Vikings Have an Early Draft Darling
Nobody expected the Minnesota Vikings to look for draft position and potential draft fits this early, but here we are. With five games to go, the franchise has only theoretical playoff chances, and even those remaining paths will vanish rather quickly.
Vikings Have an Early Draft Darling
The 4-8 record gives the Vikings a shot at earning a decent draft pick as a consolation prize. Currently, the Vikings would land pick 11, but with the trajectory of the team entering the final stretch (four straight losses), that could easily result in the first top-ten selection since Trae Waynes in 2015 (the 2024 trade for J.J. McCarthy aside).
With that pick, the club could snag a talented football player. Given the draft success or lack thereof over the last few years, the Vikings could use an infusion of youth, and adding a premier draft prospect wouldn’t be the worst thing for the organization.
We’re slowly entering mock draft season, as several teams have already given up on their season and all those mock drafts have one thing in mind for the Vikings: Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic released his mock draft this week and the Vikings land the running back with the 11th overall pick.
He wrote, “Like Downs, Love is one of the best players in the draft but positional value will limit his landing spots in the top half of Round 1. Here, that just means the Vikings get value by adding the draft’s most explosive offensive weapon — a versatile back who’d help both the run and pass games.”
The Vikings have lost their identity in recent years. For 15 years, the club featured one of the league’s elite runners during the Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook years. When Cook departed in the 2023 offseason, the Vikings turned to his backup, Alexander Mattison, while Aaron Jones has been the designated RB1 in 2024 and 2025.
Jones is on the wrong side of 30 and backup Jordan Mason has been solid, but can’t be compared to Cook or Peterson whatsoever.
Under Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have deployed a pass-heavy offense while the running game has been gathering dust. Love could give that element a boost. This season alone, Love has rushed for nearly 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has added another 280 yards and three scores as a receiver. The junior is up to 40 touchdowns from scrimmage over the last couple of seasons.
And Brugler isn’t the only one who thinks Love to the Vikings makes sense.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports thinks the pairing makes sense and he noted about the rusher, “Love has legit track speed and high-end acceleration. He can stop on a dime and redirect with rare change of direction, while playing with good contact balance and the footwork to jump-cut to avoid defenders before hitting the crease.”
Love is universally viewed as the top runner in his class. Most drafts feature one talented back like Bijan Robinson (and Jahmyr Gibbs) or Ashton Jeanty — players worthy of a top-ten draft slot — and Love might be in that category.
According to PFF’s Gordon McGuinness, he’s also the Vikings’ most-picked player in the PFF mock draft simulator. He wrote about Love, “Love is a future impact back at the NFL level. He checks every athletic box: speed, burst, agility and change-of-direction and pairs it with sharp footwork and natural receiving ability. While his power game between the tackles and in pass protection still needs refinement, the foundation is strong. Love projects as a versatile offensive weapon with first-round potential.”
Love could certainly make a difference and change the looks of the Vikings’ offense, but one might wonder whether it’s worth it to spend a high draft pick to acquire a player we’re not even sure O’Connell would use.
Minnesota ranks 30th in rushing attempts and with the quarterback struggles in the Twin Cities, that’s almost inexcusable. Last year, the Vikings ranked 19th and it was widely expected that they would rise in those rankings after acquiring Mason to form a solid one-two punch.
Keep an eye on Love as we will fully enter draft season next month. He’s the early target for the Vikings, according to various analysts.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.