ESPN Nominates Best Vikings Draft Pick

Minnesota’s haul in this year’s draft included nine new players. First-rounder Caleb Banks was a controversial selection, as he comes into the building with two significant foot injuries on his resume, but also with a ton of physical talent.

Seemingly less controversial was the Vikings’ addition of third-rounder Caleb Tiernan. The offensive lineman was ranked 34th on ESPN’s top 100 pick rankings, assembled by draft analyst Matt Miller. No Viking received a better ranking.

Though perhaps not an immediate contributor given the state of the offensive line, the Northwestern pickup might pay huge dividends in the future.

Miller wrote, “A value pickup at the end of Round 3, Tiernan should be viewed as the long-term plan at right tackle. Brian O’Neill is still a very good player at 30 years old, but the team must make a decision on his expiring contract after this season. Drafting Tiernan might give us a hint about Minnesota’s long-term plans.”

O’Neill can still play, without a doubt, but he will turn 31 in September and has missed some time in recent years. His contract is up and the Vikings either need to hand him a new one or say goodbye to their veteran next March. Furthermore, Christian Darrisaw’s knee issue remains a topic of conversation. His health was a huge problem in 2025, a year after suffering a torn ACL and it cannot be taken for granted moving forward.

Having a backup plan for either tackle position is a smart move. Cross-training Tiernan at guard could also be in the franchise’s best interest.

Miller added, “A six-game starter at right tackle (38 at LT), Tiernan has experience on the right side and a frame many scouts think projects better to that side or at guard. He’s worth monitoring in training camp to see where and how Minnesota plans to use him.”

Tiernan doesn’t possess the prototypical arm length teams are looking for in an offensive tackle. Therefore, guard has been floated as an idea for the 6’7″ blocker.

About his arms, he said in his introductory presser, “A lot of those [doubts] come from people who probably don’t know football that well. You know, obviously I’m a football player and there’s no — it’s not an arm length competition on the field. It’s a physicality competition. And, you know, I feel like I’m really good at that. And I feel like that’s kind of what allowed me to kind of succeed.”

Whether it will ultimately hinder his play at tackle remains to be seen. It is a fact that elite pass rushers can take advantage of any physical disadvantages.

He added, “I’d love for someone to say I got beat here or I didn’t do as well here because my arms are too short — kind of going to be pretty tough to find. But yeah, you know, obviously arm length, some teams harp on it. Some fans love it. Some guys hate it. I’m just a football player at the end of the day.”

At guard, the Vikings have a long-term starter on the left side in last year’s top pick, Donovan Jackson. On the right side, Will Fries enters his second campaign as Minnesota’s starter. He signed a massive deal last offseason, and the Vikings could decide to move on next year, which would present another path to the starting unit for Tiernan.

The rookie has some solid athletic tools and his football IQ has drawn praise in the pre-draft process.

The Ringer‘s Todd McShay wrote about Tiernan: “Early in his career, Tiernan could fill a swing tackle role while also providing guard depth as he develops into a potential starter. Players like Bernhard Raimann, Luke Goedeke, and Braden Smith have overcome similar length limitations to stick at tackle.”

“There’s also a Northwestern precedent for shorter-armed tackles moving inside and thriving — Peter Skoronski is already among the league’s best. If Tiernan follows that path, Sam Cosmi is a strong stylistic comparison. Tiernan is an athletic, experienced, and versatile offensive lineman who may need to transition from tackle, where he played in college, to guard in the NFL.”

The Vikings might not need Tiernan to block defenders anytime soon, but once there’s an injury or another roster shakeup, having a talented third-rounder waiting in the wings is what smart franchises do.

Tiernan ranks 34th among Miller’s best draft picks of the year. The selections of Caleb Banks (43rd), Domonique Orange (68th), Max Bredeson (83rd), and Demond Claiborne (85th) also made his top 100 list.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.

Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt