison to some Vikings OGs
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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