Vikings Ranking: The Top 5 Breakout Candidates in Minnesota
The Vikings rankings have been an ongoing effort. So far, there has been a consideration of the QB targets, best Kwesi Adofo-Mensah draft picks, and free agents. The attention now turns toward the breakout candidates.
Last year, Minnesota had several players explode. DT Jalen Redmond was excellent. So, too, did veteran linebacker Eric Wilson put together his best season as a pro while Will Reichard pulled down the AP1 honor at kicker. Getting similar explosions from the in-house talent will prove pivotal in 2026.
Vikings Ranking
Minnesota’s Top 5 Breakout Candidates
Breakout Candidate No. 5 — J.J. McCarthy, Quarterback
If the list covered which player is the most important, then J.J. McCarthy would be top player to consider.
Last season, Mr. McCarthy worked through injuries aplenty, continuing a concerning trend from his debut NFL season. The Michigan alumnus completed a modest 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
The first step involves seeing health cooperate. If so, then McCarthy will look to continue on his upward trajectory from the end of the 2025 season.
Breakout Candidate No. 4 — Dallas Turner, Edge Rusher
The speedy, long-and-strong pass rusher led the Vikings last season in sacks (8). More than a few football fans see good things ahead for Dallas Turner.
If the worst case arrives, the Vikings will have a pass rusher who sees his career mirror Leonard Floyd. Tons of talent, length, and speed but not someone who takes over games in the same way that Danielle Hunter did (and still does). If the best case arrives, the Vikings will have a pass rusher who becomes an annual double-digit sack threat who does basically everything well from within the front seven in the same way as Andrew Van Ginkel.
Breakout Candidate No. 3 — Tai Felton, Receiver
He had a very modest rookie season. Allow me to push the point.
The Vikings are a franchise that tends to do well at developing receivers. Consider recent late-round examples in K.J. Osborn alongside Jalen Nailor, both of whom had disappointing rookie seasons. Nailor appears to be on the way out the door, meaning Felton looks like a strong contender to step into those vacated snaps. He’s tall and fast, making him a nice complement to the top twosome.
Breakout Candidate No. 2 — Donovan Jackson & Will Fries, Guards
Both are excellent players coming off seasons that could have been better. Getting these two to elite — or, at least, borderline elite — would do wonders for the Vikings.
In particular, there’s a need to get the run game going. Displacing defensive linemen while then bulldozing linebackers is the name of the game for an NFL guard. Jackson is a young fella on a veteran team, but he’s a tough player who demonstrates good leadership. He’s going to be very, very good.
Breakout Candidate No. 1 — Jay Ward, Safety
A lot was going on with the Vikings toward the end of 2025, so it was somewhat easy to miss Jay Ward’s ascent.
The safety is moving into his fourth season after getting drafted in the 4th Round of the 2023 NFL Draft. So far, his career has predominantly been constrained to special teams, but some injury (Josh Metellus) and underperformance (Theo Jackson) opened the door. Ward looked physical, long, and explosive. He’s going to be a starter.
