B-
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings let Golday fall and pounced. Final grade: B-.
by ScottyB1963 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Jake Golday tumbling to the Vikings in pick No. 82 is a gift they did not have to think twice about. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. If Kelly pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker at a price that makes it sweeter. Need was not the driver here.
By-the-book stuff, Christen Miller at pick No. 49 squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jake Golday in Round 3, Pick 18 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Domonique Orange in slot 97 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The roster fit checks out.
They paid sticker price for Demond Claiborne in No. 163, and that is fine. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Matt Gulbin at the 196th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
TJ Hall at the 234th pick is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Kaden Wetjen slipping to pick 235 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jack Kelly a notch or two before his time. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.