B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings turned the phones into found money: B+.
by ScottyB1963 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
The war room fell hard for Demond Claiborne, and it showed at pick No. 113: 51 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. They banked enough surplus on Jones to cover a lot of smaller sins. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.
The veteran additions, Jaylon Jones chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid sticker price for A.J. Haulcy in the Round 2 slot, and that is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Domonique Orange in slot 52 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A slide stopped in the 78th overall pick, with Jake Golday worth more than the price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Darrell Jackson Jr. in pick 82, miles early. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board fumbled Keylan Rutledge all the way to pick No. 97, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Demond Claiborne at the 113th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They barely believed it either: Logan Jones still on the board at the 120th pick. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Fair-plus on Jeff Caldwell, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Good price on Thaddeus Dixon in pick 234, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They paid up for Andre Fuller at the Round 7 slot when waiting would have done the job. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Fa'alili Fa'amoe at No. 244 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.