photo credit: Ross D. Franklin AP
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings own nine picks in the NFL draft this year, including four top-100 selections, after missing the playoffs last season.
That’s plenty of capital that could be used for moving up and down the board next week as they seek to supplement a talented-yet-incomplete roster following a modest-at-best shopping trip through free agency.
Don’t expect any big splashes, though. Rob Brzezinski will be running the show.
“We can’t manufacture what’s not there, so it’s trying to look at the depth of the draft, where we’re picking, who’s going to be there, who are good Vikings fits, and who are really good football players,” said Brzezinski, the executive vice president of football operations who’s serving as interim general manager this spring following the firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. “Just trying not to overcomplicate it.”
Brzezinski, who is in his 28th year with the Vikings and has long been one of the league’s most respected salary cap managers and contract negotiators, was picked by team ownership to fill the role during this critical offseason period because of his experience in the front office and his collegial approach to the job. The consensus-building between the coaching staff and personnel department that was lacking in recent years has been a top priority.
The search process for Adofo-Mensah’s replacement will commence after the draft. Though Brzezinski is a legitimate candidate, he has professed no interest in making this an audition and said his focus is solely on helping steer the Vikings back on a path to Super Bowl contention.
“I want to get this right, and I believe we’re going to get it right,” Brzezinski said.
Keeping the strategy simple a key to this draft
Adofo-Mensah’s first draft in 2022 proved to be costly for the Vikings, after an aggressive pursuit of pick value that started with moving down from the 12th to the 32nd pick in the first of six trades made over those three days. The Vikings wound up with four of the top 66 selections, but not a single player from that draft class remains on the roster. Only wide receiver Jalen Nailor, a sixth-rounder, made a big impact.
Coach Kevin O’Connell is entering his fifth season without a win in the playoffs, and the Vikings are approaching the 50th anniversary of their previous Super Bowl appearance. But Brzezinski’s long history with the club has helped him see the importance of guardrails for temptation to make rash moves for short-term gain.
“We want to get incrementally better every year, and that includes being able to look toward next year,” Brzezinski said.
Vikings haven’t been this well-stocked in 4 years
Having been awarded the highest possible compensatory pick at No. 97 overall, for their net loss in free agency last year when quarterback Sam Darnold departed, the Vikings have their most top-100 picks since 2022. They made only four top-100 selections combined over the past three drafts.
In addition to No. 18 in the first round, No. 49 in the second round and Nos. 82 and 97, the Vikings will enter with one pick each in the fifth and sixth rounds and three seventh-round selections.
Their fourth-rounder went to Jacksonville in 2024 for offensive tackle Cam Robinson. Their original fifth-rounder went to Carolina for wide receiver Adam Thielen last year, and their original sixth-rounder went to San Francisco for running back Jordan Mason. They gained back picks in trades for quarterback Sam Howell (fifth round, Philadelphia) and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (sixth round, Indianapolis). The extra seventh-rounders from Carolina and Houston are for past deals.
Needs persist in the secondary and trenches
Whether or not six-time Pro Bowl pick Harrison Smith decides to return for a 15th season, safety is a position that ought to be worth a high pick if the top-ranked prospects are available. Dillon Thieneman (Oregon) has been one of the most widely projected players pegged for the Vikings at No. 18.
Cornerback is another spot ripe for addition, with D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana) and Colton Hood (Tennessee) two viable options with consensus value in the late first or early second rounds. The Vikings would also serve themselves well by supplementing or upgrading on the interior offensive and defensive lines.
They don’t need linebackers, inside or outside
Unless the Vikings field an offer they can’t refuse for Jonathan Greenard, they’re stacked with edge rushers with Dallas Turner improving behind him and Andrew Van Ginkel. Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson have the inside linebacker spots locked down.
Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are entrenched as the offensive tackles for now, with Ryan Van Demark recently added in free agency as the swing backup. The return of T.J. Hockenson at a reduced salary with blocking ace Josh Oliver also back makes it hard to imagine the Vikings using a pick on a tight end.
*Associated Press
Comments