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Head coach Kevin O'Connell and the Minnesota Vikings could play in another country next season.
The 2026 NFL Draft has concluded, and we now have a sense of the future for these Minnesota Vikings.
This year, they didn’t have a technical full-time general manager at the helm for the event. These duties were given to Rob Brzezinski, who has been with the team since 1999 in behind-the-scenes roles.
Have a look at their official 2026 NFL Draft class.
- Round 1, Pick 18: IDL Caleb Banks, Florida
- Round 2, Pick 51: LB Jake Golday, Cincinnati
- Round 3, Pick 82: IDL Domonique Orange, Iowa State
- Round 3, Pick 97: OT Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
- Round 3, Pick 98: S Jakobe Thomas, Miami
- Round 5, Pick 159: FB Max Bredeson, Michigan
- Round 5, Pick 163: CB Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin
- Round 6, Pick 198: RB Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
- Round 7, Pick 235: C Gavin Gerhardt, Cincinnati
It looks like a class in which the Vikings addressed a lot of their needs. However, for some, it’s a class that reeks of not having a full-time general manager.
Vikings Get Blunt One-Word Message About 2026 NFL Draft Class
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Bleacher Report recently described all 32 teams’ NFL draft classes with one singular word. For the Vikings, it wasn’t a nice one.
Minnesota’s draft was described as “baffling”.
“Ironically, it’s fair to wonder what the Minnesota Vikings were thinking at the top of the draft while simultaneously knowing exactly what they were thinking. After parting with defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave earlier in the offseason, the Vikings clearly decided that they needed to reload along their defensive front. Still, using the 18th overall pick on Florida’s Caleb Banks was a massive reach.
Banks was the 60th-ranked overall prospect on the B/R board, and he’s dealt with alarming foot issues over the past year. He suffered a broken foot in 2025 that limited him to three games, and he broke the same foot again at the scouting combine.
While banks has the potential to be a great player, Minnesota’s decision to take him where it did is baffling.”
It’s questionable to call a Vikings draft class in which they loaded up on young defensive talent. Minnesota clearly knew that they needed more upside on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s exactly what they did.
Minnesota’s Draft Sent a Clear Message About Future
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – NOVEMBER 30: Defensive coordinator Brian Flores of Minnesota Vikings looks on against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on November 30, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Minnesota spent 4 of their 5 Top-100 draft picks on big, physical defenders. Banks and Golday are freak athletes. Orange is a big-body that can plug the gaps and stop the run. Jakobe Thomas is a big-time thumper playing safety.
The Vikings badly needed to infuse their defense with young talent, and that’s exactly the approach they took. They also selected an impressive corner on Day 3 in Charles Demmings, who is a big-body and plays an extremely physical brand of football.
They also may now have a future at the runningback position in Demond Claiborne. Claiborne is an extremely fluid back whom knows how to use his body to create space and won’t go down as easy as his frame implies.
Minnesota’s draft my not be in line with what many mock drafters expected, but they gave us a clear signal for the direction in which they’ll be going moving forward.
Brevan Bane Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane