A Bold Draft Strategy Vikings Fans Might Hate
The Minnesota Vikings hold the 18th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Theories are flying about what the purple team should be considering with the selection.
The most popular selection among mock-addicts like myself has been Clemson CB Avieon Terrell. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Terrell. Aside from the irrational fear of drafting another Clemson defensive back, the kid is just a bit too streaky, and his frame isn’t where you want it to be for an NFL corner.
I have an out-of-the-box opinion on what the Vikings should do in the 2026 NFL Draft. It’s one that Vikings fans have grown some walls for. I am a big advocate for Minnesota trading down into the mid-20s and recouping a mid-round selection or two. I will not let former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah scare me off from getting value where available.
Why Should the Vikings Trade Down Later in the 1st Round?
It should be noted that this is just a current opinion. Things can change drastically in the month leading up to the first night of the NFL Draft. As it stands, though, I’m all for the Vikings trading down if someone like the Texans at 28 wants to move up.
Why? As mentioned, I’m not a huge fan of Avieon Terrell, who is likely to be there and is at a position of need for the Vikings. I am personally inclined to like South Carolina CB Brandon Cisse a bit better than Terrell, considering Cisse’s elite football instincts and raw athleticism. There just seems to be a bigger well of untapped potential that Brian Flores could work with in Cisse.
Going hand-in-hand with it is my belief that the Vikings should double-up in the secondary with their first two selections. They also hold the 49th overall selection in the second round, where someone like D’Angelo Ponds or Chris Johnson could be available. Corners are very hard to predict, as we thought there would be plenty taken in the first round last year, when in reality, there were only 2.5 (.5 being Travis Hunter) taken. The first true CB, Jahdae Barron, wasn’t taken until pick 20 by Denver.
Some targets I can see being available in the late-1st round of the draft for Minnesota:
- S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
- S Dillon Thieneman
- CB Brandon Cisse
- CB Keith Abney II
- IDL Kayden McDonald
- LB C.J. Allen
Vikings 7 Round Mock Draft (w/ Trade Down)
Mock Trade Down with Denver Broncos:
- DEN receives: 18th pick
- MIN receives: 30th, 62nd, 130th picks
Vikings 2026 Mock Draft:
- R1P30: CB Brandon Cisse (South Carolina)
- R2P49: CB Chris Johnson (San Diego State)
- R2P62: S Kamari Ramsey (USC)
- R3P82: C Jake Slaughter (Florida)
- R3P97: WR Malachi Fields (Notre Dame)
- R4P130: RB Emmett Johnson (Nebraska)
- R5P161: TE Joe Royer (Cincinnati)
- R6P195: DI Zane Durant (Penn State)
- R6P202: LB Red Murdock (Buffalo)
- R7P234: FB/TE Max Bredeson (Michigan)
- R7P240: QB Cole Payton (North Dakota State)
