Rob Kleifield
Since we're in the thick of the holiday season now, we're a step closer to draft season.
Unfortunately, with five games to go on Minnesota's 2025 calendar and the slimmest of slim chances to play beyond the first week of January, a look ahead to storylines for the next five months is appropriate.
There's a variety of mock drafts already circulating on our timeline for the 2026 event. In one recent simulation filed byESPNs Matt Miller, the Vikings are projected to pick 12th and select Clemson DT Peter Woods. Meanwhile,Luke Easterling of Athlon SportsandRyan Wilson of CBS Sportsthink Minnesota will own the 11th pick and spend it on Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love. In another version,Yahoo Sports Charles McDonaldforesees the Vikings drafting 12th and choosing Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey.
If you follow the draft process, you are well aware that mocks are little more than just-for-fun exercises; they act as a guide and introduce college football's cream of the crop to fans of the NFL, but can fall victim to groupthink, which is sometimes the case in the mock draft trackers we publish each offseason.
ESPN offered an early comprehensive preview of the NFL Draft Class of 2026in this article. Seasoned draft gurus Mel Kiper, Jr., Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates, plus several NFL Nation reporters, answered 30 overarching questions about eligible players and options for some clubs at this point in the process.
Questions like
Who would you rank as the No. 1 prospect in the class right now?
True or false: Jeremiyah Love will go earlier than Ashton Jeanty did (No. 6 overall in 2025).
Can teams find starting RBs on Day 2 in this class?
To satiate curiosity surrounding Love after all, he is frequently linked to the Vikings, who rank 25th in rushing yards per game (99.4) this campaign here's how Miller responded to the true-or-false prompt:
False. I think some of that will be due to Jeanty's struggles this season (635 yards in 12 games). The NFL runs in cycles, and Jeanty's failure to spark the Raiders offense will likely lead to some trepidation in front offices about drafting another back in the top 10. Given the sheer number of teams that need quarterbacks and the presence of multiple top-tier edge rusher prospects, it's hard to find a clear fit for Love in the top 10. I don't see a team taking Love earlier than Jeanty's slot at No. 6.
That said, Love's ability to break off big runs, patience and vision behind the line of scrimmage, and overall speed at 6-foot and 214 pounds make him special. A team might go against positional value and against higher-priority needs and still take him in the back half of the top 10.
Keep in mind, Minnesota's RB tandem of Aaron Jones, Sr., and Jordan Mason is under contract through 2026. The last time the team selected a RB in Round 1 was Adrian Peterson at No. 7 overall in 2007.
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A forgotten highlight
Jalen Nailor is one reason why Minnesota respectfullywaived Adam Thielenon Monday.
In case you missed it: Thielen's agent initiated talks with Vikings brass about the hometown hero finishing what he plans to be his final NFL season elsewhere because he aspires to play a bigger role.
Once Jordan Addison returned from a three-game suspension in Week 4, Thielen averaged 9 snaps per game on offense. In 11 games and four starts this season with Minnesota, the 35-year-old played 185 snaps and caught eight of 18 targets for 69 yards and six first downs. Coaches praised his impact in the run phase, and Thielen was happy to be back in the place he became a record-setting Pro Bowl receiver.
With Justin Jefferson, Addison and Nailor available, Thielen's role was restricted.
Through the first 12 games of his fourth season, Nailor has played 68 percent of Minnesota's offensive snaps, an increase from his 2024 share and significantly higher than his first two go-rounds (24%; 6%).
The 2022 sixth-round choice out of Michigan State, whose nickname is "Speedy," has played well, too.
Nailor is on the brink of a new single-season high in targets he's at 39, three away from his 2024 tally and has received 20 passes for 318 yards (15.9 avg.) and a pair of touchdowns. In Week 9 at Detroit, Nailor was in lockstep with young QB J.J. McCarthy, reeling in five of six targets for 124 yards and a TD. It was Nailor's first career 100-yard game, and it featured an awesome 62-yard catch along the left sideline.
Due to inconsistent QB play with three players starting under center, Nailor hasn't shown up on the stat sheet every game. He's gone without a catch on three separate occasions, including the past two weeks.
Even when he's not logging receptions, though, Nailor has been an impressive part of the Vikings offense. He regularly wins on his routes and uncovers on tape. His 46.2% receiving success rate is tops among his WR teammates, as is his expected points added (EPA) per target plus-0.14 according to Next Gen Stats. And on Sunday at Seattle, he delivered a highlight effort on one of Minnesota's miscues.
With about five-and-a-half minutes remaining, Nailor impeded Riq Woolen on an interception return, tackling the 6-foot-4, 210-pound CB with great form and forcing a fumble that Nailor recovered himself.
In a collectively bad performance by the offense, Nailor's turnover-creating tackle registered as the team's Best Play of the Week in acompilation generated by NFL.comto highlight Week 13 moments.
That play and Thielen's departure are a reminder of Nailor's ongoing ascension as a reliable player.
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