B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings let Boston fall and pounced. Final grade: B+.
by MNFtball2025 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Vikings watched Denzel Boston slide 51 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B+.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They squeezed a little extra out of every move they made.
Safety was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
Mansoor Delane at the 18th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is a better player than No. 49 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Somehow Denzel Boston was still sitting there in slot 82, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Eli Stowers in Round 3, Pick 33 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Chris McClellan in pick 163 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Taking Bryce Boettcher in pick No. 196 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Ephesians Prysock at the Round 7 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Noah Whittington in the 244th pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.