The Minnesota Vikings have reached crunch time in their preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft. Their primary focus? Setting the draft board with objectivity.
Oftentimes, scouts and coaches can fall in love with players’ specific characteristics. This clouds judgment. This time around, interim general manager Rob Brzezinski is doing his darndest to remove bias from the equation. A player’s talent, he has maintained, would guide the evaluations.
Now comes the hard part: waiting to see who is available. Earlier this week, we posted our final mock draft. Today, here is a look at the most likely selections (and positions) on each day of the draft.
Day 1 options
Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State: Will he fall to No. 18? It’s unlikely. Downs is one of the most football-intelligent prospects in the draft. Considering he’d be coming from a Belichick-style defense orchestrated by Matt Patricia, it’d be a perfect fit with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Downs is a no-brainer selection if he’s in range. The odds he’ll be available are low.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon: Sadiq is a freak athlete with special explosive ability. The Vikings could get him the ball in space. They could also use his vertical speed to open up intermediate windows for premier receivers. He is a willing blocker and an offensive weapon. Route-running development might be necessary, but it’s an athletic flier worth taking.
Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon: The Vikings need a safety, and Thieneman has plenty of the right prerequisites. He’s smart. Oregon coaches raved about his work ethic. He tested phenomenally at the NFL Scouting Combine, cementing any questions about his speed and range. The upside warrants questions. His stiffness in coverage does, too. Still, he’s a safe pick worth monitoring, especially if the Vikings were to trade back.
Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn: Faulk is a 6-foot-5, 275-pound edge rusher/defensive lineman with positive character and heavy hands. Is he twitchy enough to rush the passer from the edge? Can he put on enough weight to impact from the interior? If he falls past No. 18, these questions could explain why.
Makai Lemon, WR, USC: Drafting a receiver would be the ultimate wild card in the first round. It would only add to the Vikings’ identity as a downfield passing team. Lemon, who measured at 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, works in areas with ease and smoothly flows through routes. His route awareness and deception could inspire an internal push, especially if the Vikings are committed wholeheartedly to the best-player-available philosophy.
KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M: Concepcion comes with a similar body type to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He’s explosive. He separates down the field. His history of drops warrants a conversation, but the idea of adding another receiver with this level of juice shouldn’t be completely dismissed.
Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State: First-round defensive tackles are typically able to change games on all three downs. McDonald, a nose tackle, feasts more on early downs. His tackling range stands out, and he can anchor a front against the run. He’s more likely to be in play via a trade back.
Blake Miller, T, Clemson: Miller may be a right tackle, but he’s one of the safer picks in the draft because of his consistency in college. Until the Vikings extend right tackle Brian O’Neill, this spot will be a need for 2027. Miller would fill that need.
Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson: Terrell hasn’t had a perfect pre-draft process. A hamstring injury limited workouts and affected some of his testing. Still, even though he may be undersized, Terrell is a feisty corner with inside-out flex and blitzing ability. The Vikings secondary would benefit from taking him at the back end of the first round.
Day 2 options
Treydan Stukes, CB/S, Arizona: Ball skills, range and intelligence are prerequisites for the Vikings defense. Stukes has all of these traits. Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Gerald Alexander met with Stukes during the draft process. He is a popular name among coaches who work with adaptable defensive schemes.
Jalon Kilgore, CB/S, South Carolina: Kilgore is, in many ways, a younger version of Stukes. He has experience in the slot. He is a bouncy athlete. And he can scan the field from depth. His 33 starts in three seasons make it possible for him to enter and contribute immediately.
De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss: If the Vikings take Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 18, drafting a receiver on Day 2 becomes less likely. Stribling, though, is a big body whom Ole Miss coaches loved. He is a willing run blocker who tracks the ball down the field with proficiency.
Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama: Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell prefers wideout prospects who can line up in the slot and out wide. Bernard fits this prototype. Alabama trusted him more than any other skill player, designing screens and motions to get the football in his hands.
Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson: Williams is another receiver with inside-out flexibility. He’s smaller than Stribling and Bernard but dynamic enough to make plays with the ball. His calling card? Deciphering pockets in zones. The Vikings love option routes, where receivers run their routes based on how coverage declares. Williams has this ability.
Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame: Veteran Vikings running back Aaron Jones missed five games in 2025. The team needs another option with a three-down skill set, and Price is the best candidate in this draft after Jeremiyah Love is plucked from the board. Price’s smoothness has hints of Kyren Williams.
Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati: Golday makes sense if the Vikings are looking for a potential successor to Blake Cashman. He is an exceptional athlete, capable of hitting both sidelines with an eye-popping, 6-foot-5 frame. His tape has holes, especially in coverage. But he can line up on the edge and is smart enough to absorb Minnesota’s complex defensive system.
Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas: If the Vikings are looking for an early second-round linebacker and Golday is off the board, Hill has some of the change-of-direction ability they look for. He can fly to the football. He is also a dynamic blitzer.
Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State: NFL teams don’t love the 2026 crop of defensive tackles, but Jackson presents an enticing combination of measurables and production. He’s 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds. His pass-rush arsenal is deeper than some of the other prospects in this class. Take him in the third round, and Jackson could compete with Levi Drake Rodriguez.
Logan Jones, C, Iowa: With the hiring of assistant head coach Frank Smith, the Vikings are transitioning to a more aggressive, wide zone-style run game. This often requires a center who fires off the ball with the movement ability to climb to the second level. Jones has all of the right traits. The question is whether or not the Vikings would fire a dart at center this early.
Sam Hecht, C, Kansas State: Almost every NFL coach and scout has a different center preference. Hecht is bigger than Jones, but he’s not as explosive. He starred at the Senior Bowl and won mostly with technique. He could solidify the offensive line and help quarterback Kyler Murray by fortifying the interior of the pocket.
Kamari Ramsey, S, USC: Ramsey is an interesting prospect in that he transitioned from safety to slot cornerback in 2025. He struggled a tad. Some NFL teams still view him as a safety, and that’d probably be his best spot with the Vikings. If Minnesota misses out on Stukes earlier, this pick would become more viable.
Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona State: In the third tier of off-ball linebackers, Elliott interests teams alongside TCU’s Kaleb Elarms-Orr. Elliott is the less explosive of the two but is perhaps more instinctive. He sifts through the muck at the line of scrimmage and has an innate feel for getting off of blocks.
Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska: Top-end speed isn’t Johnson’s calling card. He’s a singles hitter who can catch the ball well out of the backfield — and whom the Vikings could trust to maximize his abilities. Johnson thrives on an impressive jump cut. He will face a learning curve in pass protection.
Nick Barrett, DT, South Carolina: One of the few defensive tackle prospects with upside, Barrett started only 12 games in college. The late bloomer is massive with 33-inch arms. The size ensures two-down ability, but development under defensive-line coach Ryan Nielsen could lead to more.
Day 3 options
Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, TCU: Will Elarms-Orr last until the fourth round? There’s no guarantee. The Vikings could snag an off-ball linebacker earlier. Waiting, or watching other teams take their preferred prospects, could lead them to Elarms-Orr. He led the Big 12 with 130 tackles in 2025 and shows burst in finding the football.
Jalen Huskey, S, Maryland: Safety is one of the Vikings’ biggest needs for 2026, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to take one in the first round. Huskey could line up as a nice late-round addition. He orchestrated Maryland’s defense from the back end. He also recorded at least three interceptions in each of the last three seasons.
Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama: Minnesota could deem Jones and Brailsford similar prospects. In that scenario, waiting to take Brailsford would allow the Vikings to fill other holes with earlier picks. Alabama coaches rave about Brailsford’s smarts, and his burst off the line of scrimmage gives him value for outside-zone run games.
Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest: It’s not too outlandish to call Claiborne a lighter version of Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane or Detroit Lions ball carrier Jahmyr Gibbs. He has a rare giddy-up. With every touch, he has the potential to take it to the house. The Vikings might need a more reliable back than a true weapon, but Claiborne would add a tantalizing dimension to the run game.
Louis Moore, S, Indiana: Moore is in a similar category to Huskey. He controlled the back end of Indiana’s national championship-winning defense. Speed and quickness aren’t his calling cards, but he has a knack for finding the football. He picked off six passes in 2025 and is a former receiver who doesn’t get lost in the deepest portions of the field.
Trey Zuhn, C, Texas A&M: NFL scouts love Zuhn’s intelligence and versatility. Considering how much Kevin O’Connell’s offense can ask of the center, and how much the team has liked Blake Brandel’s ability to move around in recent years, Zuhn makes sense to monitor. He played mostly left tackle in college, so there may be a learning curve. That’s easier to manage if he’s a later-round pick.
Skyler Thomas, S, Oregon State: Unlike Huskey and Moore, Thomas is more in the Josh Metellus mold of a safety that plays closer to the box. He is a fluid mover at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds with some instinctiveness to match his measurables. The Vikings could target him as an undrafted signing to bolster a defensive backs group that should look far different when the draft concludes.
Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal: Masses is a high-risk, high-reward cornerback who always seems to find the football. He led the FBS with 13 passes deflected in 2025 and added five interceptions. The most prominent question is his slight 6-foot, 181-pound frame. He may have a hard time holding up on the outside, but it’s worth it for any team picking this late to see if he can.
CJ Daniels, WR, Miami: Injury risk is what forces Daniels down the board. He tore his ACL in 2022 and navigated knee and foot injuries over the last couple of years. However, he’s worth a seventh-round flier. Daniels doesn’t drop the football, and while vertical speed isn’t his calling card, he finds zone pockets and contributes. In 2023, he amassed 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns at Liberty.
Mason Reiger, Wisconsin, Edge: The lack of edge rushers on this big board coincides with the team’s unwillingness (to this point) to trade edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. If the Vikings were to move him, the team would likely target an edge on Day 2. Reiger is a worthwhile seventh-rounder, who, like Daniels, will fall this far because of his serious injury history.
