The Vikings’ Draft Will be a Failure If _______: 6 Writers Fill-In the Blank
The Vikings’ draft effort has yet to arrive in all its fullness. The masses are nevertheless focused on how things could go.
— Read More: A Minnesota Vikings Draft Tracker Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft —
Minnesota boasts nine draft picks going into the event. Theories abound for how the Vikings could divvy up the selections, but there’s a strong belief in going defense early. Lots of onlookers foresee either Dillon Thieneman or Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. More broadly, what do the Vikings need to accomplish to consider the 2026 NFL Draft a success? Or, to frame things differently, what does a failure look like?
The Vikings’ Draft Will Be a Failure If: _________
Dustin Baker — VT Writer & Editor
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
The Vikings’ 2026 NFL Draft will be a failure if they trade back more than 15 spots, preferring the comfort of quantity over quality. This draft may be ripe to wheel and deal handful of spots down the board, but stockpiling players just to stockpile isn’t a worthwhile strategy.
Cole Smith — P/PTSD & VT Writer
The Vikings should have plenty of chances to address holes across the roster. But this draft will be a failure if they don’t come away with a center who can push for the starting job in 2026. Minnesota owns the 82nd and 97th overall picks, putting them in prime position to walk out of Day 2 with someone like Florida’s Jake Slaughter, Kansas State’s Sam Hecht, Auburn’s Connor Lew, or Iowa’s Logan Jones. There are other options later, but those four would provide instant competition with Blake Brandel.
Steve Hoikkala — P/PTSD Writer & Podcaster
The Vikings’ 2026 NFL Draft will be a failure if they don’t have at least (2) future starters out of their current (4) selections in the first three rounds of the draft. This Minnesota squad needs to get younger with impact players through the draft, and these (4) picks could be the deciding factor whether Rob Brzezinski is named GM.
Janik Eckardt — P/PTSD Writer & Editor
The Vikings finalize a trade-up in the first round. After years of neglecting the draft by trading away too many picks and failing to find enough contributors with the remaining ones, the Vikings have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. If they fail to add young talent to the squad, they will be in trouble sooner than later. And the more picks they have, the better the chances.
Ali Siddiqui — VT Writer
They don’t draft a safety. Whether Harrison Smith is back or not, they need to draft a safety.
K. Joudry — P/PTSD & VT Writer
The Vikings’ draft could succeed or fail due to a variety of factors. At the most basic level, every draft comes down to a single thing working out: drafting young players who someday become good professionals (earlier is better, of course). Some things I’m monitoring:
- Reinforcements for the trenches
- Getting a couple starters and a couple promising depth pieces
- A young runner with sizzling speed
Getting more specific means insisting that the Vikings’ draft must lead to two very good starters for the defense. Almost all of the most important players for Brian Flores — Jalen Redmond, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, Byron Murphy, and Isaiah Rodgers — are in their mid-20s or above.
Dallas Turner, Ivan Pace, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Jay Ward are youthful. That’s not enough. Inserting a pair of high-end talents into the mix would make a world of difference.
