ZJ'S MOCK DRAFT
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ZJ'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 13, 2026

Vikes Draft 1

  • ZJ DRAFTING FOR THE
    Vikings
Draft Selections
Jeremiyah Love Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (MIN)
Jeremiyah Love
RB Notre Dame
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (MIN)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
CJ Allen Head Shot
PICK: 67 RND: 3 (MIN)
CJ Allen
LB Georgia
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 78 RND: 3 (MIN)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
Daylen Everette Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (MIN)
Daylen Everette
CB Georgia
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 100 RND: 3 (MIN)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 113 RND: 4 (MIN)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Jalon Kilgore Head Shot
PICK: 124 RND: 4 (MIN)
Jalon Kilgore
CB South Carolina
Tanner Koziol Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (MIN)
Tanner Koziol
TE Houston
Matt Gulbin Head Shot
PICK: 175 RND: 5 (MIN)
Matt Gulbin
C Michigan State
Isaiah Jatta Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (MIN)
Isaiah Jatta
OT BYU
Cole Payton Head Shot
PICK: 234 RND: 7 (MIN)
Cole Payton
QB North Dakota State
Wesley Bissainthe Head Shot
PICK: 240 RND: 7 (MIN)
Wesley Bissainthe
LB Miami
Draft Picks Received
CJ Allen Head Shot
PICK: 67 RND: 3 (LV)
CJ Allen
LB Georgia
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 78 RND: 3 (IND)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 100 RND: 3 (JAX)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 113 RND: 4 (IND)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Jalon Kilgore Head Shot
PICK: 124 RND: 4 (JAX)
Jalon Kilgore
CB South Carolina
Matt Gulbin Head Shot
PICK: 175 RND: 5 (LV)
Matt Gulbin
C Michigan State
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (IND)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Bryce Lance Head Shot
PICK: 82 RND: 3 (JAX)
Bryce Lance
WR North Dakota State
Players Gained
Head Shot
Brian Thomas Jr.
WR
Players traded away
Head Shot
Jonathan Greenard
DE
Head Shot
Jordan Addison
WR
Head Shot
Will Fries
OG
Draft Grade — Vikings
Overall C-
ValueA- NeedB TradesF FutureB-
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Vikings and Ponds: C-.

Thirty-one other rooms let D'Angelo Ponds slide, and the Vikings were the ones holding the card at the 113th pick. Highway robbery. It washes out to a C-, no better and no worse.

Every board in the league had Jatta lower, and that gap is the story. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back.

Spending an early pick on cornerback with edge rusher and safety open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.

It nets out as a middle-of-the-pack haul that neither helps nor hurts much.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 Jeremiyah Love
In the Round 1 slot they get a three-down runner, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick49 Rnd2 Olaivavega Ioane
They robbed the room for Olaivavega Ioane here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick67 Rnd3 CJ Allen
You do not let a linebacker like CJ Allen reach No. 67 and blink. They did not. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Pick78 Rnd3 Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter in the 78th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick97 Rnd3 Daylen Everette
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Daylen Everette at the 97th pick. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick100 Rnd3 Malachi Fields
They barely believed it either: Malachi Fields still on the board at slot 100. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick113 Rnd4 D'Angelo Ponds
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher and safety to take D'Angelo Ponds, a cornerback that was not the priority.
Pick124 Rnd4 Jalon Kilgore
Of all the spots to shop, they chose cornerback. Jalon Kilgore in pick 124 leaves edge rusher and safety for later.
Pick163 Rnd5 Tanner Koziol
The board had Tanner Koziol higher than pick No. 163, and the tight end fell to them anyway. It fills a real need, too.
Pick175 Rnd5 Matt Gulbin
By-the-book stuff, Matt Gulbin at pick 175 squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick196 Rnd6 Isaiah Jatta
They left a pile of value on the table to take Isaiah Jatta this early at No. 196. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick234 Rnd7 Cole Payton
A straight-up fair deal on Cole Payton at Round 7, Pick 18, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick240 Rnd7 Wesley Bissainthe
A big swing on Wesley Bissainthe at the Round 7 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.