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Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
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 49: 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 Rough Grade on 2026 NFL Draft
GettyEAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 21: Head coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings works from the sideline during the NFL 2025 game between Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 21, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Bleacher Report graded every single NFL team’s performance in the 2026 NFL Draft. These Minnesota Vikings were one of the worst graded in the piece, bringing home a D grade.
“The Minnesota Vikings released defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave early in the offseason. Therefore, it wasn’t a total shock to see them target their defensive front on opening night. Still, the selection of Florida’s Caleb Banks could be considered a reach.
Banks was the 60th-ranked overall prospect on the B/R board.
Fortunately, the Vikings found much better value in Round 2. Off-ball linebacker Jake Golday has the potential to be a true three-down player for Minnesota and was the 37th-ranked prospect on the Scouting Department’s final board.
During Day 2 of the draft, the Vikings also received a pair of third-round picks (one in 2026, one in 2027) from the Philadelphia Eagles for edge-rusher Jonathan Greenard. Minnesota then went back to its defensive interior, adding Iowa State’s Domonique Orange.
Orange and Jakobe Thomas will add more defensive depth, while the Vikings should boost their ground game with Demond Claiborne and the draft’s top fullback, Max Bredeson.
However, it’s hard to feel like the Vikings’ roster is any better than it was at the start of the offseason—aside from at quarterback, where Kyler Murray adds real improvement potential—though the team has saved considerable cap space.
Minnesota operated without a general manager over draft weekend, and it shows.”
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