Who would you like to see added?
I think the draft was efficient. With few picks there was not much moving around that could be done without sacrificing 2026 picks. I am happy that Kwesi did not trade any future picks. Yet. I am expecting a cornerback to be added. Maybe Shaq Griffin, Fabian Moreau, Rasul Douglass, or even a big trade. I do not think they would go for Asante Samuel Jr. I would not complain but he is going to want to play significant snaps in order to get a new deal as I expect it would be a one year prove it deal. Jalen Ramsey would be nice but expensive. Probably too expensive. I kind of like Myles Bryant because he has slot experience.
I also would not rule out you know who. Brosmer likely ends up on the PS and Rypien is not guaranteed a spot either. There will continue to be chatter.
I like Silas Bolden a lot and I think he has a good chance to make the team as a returner.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Kevin O’Connell & Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Trading for Sam Howell; Vikings Add QB Max Brosmer, Too
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell joined NFL Network’s Rich Eisen on the third day of the 2025 NFL Draft to discuss the team’s picks and give an update on the quarterbacks room after trading for Howell, a 2022 fifth-round pick.
“We still think that there’s a lot in Sam’s game to develop but also see where he can take it within our system, within our quarterback development plan here in Minnesota,” O’Connell said. “[We] feel really good about Josh McCown [coaching] that quarterbacks room, and all the talent, and the things we’ve acquired – whether [it’s] up front; the skill guys we do have that we feel so great about, and then just our system going into Year 4, the evolution of that becoming as quarterback friendly as we can make it, while also challenging defenses and trying to do the things that it takes to win football games.”
After arming up its QBs room with Howell, the Vikings announced they agreed to terms Saturday with undrafted free agent and local prospect Max Brosmer, who excelled for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2024, completing a single-season school record 268 passes after starring for five years at New Hampshire.
As part of his post-draft recap (and prior to adding Brosmer), Adofo-Mensah elaborated on the thinking behind trading for Howell, and why his specific “quarterback portfolio” was viewed as complementary to what the Vikings have in-house. With O’Connell’s insights, they weighed different scenarios and the ways Howell could impact the team, whether it’s coming off the bench in a game, or needing him for a stretch of games, and how he fits in relation to the group of players around him. That is, does Howell make sense here?
There were additional brainstorms, as well, like configuring a disbursement of reps amongst quarterbacks, and specifically McCarthy, because he’s trying to establish himself after so many on-field opportunities were postponed by a knee injury last August. Plenty of practice reps will be directed toward him, so Howell’s prior experience will be helpful.
“The dedication of reps to a developing player like J.J. is not necessarily going to lend itself to a ton of reps elsewhere,” said Adofo-Mensah. “Those are [some of my most fun] conversations [with O’Connell] because there’s no right or wrong answer. We’re just malleable and open-minded in the way we talk about it. Sam was just somebody that really fit a lot of those needs.”
What Vikings like about each member of their five-man 2025 draft class
1.24: Ohio State G Donovan Jackson
The success of this draft class for Minnesota will largely hinge on whether or not Jackson pans out as a quality starting guard for a long time. They believe he has all the makings of an excellent player at left guard, where he’ll almost certainly beat out Blake Brandel to be the Vikings’ Week 1 starter. He also has the flexibility to play tackle, if needed, after moving to that position last year due to injuries to Ohio State teammates. You can read a deep dive into why the Vikings picked Jackson here, with plenty of quotes from Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell.
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3.102: Maryland WR Tai Felton
The case for Felton is about production, athleticism, and special teams value. He had a huge season at Maryland last year, catching 96 passes for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns. He runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash and has a nearly 40-inch vertical, which shows up on tape.
“He’s also good with the ball in his hand, he’s not just a vertical speed guy, he can run routes,” Vikings executive Ryan Grigson said. “I think having Keenan coach him up and refine his game, he’s gonna be able to do a lot of things for us in this offense. … He’s twitchy. But the 4.3 (40) is something that’s gonna catch your eye.”
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5.139: Georgia DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
Ingram-Dawkins might be viewed by some as a bit of a tweener, considering he’s around 6’5” and 280 pounds. The Vikings simply view him as an impactful football player.
“Somebody that was really intriguing to us in the film process,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Versatility is something that we crave for our defense, and he stuck out as somebody who’s able to do that. Able to set the edge working outside-in, and then in the rush game, has some ability to win over the guard with a unique skill set. And it’s not refined yet, but there’s some stuff in there that’s pretty unique. We think he’s an incrediblly intelligent player and his best football’s in front of him.”
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6.201: Penn State LB Kobe King
King is a bit of a throwback linebacker who is an outstanding run defender. His 90.8 PFF run defense grade since 2023 is second among all LBs during that span. King is a thumper with a quick first step to make plays coming downhill; he’s got the vision to sift through blocks and the physicality to shed them when he gets engaged by an offensive player.
“A lot of times in football we make it harder than it is, but it’s a meat and potatoes game at some positions, and linebacker is one of them,” Adofo-Mensah said. “You need somebody to tackle the person trying to advance the ball up the field against your team. (King is) somebody that plays with range, tackles, he’s a really physical, knock-back, impact tackler. We’re excited to add him not just to our fourth-down units (special teams), but also potentially to be a starter one day in this league.”
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6.202: Pitt TE Gavin Bartholomew
Last but not least, Bartholomew is a logical addition for the Vikings, who needed a No. 3 tight end. He’s an excellent athlete with size, speed, and some explosiveness to his game as a pass-catcher. He also improved over the course of his college career as a blocker — and continued development in that phase will be critical if he’s going to see the field in O’Connell’s offense.
“We think he can be a hybrid Y/F tight end for us,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He’s got some route-running ability. We think he’s got a lot of ability in his body, and his pro day showed a lot of that. We think our coaches are some of the best in the league to get that out of him. And we think he’s got a lot of lower-body strength to help him in the run game. Just a good athlete, a good football player.”
Kevin O’Connell expects ‘huge jump’ from Dallas Turner in second season
“I hope people haven’t forgotten about Dallas Turner,” O’Connell said in an interview with NFL Network this weekend. “Really a guy that I’m expecting a huge jump from, year one to year two. He really started to come on as the season went on last year. It’s a tough group, tough lineup to crack when you’ve got those top two guys playing the way that they were.”
There is one thing that the Vikings didn’t end up addressing among their five NFL draft selections: the secondary.
Not adding more than one player who is likely to get significant snaps is a weird one, but it was something that head coach Kevin O’Connell alluded to at the NFL Owners Meetings four weeks ago when he was specifically asked about Rodgers.
“Isaiah was a guy that ‘Flo’ identified pretty early. I’ve been doing this long enough with Flo, but once he has that tone in his voice about guys, he’s been pretty darn accurate.”
The secondary isn’t even in a bad spot this season. There are a lot of solid players in both position groups, but there is a lack of star power overall, hence why there was a belief they would target both positions with their 2025 NFL Draft class, but they chose not to, likely due to their confidence in the group as a whole.
Once again, Vikings’ undrafted free agent class ranks among NFL’s best
Because the Vikings’ 2025 draft class included just five selections, tied for the fewest in the league, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’re receiving mixed reviews for their haul. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who put Minnesota dead last in his draft rankings (although he did say “there wasn’t a class that I truly disliked this year” and acknowledged that volume had a lot to do with slotting the Vikings 32nd).
One byproduct of the Vikings’ small draft class is that they had a lot of room to be aggressive in college free agency. Adofo-Mensah and company signed 20 undrafted players, filling out the bottom of their roster with both quantity and some intriguing quality. The Vikings have done well with UDFAs in recent years, most notably Ivan Pace Jr. in 2023, and they appear to have signed one of the best undrafted classes (on paper) in the NFL again this year.
In part due to quantity, the Vikings’ undrafted class ranks as the league’s best based on the consensus big board put together by Wide Left’s Arif Hasan. They signed one top-200 player on that board (Logan Brown) and four other players in the top 300.
In NFL.com’s UDFA rankings, the Vikings signed the No. 1 offensive tackle (Brown), the No. 2 quarterback (Max Brosmer), the No. 6 tight end (Ben Yurosek), and the No. 1 edge rusher (Tyler Batty). They have five players — Brown, Joe Huber, Brosmer, Batty, and Chaz Chambliss — who ranked among Brugler’s top 300.
At the skill positions, the player who might just have the clearest path to a roster spot of any Vikings UDFA is former Oregon State and Texas wide receiver Silas Bolden. Why? Because he’s a dynamic punt and kick returner and is coming into a roster that doesn’t have proven options at those spots. Tight ends Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit are both interesting, particularly Yurosek, who ran a 4.64 and had some productive years at Stanford before spending his final season at Georgia. And the only rookie running back the Vikings added, Tre Stewart, is a small-school prospect who racked up nearly 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns last season.
Cleveland radio host says Nick Chubb is ‘getting close’ to an NFC North team
“I heard he is kind of getting close to another team. It happens to be in the NFC North,” said Ken Carman on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. “I hope he comes back. I really do hope, but it’s looking more and more unlikely.”
Is there a team in the NFC North that needs a running back?
Yore Way Too Early 2026 Mock
Trades
Trade Partner : NY Giants
Sent: 201, 211
Received: 173
…
18. Spencer Fano OT Utah 6’5” 304
50. Kamari Ramsey S USC 6’0” 204
82. Nyckoles Harbor WR South Carolina
115. Tim Keenan III DT Alabama 6’2” 324
173. Derrick Moore EDGE Michigan 6’3” 256
210. Dante Dowdell RB Kentucky 6’2” 225
Most of the sites have the Vikings at 18 which just misses the playoffs. That is likely due to the QB uncertainty. If JJ plays well then that is a good problem to have.
Why a tackle? I am not sure they are going to extend O’Neill. I hope that they do but they could have reservations. Plus, he has a cap hit of 23.2M in 2026 and they would save 19.5M in a release or trade. He only turns 30 on Sept 15th so you would think he could go to 32 or 33 no? You could argue for Rouse or Logan Brown eventually claiming the spot. I could see them going for a cornerback or safety in the first round too.
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