Vikings Rookies, Blake Brandel, NFC North Chances

VikingsTerritory is here to answer your questions, publishing them weekly in a single article. The timing is opportune, with training camp getting off the ground in approximately four days.

We have selected the primary questions from the email inbox, and our responses are provided below.

Vikings’ Summer Questions Stretch from Rookies to the Division Race

Question: If you had to guess one single rookie who will make the most impact for the Vikings in 2026, who would that be?

Answer: DT Domonique Orange.

The Vikings found Orange in Round 3 from Iowa State, and because nose tackles are often asked to “only stop the run,” they get up to NFL speed quicker than other rookies. We don’t believe Orange will be different.

The Vikings didn’t have an official general manager during the draft, leading us to assume that defensive coordinator Brian Flores had more input than usual during the process. It’s unlikely that he was forced to pick Orange.

And because Levi Drake Rodriguez — who is decent, not great — is the only NT standing in Orange’s way, VikingsTerritory thinks Orange will see the field as early as September.

Caleb Banks and Jake Golday will get snaps as rookies, but pencil us in for fans falling in love with Orange and his run-stopping ways.

Question: What do you expect from Demond Claiborne as a rookie?

Answer: Enough to wet your whistle for 2027.

Sadly, Claiborne probably won’t see gobs of touches in the Vikings’ offense; Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are ahead of him on the depth chart, and the Vikings’ coaches value the dependability of those men.

But Claiborne has speed to die for (4.37), which Jones and Mason do not possess. We estimate around 75 touches for Claiborne and more if Jones rides the injury train, which usually happens. It’s unclear if Claiborne has the tackle-breaking gene to become an RB1 or elite RB vision, but we trust that new assistant head coach Frank Smith will guide him in the right direction.

When we get to the 2027 offseason, fans will wonder which running back the Vikings will find to pair with Claiborne as a one-two punch.

Question: Why did Minnesota settle on Blake Brandel at center?

Answer: He improved every game at center during Ryan Kelly’s absence in 2025.

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said about Brandel last season, “The way Blake handled this game, I think we might be looking at a situation where this could be his best position of all five across the line. And getting Jurgens back into practice is just a plus for us. And we’ll see where all those guys are at throughout the week as we assess.”

“Going back to years past, Blake hasn’t played a lot of center, but they’re always working those guys because of these situations, the interior backups particularly, have to at least be swing guards. Having some center flex centers that are only centers, kind of limit you with your roster. Generally, they have to at least function at guard. So those guys get worked in throughout the offseason.”

The Vikings could’ve signed about five different veteran centers in free agency or drafted Logan Jones, Sam Hecht, Jake Slaughter, or Connor Lew in April.

But nope — they trust Brandel. Perhaps the guy deserves a fair shake.

Question: Are the Vikings capable of winning the NFC North?

Answer: Of course.

Minnesota can win the NFC North if they do one thing: protect the football.

In 2024, the Vikings ranked third-best via turnover differential. In 2025, they ranked third-worst in the same metric. Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings follow one strict script: when his team protects the football and wins the turnover battle, it wins 90% of games. When it loses the turnover battle, that win percentage drops to 27%.

The rest will take care of itself if Minnesota’s offense protects the ball while Flores’s defense does Flores defense things.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker