The 2025 NFL Draft is officially behind us, and since the seven-round event concluded on Saturday evening, the Minnesota Vikings have received mixed reviews.
Diehard Vikings fans probably aren’t all that surprised. Due largely to their flurry of trades both before and during Day 1 of last year’s draft, moves that netted the team QB J.J. McCarthy and EDGE Dallas Turner, Minnesota entered last weekend with a league-low four selections.
The Vikings did hold pick No. 24 overall in the first round, and despite plenty of trade movement from teams in that general area of the draft, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opted to stand pat and select a potential Day 1 starter at left guard in Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson. Drafting an interior offensive lineman in the first round is never the sexiest pick — Vikes fans were likely rolling their eyes in 2019, too, when the team drafted center Garrett Bradbury No. 18 overall — but with the 22-year-old McCarthy set to start at quarterback this season, it’s easy to justify shoring up his interior protection.
Where the Vikings lost quite a bit of draft equity, per respected analyst Thor Nystrom, was over the final two days of this draft. After waiting out a 73-pick gap, the Vikings waited a little longer after trading No. 97 overall in the third round to the Houston Texans. Minnesota wound up reaching a bit for Maryland receiver Tai Felton (per Nystrom’s rankings) at pick No. 102 overall and wrapped up its five-player draft class with three selections on Day 3.
Nystrom handed out grades for all 32 NFL teams on Monday, and he gave the Vikings a barely-passing ‘D’ due to their poor overall haul. “Adofo-Mensah told the media over the weekend that, in the circumstances that he was in, hitting it down the fairway was the best course of action,” Nystrom wrote. “That’s what he did, adding an immediate starter at LG while fleshing out the roster’s depth.”
It’s hard to argue that this looks like a below-average draft class on paper. Outside of the Jackson pick — “In my opinion, Jackson is the best pure guard in this class above Tyler Booker,” Nystrom said in his writeup. “He will start immediately at LG” — the Vikings drafted a bunch of high-upside dart-throws. Maybe some of these guys will flash, but the path to significant playing time for players like Felton, and EDGE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins of Georgia, figures to be a year or more down the road.
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With that said, Minnesota’s monster haul in free agency was accomplished with an eye on offsetting this year’s poor draft capital. The Vikings will need to start infusing more young talent into their lineup in future years, but the depth chart is stacked and fully-loaded for another run at the NFC North division title in 2025.
MORE VIKNIGS NEWS:
- Vikings NFL Draft grades: Minnesota gets mixed reviews from Mel Kiper Jr., other experts
- Vikings finally add J.J. McCarthy’s backup quarterback in Day 3 draft trade with Seahawks
- How NFL experts scored WR Tai Felton to Minnesota to close 3rd round
- Experts weigh in on Minnesota selecting Donovan Jackson No. 24 overall