B+
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings won the night they stopped Golday from sliding. Grade: B+.
by Dadtastic ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 8 steals
· 3 reaches
The trade table was a mismatch, and the Vikings were on the right end of it, hauling in a fortune in surplus value. The bottom line is a respectable B+.
The Golday steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They will answer for taking cornerback early while quarterback went begging. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
They will need Heidenreich to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 26 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, and a steal at that.
The board had Emmanuel McNeil-Warren higher than pick No. 49, and the safety fell to them anyway. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Treydan Stukes slipping to pick 82 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They paid sticker price for Ted Hurst in Round 3, Pick 22, and that is fine. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Jake Golday at the 92nd pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Somehow Mike Washington Jr. was still sitting there in the Round 3 slot, and they pounced on premier running back value. A need, and now a little less of one.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Tacario Davis adds a cornerback and leaves quarterback untouched.
They will replay Darrell Jackson Jr. at the 126th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Charles Demmings at Round 5, Pick 23. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Nate Boerkircher in pick 165 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
They liked Pat Coogan enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 196. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jeff Caldwell is a better player than No. 204 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They took Kaden Wetjen at par in the 234th pick, which is nothing to complain about. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reach for Eli Heidenreich in the Round 7 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They jumped the gun on Fa'alili Fa'amoe, taking him earlier than his grade liked. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.