Janik Eckardt’s Draft Endorsement for the Vikings
The Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era is over. He made five first-round selections through four drafts in charge of the organization, but he won’t get another chance as he was fired in January. Long-time Vikings executive Rob Brzezinski will take his spot and make the call on Thursday.
While the national media is pretty sure safety Dillon Thieneman will arrive in the Twin Cities, the fan base is torn between countless options.
My endorsement: Trade back a few slots and select cornerback Chris Johnson out of San Diego State.
Trade Back
After winning the final five games of the season, the Vikings tumbled down the draft order and ended up with the 18th overall pick. That’s too late to find a sure-fire top player, especially in a class that is considered a weaker one. Analysts all over the country agree that the strength of the 2026 group comes after the first round.
The composition of this year’s draft class and the state of the roster should lead Minnesota to the conclusion that a trade makes sense.
Trading down into the 25-35 range makes sense for the Vikings. Just like at 18, they would get their hands on a solid, but not elite prospect. The benefit is obvious: The club could snag additional draft capital. Loading up on Day 2 picks should be Minnesota’s goal, given the aging roster.
In 2022, Adofo-Mensah shipped pick 12 to Detroit in a rare in-division trade. He got picks 32 and 34 in return. The former landed Lewis Cine, whose Vikings career was quite the disaster. The 34th overall pick was traded for a couple of second-rounders. After another trade, those turned into Andrew Booth and Ed Ingram.
That draft didn’t work out as envisioned whatsoever. Picking the correct players and then developing them is still key.
In 2021, Rick Spielman traded down from 14 to 23 and acquired franchise tackle Christian Darrisaw. Unfortunately, the pair of third-rounders he got in return didn’t turn into much.
Cornerback Chris Johnson
This year’s Darrisaw could be Chris Johnson. The San Diego State product (same as Kevin O’Connell) could be the reinforcement in the secondary that the franchise has been looking for in recent years.
Although not playing at an elite school, Johnson possesses many traits the Vikings should look for in a new franchise cornerback. He showed promising physical traits at the scouting combine and is just coming off a season that earned him second-team All-American recognition.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote in his draft primer The Beast, “A two-year starter at San Diego State, Johnson was the left outside cornerback in Demetrius Sumler’s balanced scheme (zone and man, press and off). He put himself on the NFL radar with a productive junior season and took his game to another level as a senior, earning All-America and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. When he was targeted in 2025, opponents completed just 41.9 percent of throws — Johnson had 13 passes defended and four interceptions and allowed zero touchdowns.”
The Vikings still employ last year’s starters Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers and added veteran James Pierre in free agency. Brian Flores seemingly prefers experienced cornerbacks, but at some point, the Vikings need to find and develop an in-house CB. It’s still fair to wonder if a shutdown corner could even elevate his already elite defensive unit.
“Johnson is a sticky cover man in both man and zone,” Brugler added. “He plays with clean pedal mechanics to mirror and match in press man and flashes a burst to regain phase down the field. He is hyperaware in zone to drive on throws and consistently play through catch windows. He can get big-boyed at times by receivers and in the run game, but he doesn’t go down without a fight.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Johnson to Minnesota’s defensive back Byron Murphy. Like Murphy, Johnson has the skills to play in the slot and outside.
Another factor is that Johnson won’t turn 22 until November, suggesting he’s not done growing as a football player.
According to Arif Hasan’s consensus board, he ranks 34th in this year’s class, meaning there’s a reasonable chance that he’ll still be on the board if the Vikings facilitate the endorsed trade.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.