The Vikings’ 2026 Draft Class Might Be Better Than It Looked

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images As soon as the 2025 season ended, we all shifted to the draft and impatiently awaited its arrival. Most of us thought the Vikings draft would be a cavalcade of players destined to fill roster holes with the best player available or one that all the experts said would be there for the taking. Everyone felt that this draft would be different from the last four, with head coach Kevin O’Connell having most of the say, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski supporting and helping to make a plan.

Most fans went in with a positive outlook on this go-round, trying to buffer against the terrible season that 2025 doled out. Minnesota’s Draft Plan Looks Clearer after the First Reaction The 2026 Draft wasn’t seen as a strong year for top prospects. Reports indicated that several teams had only around 12 to 20 1st-round-caliber picks.

That’s never a good way to start things. Not getting to pick until number 18 cast a shadow over the Vikings’ fans’ hopes. As the draft approached, things were looking up, as all the pundits said the team would select a perfect replacement for a Hall of Fame player.

Other than the Raiders’ first pick of Fernando Mendoza being a lock, the only other one by all professional and amateur mock draft nerds was Dillon Thieneman, a safety, who would be the pick at 18. Harrison Smith could retire or, hopefully, stick around one more year as a mentor, and the team wouldn’t miss a beat other than a few growing pains. Safe, secure, stable pick to make most folks happy.