What the Mock Drafts are saying about the Minnesota Vikings

(Steve Luciano/The Associated Press)

The 2026 NFL Draft is just over two weeks away, and the Minnesota Vikings currently hold nine draft picks, including four in the top 100.

What do the Minnesota Vikings actually need in this draft?

While it’s fun to imagine the Vikings trading up for a player like Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame or Caleb Downs from Ohio State, it isn’t likely either will fall, or that Minnesota will make a move to go get them. While those two players may not be realistic options, the positional need remains a top priority at running back and safety.

Outside of those top needs, the Vikings also badly need to draft an interior defensive lineman, a center, and maybe even a wide receiver. Additional help in the secondary is also a likely target, all within the first four to five rounds of the draft.

Duck to Viking?

The consensus from multiple NFL mock draft specialists has been the Minnesota Vikings selecting a safety with their first draft choice at No. 18 overall—specifically Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. Mel Kiper stated in his rounds 1–3 mock draft that, “This might be the second-most-predicted pick in mock drafts, behind Mendoza to the Raiders.”

Thieneman spent his first two seasons in college playing for Purdue before transferring to Oregon for his final collegiate season. In his three seasons, he racked up 306 tackles, eight interceptions, and 14 pass deflections. He also recorded two sacks and 10 tackles for loss, and Mel Kiper believes he would be a great replacement for longtime Viking Harrison Smith.

Fresh legs in the backfield

While the Vikings might not land the top back out of Notre Dame, they have been mocked to take the second man in the Fighting Irish backfield, Jadarian Price. The 22-year-old has been projected to Minnesota with their second draft choice at No. 49 overall. Price racked up 1,854 yards from scrimmage along with 24 touchdowns in three seasons, playing behind one of the best backs in college football.

The tandem of Love and Price was easily one of the most dominant backfields in college football over the last two seasons, and the Vikings being able to grab the second option would provide a boost to a backfield that is solid, but not great. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are far from bad, but with age, injuries, and neither being a true RB1 anymore, adding a fresh spark is essential.

Another back who has been mocked—and has generated some buzz among the Minnesota Vikings fanbase—is Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson, who grew up in Minnesota as a Vikings fan. The standout prospect put up 3,162 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns across three full seasons at Nebraska. In his final season, he totaled 1,821 yards and 15 touchdowns. Johnson could be an immediate difference-maker in this backfield if the Vikings are able to land him in rounds two or three.

Interior of the Defense

Despite the huge need for an interior defensive lineman in Minnesota, many mock drafters have neglected this position in their predictions.

The only projections of a defensive tackle to the Vikings have come from a couple of first-round mocks, with Minnesota selecting Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald or Florida’s Caleb Banks. Both are big interior players who can eat up blocks and clog the middle, allowing other Minnesota playmakers to fly through the line of scrimmage and make plays.

This is something the Vikings have lacked over the past few seasons, despite having a handful of household names on the roster. Charles McDonald and Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports had this to say about McDonald:

"McDonald is basically the defensive version of the line of thinking that led to the Donovan Jackson selection last year at offensive guard: a tangible trench talent who can let the creative coaches be creative."

Interior of the Offense

As for the other side of the ball, the Vikings are set to start Blake Brandel at center in the 2026 season. The situation could be much worse—or much better—but the most important part of addressing the position in the draft will be finding a player to invest in and develop for the future. The Vikings are not expected to draft a center within the first two rounds, but they have been mocked to select one in the third round or later.

Matt Miller has the Vikings selecting Auburn center Connor Lew with the 82nd overall pick in the third round. Miller had this to say about the offensive line prospect:

"Ryan Kelly's retirement this offseason leaves an opening at center. Lew is coming off an ACL injury but has high-end starter traits."

Coming off an ACL injury is certainly not ideal, but the timeline and the Vikings’ current situation make it a reasonable risk if they value Lew highly enough—and as Miller said, he has “high-end starter traits.” In his three seasons at Auburn, Lew allowed just three sacks across 1,603 career snaps. He also earned a strong 79.9 pass-blocking grade over that span.

He tore his ACL this past season after seven games, so his availability for the start of the 2026 season may be uncertain. However, as mentioned, he would be a developmental piece for the future.

What other players have been Mocked to the Vikings?

While these are the most popular players mocked at the key positions the Vikings need heading into the NFL Draft, there are plenty of other potential options for Minnesota that have been mentioned. This list includes:

Safety: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo (18th overall)

Cornerback: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee (18th overall)

EDGE: Akheem Mesidor, Miami (18th overall)

Defensive Line: Peter Woods, Clemson (18th overall)

Offensive Line: Spencer Fano, Utah (18th overall)

Wide Receiver: De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss (97th overall)

The draft is always pretty unpredictable once you get outside of the top 12 picks. For example, in 2024, the Vikings were able to snag Dallas Turner 17th overall because the first defensive player wasn’t taken until the 15th pick.

Many times, mock drafters can be wrong and value players differently than NFL scouts, so truly anything can happen on draft day—from trades up or down to players falling or being taken earlier than expected.

While the NFL Draft is mostly unpredictable, one thing remains the same—it will be a fun and exciting night for both the NFL and Minnesota Vikings fans.

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