What We Would Have Done with Every Vikings Draft Pick

VikingsTerritory piloted a new exercise in 2026: selecting Minnesota Vikings draft picks in real-time as if we were the general manager. It’s not necessarily a “mock” draft; it’s a “what we would have done in the heat of the moment” alternate draft.

VT’s version of the Vikings’ draft is a completely different animal.

For example, we would not have drafted Caleb Banks in Round 1; instead, we would have embraced, in our estimation, the best player available on the board.

Our Alternate Vikings Draft Class Is Here. Hold Us Accountable.

Important note: for the purposes of this exercise, we ignore who and what the Vikings drafted. For instance, the Vikings drafted a DT in Round 1; we did not. Our draft or roster still needed a DT. The Vikings did not.

And one more caveat: we would not have traded Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s hard to understand how a team that is paying its starting quarterback $1.3 million has such profound salary cap trouble. Finally, you will notice this draft does not have defensive tackles: we would’ve signed Christian Wilkins, who has ties to Brian Flores, in post-draft free agency.

R1: Makai Lemon (WR)
Who the Vikings Picked: Caleb Banks (DT)

We — and the rest of the NFL world — were shocked that Lemon slid to the Vikings’ spot, ultimately landing with the Philadelphia Eagles. To us, he was the best player available at No. 18. Done. Pick the best football player.

Justin Jefferson, in theory, could request a trade next offseason if the Vikings don’t reach the playoffs in 2026, and Jordan Addison is one incident away from a suspension or outright roster release.

This one was not complicated for us: Lemon was the VikingsTerritoryGM selection. By a mile.

R2: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S)
Who the Vikings Picked: Jake Golday (LB)

If you followed the pre-draft cycle intently, it was actually astonishing that McNeil-Warren slid to Minnesota’s spot at No. 49.

And then, of course, they didn’t pick him. He went to the Cleveland Browns. In our after-the-fact draft, this was the biggest no-brainer of them all. Easy peasy — get EMW on the team.

R3: Jaishawn Barham (EDGE)
Who the Vikings Picked: Domonique Orange (DT)

The Greenard trade went down — for better or worse — on Friday night, and it’s not reversible. We decided to leave the knowledge of the real-life trade intact and pick Barham from Michigan as a stab at a competent replacement plan.

Barham landed in Dallas.

We do, however, love the Orange pick.

R3: Connor Lew (C)
Who the Vikings Picked: Caleb Tiernan (OT)

Lew is 20 and could have sat for a year behind Blake Brandel if necessary. Instead, Minnesota evidently had a keen eye for little-known Gavin Gerhardt, who would be chosen in Round 7.

The Auburn product Lew landed with the Bengals and will eventually battle Ted Karras for the starting job. He also plays next to former Vikings guard Dalton Risner.

R3: Jonah Coleman (RB)
Who the Vikings Picked: Jakobe Thomas (S)

We pounded the table and then some for Minnesota to draft a serious running back this cycle, and in fact, we’ve been asking for that since the 2023 NFL Draft. They never listen.

Demond Claiborne might turn into the next De’Von Achane, but we preferred Coleman, who wound up with Sean Payton in Denver inside the largest RB committee of them all.

R5: Chandler Rivers (CB)
Who the Vikings Picked: Max Bredeson (FB)

Rivers is going to be a baller, but Kevin O’Connell wanted a fullback. Because Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers remained 100% healthy in 2025, we fear the injury bill is coming due. So, Rivers was the pick to prepare that grim prediction.

Rivers is a Raven — he’ll probably cook there.

R5: Taurean York (LB)
Who the Vikings Picked: Charles Demmings (CB)

Perhaps our most significant (only?) gaffe: we would’ve taken York in real time, but he ended up not getting drafted by anybody and was signed by the Denver Broncos in undrafted free agency. If we have a big miss in this exercise, it might be this guy.

R6: Domani Jackson (CB)
Who the Vikings Picked: Demond Claiborne (RB)

Speaking of needing cornerbacks, we doubled up. The Green Bay Packers — yes, them — took Jackson in Round 6, so it will be easy for Vikings fans to determine if our website nailed this hypothetical pick. If Jackson earns playing time, the Vikings will see him twice per year.

R7: Aamil Wagner (OT)
Who the Vikings Picked: Gavin Gerhardt (OL)

Finally, for offensive line depth, we did not invest a 3rd-Rounder in Tiernan; we figured the combo platter of Walter Rouse, Ryan Van Demark, Blake Brandel, and Wagner would be enough.

How’d we do overall? That can be answered in 2028 or 2029 when rookies show their true colors and staying power.