MINNESOTA — The 2026 NFL draft has begun in Pittsburgh. The three-day event continues with Rounds 4-7 on Saturday (noon ET).
The Minnesota Vikings drafted Caleb Banks with pick No. 18 of the first round.
A full list of the Vikings’ selections is below and will be updated with pick-by-pick analysis through the weekend.
Round 1, No. 18 overall: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
My take: This was a gutsy first selection from longtime team executive Rob Brzezinski, who is serving as the Vikings’ interim general manager following the January 30 firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Banks is a supremely talented player with elite size and traits. But he has had two injuries in the past year to his left foot, played only three games at Florida last season and is hopeful of being cleared to practice in June. Brzezinski hasn’t said publicly whether he wants the permanent general manager job, but his first draft decision could be interpreted as a boom-or-bust scenario.
Is this pick for depth or does it fill a hole?: Defensive line is most definitely one of the Vikings’ biggest needs. They moved on from their two starting tackles from last season, Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, leaving only one established player at the position in Jalen Redmond. While they have some interesting young players at the position in Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Elijah Williams, coach Kevin O’Connell has been looking for a high-end interior disruptor ever since his arrival in Minnesota. Banks has arguably the highest upside of any player the Vikings have acquired over that span.
What we’re hearing about Banks’ injury timetable: “As we work towards the end of the offseason program on into the summer, our hope is that we’ll be able to prepare him for the regular season [in training camp] and have him for that,” — O’Connell
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What Jake Golday brings to the Vikings
What Jake Golday brings to the Vikings
Round 2, No. 51: Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
My take: The Vikings entered this draft having used only one top-100 pick to select a defensive player during the three years that Brian Flores has been the defensive coordinator. In this draft, they have doubled that total with their first two picks. Golday is a big (6-foot-5) off-ball linebacker who earlier in his career was an edge rusher. Flores loves versatility, but it will be interesting to see if he tries to use Golday as an all-around player or if he tries to focus him on the edge following the trade of Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles. Ideally, Golday could provide both services to maximize his time on the field. At the moment, the Vikings have two off-ball linebackers signed to multi-year contracts in Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman.
Key stat: The Vikings allowed 124.1 rushing yards per game last season, up from an average of 96.1 yards per game in Flores’ first two seasons with the team. That was in part because opponents used big personnel packages to outmuscle the Vikings’ relatively small defensive alignments. Golday’s size, combined with that of first-round pick Banks (6-6 and 327 pounds) in Round 1 is a clear step toward addressing some of the size inequities that impacted the run defense in 2025.
Round 3, No. 82: Domonique Orange, NT, Ohio State
My take: For the second consecutive year, the Vikings have made it a mission to rebuild the interior of their defensive line. In 2025, it was via free agency. In 2026, they’re doing it through the draft via two of their first three selections (Banks, Orange). Orange, nicknamed the “Big Citrus,” is a classic 322-pound run-stopping nose tackle. That means the Vikings have already added nearly 660 pounds of interior defenders in the first two days of the draft, as Banks is 330 pounds. The most interesting part of this surge on defensive tackles is that it’s one of the few positions where the Vikings already had promising young players, from Jalen Redmond to Levi Drake Rodriguez to Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. The more, the merrier, apparently.
Key stat: Orange lined up at nose tackle on 74% of his snaps in college, per ESPN Research. That’s the fourth most in FBS since the start of the 2022 season. In four seasons, he had one career sack. Those numbers tell you one thing: The Vikings drafted Orange to be a run stopper.
My take: The Vikings have been quite focused on big dudes in this draft, now adding their third player of 320-plus pounds with Tiernan coming in at nearly 6-8 and 323 pounds. He played right tackle and left tackle in college, but it’s not out of the question that the Vikings will give him a look at guard. The Vikings’ top backup at tackle is likely to be veteran Ryan Van Demark, a free agent acquisition who himself stands 6-7. But it never hurts to have more big guys. Key stat: Tiernan made significant improvement over the course of his career. According to ESPN Research, he allowed 24 pressures and 31 blown blocks during the 2023 season. He allowed fewer of both over the next two seasons combined: 20 pressures and 29 blown blocks. My take: The mock draft world correctly identified that the Vikings have a need at safety. Rather than take one in the first round, however, the Vikings waited for their final pick of Day 2. Thomas’ versatility was most interesting to the Vikings. He had five interceptions and allowed only one touchdown in coverage last season at Miami, where he spent one season after beginning college at Middle Tennessee State and then moving to Tennessee. He also had 10 quarterback pressures. Will he start as a rookie?: It’s not completely out of the question, depending on whether veteran Harrison Smith returns for another season or retires. O’Connell referred to Thomas as “a great fit as a safety in our defense” and said the team loves his “football IQ,” adding: “He’s a very, very highly intelligent player.” Those are the types of traits that can get a player on the field sooner rather than later. What’s next: Brzezinski and O’Connell said they didn’t intend to go so heavy defensively on Days 1 and 2, instead describing their approach as being disciplined to their board, as offensive players they liked were selected in the picks ahead of them. Regardless, the Vikings still have some of their key needs to fill, from center to depth at receiver and running back, with their four remaining picks. Round 5: No. 159 Round 5: No. 163 Round 7: No. 234 Round 7: No. 235Round 3, No. 97: Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern
Round 3, No. 98: Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami
Remaining picks
