The Vikings’ Starting Lineup After the Recent Facelift
The Vikings’ starting lineup is dynamic, not static. A living, breathing organism, it moves around due to a variety of factors.
There is, nevertheless, some merit in an early exploration of where things are trending due to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Most notable was the decision to snag the hulking Caleb Banks, a defensive tackle who has size that mirrors Pat Williams while hoping to replicate the production from Kevin Williams. Do any of the other draftees get worked into the mix as possible starters from Week 1 onward? Late April offers nothing by way of certainty, so check out an educated guess.
The Vikings’ Starting Lineup After the 2026 Draft
Start off with football’s forgotten phase: special teams. Matt Daniels does a nice job of leading his crew, coaxing excellence out of several of his players. Check out the main specialists:
| K: Will Reichard | P: Johnny Hekker | LS: Andrew DePaola |
Not much uncertainty apart from the punter spot. The UDFA haul included a young punter, meaning July and August will involve a head-to-head battle. Hekker is the favorite given all that he has accomplished as a pro, but Brett Thorson is looking earn the top job. A similar story unfolded back in 2022 with UDFA Ryan Wright versus Jordan Berry. Maybe youth wins again.
Another sneaky factor is the presence of RB Demond Claiborne.
WR Myles Price appears quite likely to continue as the punt returner. Some ball security issues aside, Mr. Price did spiffy work as a rookie. Where he wasn’t as strong, though, was in kickoff return. His game is built more on shiftiness and quickness (think Percy Harvin) whereas kickoff sometimes leans more toward a different form of speed (think Cordarrelle Patterson). To be sure, there’s overlap, but it’s not identical.
Claiborne has some experience returning kickoffs in college and did confirm that he was comfortable doing so in the NFL. He has 4.3 speed, meaning he’ll chew up green grass in a hurry. Something to watch in July and August. Ty Chandler, a speedy running back, was handling kickoffs prior to injury; Claiborne could be a one-for-one replacement as the RB3 and KR1.
Consider how things look on offense:
| LT: Christian Darrisaw | LG: Donovan Jackson | C: ? | RG: Will Fries | RT: Brian O’Neill |
| QB: Kyler Murray (Probably) | ||||
| RB: ? | ||||
| WR: Justin Jefferson | TE: T.J. Hockenson | TE: Josh Oliver | WR: Jordan Addison |
The call is to roll with 12 personnel, at least in the Vikings’ starting lineup above. Nothing from the draft fully answered questions about roster competitions. Nevertheless, the draft haul did include FB Max Bredeson, so 21-personnel is back on the menu.
Adding Claiborne introduces depth to the RB spot and long-term potential. The competition comes down to Jordan Mason (a hammer who treats defenders like nails) and Aaron Jones (a versatile veteran who told me over the weekend the his body is feeling good). A flip of the coin between these two, but give the edge to Mr. Jones if the emphasis is on being multiple and passing the ball.
There’s then the QB competition (most lean Murray) and the center position (Blake Brandel is the leader in the clubhouse). What I will say is that Gavin Gerhardt appears to be an impressive guy. That doesn’t mean he’ll be ready to wrestle NFL-level DTs from Week 1 onward. What it does mean, though, is that he could be scrappy enough to surprise onlookers.
Finally, check out the Vikings’ defense. An educated guess:
| EDGE: Dallas Turner | DT: Jalen Redmond | DT: Caleb Banks | EDGE: Andrew Van Ginkel | |
| LB: Blake Cashman | LB: Eric Wilson | |||
| CB: James Pierre | CB: Byron Murphy Jr. | FS: Jay Ward | SS: Josh Metellus | CB: Isaiah Rodgers |
Apart from tossing Mr. Banks into the mix, the Vikings’ starting lineup is looking pretty familiar. Oh, and then there’s the Jonathan Greenard subtraction. Losing the veteran hurts Minnesota’s chances in 2026.
The expectation should be that health, or lack thereof, is the only factor to keep Caleb Banks off the field. Assuming good health — as all are hoping to see — means that Banks should be a Week 1 starter. Why snag him so early if there wasn’t hope in early impact? The Vikings aren’t a team with a ton of leeway right now.
What will be fascinating to see is if Jake Golday forces his way into the lineup. At least in theory, Brian Flores could declare Wilson a starting edge rusher while Golday is the other off-ball linebacker. Or, perhaps, the situation could be quite fluid, with the versatile defenders getting shuffled all over the place.
There’s then Chuck Demmings. He’s a ton of fun, someone with great personality and energy. Any young ball player is going to face a tough test when going from college to the pros, but his jump is particularly pronounced given that he played at a lower-level of college competition. The Vikings are betting on who he is as a person alongside his length and speed. Look for a CB4 spot while competing to fill the CB3 job.
DT Domonique Orange and S Jakobe Thomas appear destined for depth jobs, but I’ve been wrong more than I care to admit. We’ll see.
The Vikings don’t have a perfect football team. Nor, for that matter, do they have a team that’s among the top rosters in the NFL, at least in terms of post-draft expectations. What they accomplished in the 2026 NFL Draft does raise their ceiling, though.
At minimum, there has been a single starter tossed into the mix (Banks). There was then an in-house promotion due to trade (bumping up Turner after moving out Greenard) The Vikings then welcomed several lads who should get worked into the mix while helping on specials, as well.
As Tom Pelissero noted online, the NFL officially gets underway in 135 days.
