The Vikings’ Draft Pick Haul is Getting Beefier
The most basic detail to note when considering compensatory picks is a player’s salary. During the 2024 offseason, Kirk Cousins landed a deal worth $180 million across four seasons, ensuring a 3rd was coming to Minnesota. During the 2025 offseason, Sam Darnold landed a deal worth north of $100 million, ensuring a 3rd will be arriving for the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Vikings’ draft pick haul is therefore going to get a boost.
However, there are other factors that get worked into the mix. One is fairly straightforward and easy to understand: playing time. Darnold’s payday is such that a pick is coming to Minnesota no matter what. Cheaper deals for former Vikings such as offensive tackle Cam Robinson, quarterback Daniel Jones, and wide receiver Trent Sherfield don’t exist in the same category.
The Vikings’ Draft Pick Haul for 2026
A leading authority on the matter is Nick Korte, someone who offers his writing to Over the Cap. Consider his current assessment:
- Sam Darnold: 3rd
- Daniel Jones: 4th
- Cam Robinson: 5th
If, in the end, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gets those draft picks for those players, then Minnesota can’t help but walk away pleased with how they did. That’s a Day 2 selection alongside a pair for Day 3. Players chosen from the 3rd to the 5th routinely find a way of helping NFL teams, so the GM will be eagerly welcoming these extra draft selections.
The real fascinating detail is that there may yet be some further draft pick enhancements.
Mr. Sherfield is now working as a Bronco. He’s sitting on just 70 snaps in his trio of games under the tutelage of Sean Payton. Presumably, that’s a workload that would need to increase by a substantial amount to get the contract to the threshold for a 7th. The possibility that Minnesota may yet get a fourth compensatory selection is nevertheless fascinating to watch.
More positive, at least from the Vikings’ perspective, is that Daniel Jones has been doing a nice job with the Colts.
The Giants bust and short-term Vikings quarterback is playing top-tier football in Indianapolis. He’s sitting on a 3-0 record while completing 71.6% of his passes. The passing yards are coming in at 816 and touchdowns at 3. Even more encouraging — as fantasy football managers who worked the waiver wire are keen to explain — is that he has brought the ball across the goal line 3 times as a runner.
Maybe unsurprisingly, the Colts are responding to that level of play with plenty of playing time.
Daniel Jones sees himself at 194 snaps on offense, good for 97% of the work in Indianapolis. Ensuring that the snaps stay high means continuing to offer the promising play. No team is going to bench someone who is playing so well, especially since Jones is still just a 28-year-old player. In theory, the Colts could be working with a passer capable of playing for another five-to-ten years.
What happens with Anthony Richardson is a fair question, but it’s one the Colts will answer a different day.
So, step back and bask in the potential draft pick haul that’s yet to come. Yes, the draft results have been mixed since Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took over, but that doesn’t mean the GM shouldn’t be stepping back into the batter’s box. Getting more swings is precisely what’s needed even if there has been a strikeout (or two).
Next up for the Minnesota Vikings is an Ireland battle versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Winning that game would mean climbing up to 3-1 despite encountering ample turbulence so far in 2025.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
