What Should the Vikings Do in the Draft’s Late Rounds?
Much ink has been spilled over the Vikings’ first-round strategy, and rightfully so. But as we’ve learned from Danielle Hunter, Cam Bynum, Everson Griffen, and many more Vikings’ stars of yesteryear, impact players can sometimes come from late day 2/day 3 picks. What can we expect from the Vikings after the fanfare of day 1 is over?
First, it should be noted that the Vikings don’t have a lot of picks to play with, as it stands currently. After their first round pick, they have just one third-rounder, one fifth, and one sixth.
But in his three drafts so far, GM (and former Wall Street trader) Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has shown no hesitancy to trade picks, both up and down, in search of the best players at the best value. Many pundits, including me, have argued that the Vikings are likely to trade down in the first round and pick up some additional late-round picks in the process. But even if they stick and pick at 24, it’s almost guaranteed that the Vikings will swap and shuffle at least one of their picks in the later rounds.
Another common feature of Kwesi’s three previous drafts is his use of mid-round picks on cornerbacks. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, the Vikings selected Akayleb Evans, Mekhi Blackmon, and Khyree Jackson with the 118th, 102nd, and 108th draft picks, respectively. The main reason for this is simply that the Vikings’ CB room has been a weak spot of the roster for the last 5+ years. This season looks to be no different, so the trend might well continue for another year.
Likewise, this might be a good time for the Vikings to spend a mid-round pick at the safety position. Safeties have the flattest value curve of any position in the draft, so the odds of finding a starting caliber safety in the fourth round are not much lower than the odds of finding a starting safety in the first round. With the departure of Cam Bynum and the impending retirement of Harrison Smith, the Vikings need depth at safety and could well find a strong candidate later in the draft.
Finally, it might be worthwhile for the Vikings to invest some late-round draft capital in the RB position. As with safeties, talented RBs can often be found even in late rounds. Furthermore, RBs have the lowest average age of any position in the NFL: even good RBs don’t tend to last long, so teams continually need to replenish their RB rooms with young talent.
This season, the Vikings don’t have a pressing need at RB, having re-signed Aaron Jones to a 2-year deal and traded for Jordan Mason. However, Aaron Jones is 30 years old and has suffered some injuries in the last few years, and his contract is effectively a one-year deal due to the lack of guaranteed money in 2026.
Don’t be surprised if the Vikings target a faster, dual-threat RB as a possible replacement for Aaron Jones to complement Mason’s power-running style.
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