Various prominent entities are smacking the Minnesota Vikings around after an NFL draft that was probably never going to reach stellar status in the context of the franchise’s history.
The Vikings made only five selections total, one of which came in the fifth round and two of which came in the sixth round. As a result, the team wasn’t able to hit on all its needs. Namely, Minnesota didn’t add one defensive back despite losing three of its five starters in that unit earlier in the offseason.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic slapped the Vikings with the lowest team draft ranking in the league, ranking them 32nd overall — though with a caveat.
“With just five draft picks (one in the top 100), the Vikings were destined to appear low on this list,” Brugler wrote on Sunday, April 27. “I saw [Donovan] Jackson as more of a second-round player than a first-rounder, but he will become a long-term starter if he can improve some of his sustain-and-recovery issues. Minnesota made a commitment to improving the interior of its offensive line, and Jackson definitely can help do that.”
Several draft analysts projected that Minnesota would address the secondary by selecting a top-flight cover cornerback with the No. 24 pick in the first round. However, the team added Jackson out of Ohio State to round out its remake of the interior offensive line alongside recently inked free agent guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly, both most recently of the Indianapolis Colts.
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Explained Vikings’ NFL Draft Strategy
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah noted that adding size and strength in the trenches was a top offseason priority for the team, which tracks with the pick of Jackson and the signings of Fries and Kelly. Minnesota also added two defensive tackles in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in free agency to achieve the same goal on the opposite side of the football.
Adofo-Mensah also mentioned during the draft that because of the franchise’s limited number of selections, the team was prepared to take players that represented less risk and greater consistency. He used a golf analogy to make his point.
“I think approaching this draft from a mindset of, ‘Hey, let’s just, if the players hit the ball down the fairway, let’s do that,'” Adofo-Mensah said, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “If it’s going to be four picks at four positions that we really want for character people, four skill sets we require, let’s go do that and we’ll figure everything else out.”
Minnesota Must Make Most of Small Collection of NFL Draft Picks in 2025
But despite Adofo-Mensah’s explanations for why the Vikings did what they did over the course of the three-day draft process, the majority of analysts still beat up Minnesota pretty badly in the aftermath.
Pro Football Focus afforded the Vikings a C- grade — the second-worst it handed out among the 32 NFL teams.
Meanwhile, Danny Kelly of The Ringer gave Minnesota a C grade for its draft.
“The Vikings were light on picks in this draft after doing some wheeling and dealing last year to move up for edge rusher Dallas Turner, a move that cost them 2025 third- and fourth-round picks. As such, their haul is pretty underwhelming,” Kelly wrote. “Maryland receiver Tai Felton brings blazing speed and some added depth to the receivers group, and Georgia edge rusher Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins could factor into the team’s defensive line rotation early on.”
