2026 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings Draft Grade Roundup

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 23: A screen shows Caleb Banks of Florida after being selected 18th overall by the Minnesota Vikings during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images With the 2026 NFL Draft officially behind us, it’s time for all of the Really Smart Football People™ around the internet to draw their final conclusion about how each team’s draft class is going to perform, because these things are always accurate and nobody has ever gotten any of these things wrong in the past. In all seriousness, drafts can’t really be graded until we’re a few years down the track and we’ve actually seen these young men, you know, set foot on an NFL field and play NFL games and what have you.

But, it does give the experts a chance to voice their opinions on how each team did on Draft Weekend, and it does give people something to talk about, so we’ve rounded up a list of everyone’s reaction to how the Minnesota Vikings did over the course of the past three days for your consumption. Mel Kiper Jr, ESPN : “C” grade Save for the Kyler Murray veteran minimum signing, the Vikings didn’t do a lot in free agency. The biggest changes might have been releasing Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen on the interior of the defensive line in cap-saving measures.

Jalen Redmond had a six-sack campaign in 2025, but defensive tackle was definitely an issue coming into the draft. Caleb Banks is a good player. He can wreak havoc on opposing linemen and has legit burst to affect the quarterback in the pocket as an interior pass rusher (4.

5 sacks in 2024). He’s at his best as a run stuffer, closing gaps with his 6-foot-6, 327-pound frame, and he brings scheme versatility to the table. But his left foot has been a major problem.