The Vikings’ Draft Class Looks Like an Even Split as Week 1 Nears

The Vikings’ draft class is going to be under ample scrutiny in the 2026 season, a cluster of games that gets rolling on Sunday.

Already, the nine-person draft class has been brought down to eight players with the departure of C Gavin Gerhardt. There’s then the broader outlook for the UDFAs among those draftees, all of whom will be looking to make their NFL debut on Sunday. Of those drafted young fellas, though, who is trending well going into the Week 1 game?

The Vikings’ Draft Class
Optimism and Pessimism Ahead of Week 1

Oddly enough, the Vikings’ draft class is working through what could be described as a near even split in degrees of optimism. Consider a chart to simplify (obfuscate?) how things look right now:

Now, a quick word to clarify the purpose of the chart. The point above is not to make any predictive claims about who is going to play well or not as well. Rather, the idea is merely to highlight a very general, very insufficient sense of the overall hype surrounding each player rolling into the upcoming season. Some guys have been generating lots of hype while others haven’t been so successful early on.

Starting off with Caleb Banks makes sense given his status as the very surprising opening selection of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Part of the problem for Banks has been health, or lack thereof. What’s encouraging is that he’s been out there for all of training camp and the preseason. What’s discouraging is that he looks raw and in need of further polish. To a certain extent, that’s to be expected for any newcomer, but seeing the 325-pound defensive tackle get pushed around by NFL backups at various points in the preseason isn’t going to be met with applause around the Vikings.

Caleb Banks needs to ensure his compete reaches a rabid level as he works on refining the finer details of being an NFL d-lineman.

In contrast, Domonique Orange appears to have created plenty of believers among Vikings fans.

Most see the young nose tackle as merely a run stuffer. He disagrees. Better yet, Orange has shown some nice wiggle in his still-young NFL career, creating optimism about his capacity to chase down NFL passers. Gobbling up blockers, runners, and passers would mean that Minnesota crushed that 3rd-Round selection.

Golday, Bredeson, and Demmings all appear poised to dress in Week 1. Better yet, the first two names — Golday and Bredeson — are going to earn snaps on their side of the ball. Meanwhile, Demmings is going to be a special teams player who looks like a true CB4 instead of a Dwight McGlothern CB4.

Neither Tiernan nor Thomas have had pain free offseasons. These depth options have each had to overcome injuries (the lineman had an ankle issue and the safety a back problem), so some grace is required. Still, neither ventures into Week 1 with massive momentum. Tiernan looks like he won’t dress while Thomas is probably a special teams option.

Running back Demond Claiborne is healthy but isn’t yet a finished product. Where he shines is as a remarkably fast runner. Where he struggles is in the passing game and with ball security. Best guess is that he has a negligible role on offense while possibly earning some reps on specials.

The Vikings’ draft class will take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Watch for DT Caleb Banks, DT Domonique Orange, and various the various other rookies in that early NFC North showdown.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.