The Minnesota Vikings didn’t blow many people away with their 2025 NFL draft, but only selecting five players will often have that effect.
Minnesota put most of the finishing touches on the draft class on Thursday night, May 8, when the team officially announced that four of the five players they added to the roster via that process are now officially under contract.
“Per source, the #Vikings have signed four of their five draft picks: Tai Felton, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Kobe King and Gavin Bartholomew,” Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported via X. “Only first-rounder Donovan Jackson remains unsigned.”
Donovan Jackson Represents Vikings’ Efforts to Get Bigger, Stronger in Trenches in 2025
Jackson, an offensive guard, is obviously a meaningful part of the team’s future as the No. 24 overall selection out of Ohio State and a player who should compete for a starting job on the interior of the unit as rookie.
Minnesota’s choice to draft Jackson reaffirmed a commitment the team showed during the offseason to add size, strength and durability in the trenches on each side of the football.
The Vikings signed offensive guard Will Fries to an $88 million contract over five years and center Ryan Kelly to an $18 million deal over two years during free agency with the intention of making both of them starters along the front. The two were teammates for multiple years as members of the Indianapolis Colts prior to joining Minnesota.
The franchise also signed defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to multiyear deals out of free agency to beef up the defensive front. Allen got three years and $51 million, while Hargrave got $30 million over two seasons.
Given the Vikings’ clear priorities after a 14-3 regular season that ended in disappointing fashion during the first round of the NFC playoffs, signing Jackson remains of paramount importance. However, it’s almost certainly just a matter of time before Minnesota gets him inked and the team shifts its focus, more or less entirely, to offseason work.
Tai Felton Could Prove Contributor to Vikings’ Offense During Rookie Campaign
The remainder of the Vikings’ draft picks appear like either upside plays, hedges or both.
Felton, a third-round pick, is a potential replacement for Jalen Nailor as the team’s No. 3 wide receiver option and could compete for legitimate work during his rookie campaign as well.
Nailor had a breakout campaign in 2024 with career-highs in catches (28), receiving yards (414) and touchdowns (6), but is in the final year of his rookie deal. Felton is younger and has plenty of potential of his own, and will likely cost less over the next three years than the Vikings would have to pay Nailor on a second contract.
Felton could also potentially be a future replacement for Jordan Addison as the team’s No. 2 receiver, depending on how the next couple of seasons play out. Addison is under contract for two more years, though Minnesota holds a fifth-year team option on his deal for the 2027 campaign.
Ingram-Jackson, a fifth-rounder, will join a group of edge rushers so stacked that 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner may still struggle to break into the starting rotation. King and Bartholomew are both likely to find reserve roles during their rookie campaigns.
The biggest surprise of the Vikings’ draft was that they chose not to select any defensive backs after losing three of five starters in the secondary this offseason.
