B-
Minnesota Vikings
Good, not great, for the Vikings: B-.
by treej ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Vikings put a flag in the ground for Kevin Coleman Jr., 28 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Hecht.
The trades cost them a sliver of value they did not need to spend.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 26 they get a rangy last line of defense, though they paid up to get him. The biggest hole, addressed.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Lee Hunter. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They read the board right and Jacob Rodriguez was the payoff at the 85th overall pick. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They paid sticker price for Emmett Johnson in pick 97, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.
Sam Hecht in Round 4, Pick 3 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A real head-scratcher, Kevin Coleman Jr. in slot 135 is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reach on Toriano Pride Jr. in the 196th overall pick; the board had better options right there. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 235 with a little surplus value in Aiden Fisher. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.