Vikings officially awarded highest compensatory pick in 2025 NFL draft

As expected, the Vikings have the 97th overall selection in this year's draft, which they gained for losing Kirk Cousins last offseason.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The NFL officially awarded its compensatory selections for the 2025 NFL draft on Tuesday, and as expected, the Vikings losing Kirk Cousins in free agency last year has netted them the highest comp pick of any team in the league.

Minnesota gets the 97th overall pick in the third round. The Vikings also have their own first-round pick (No. 24) and a pair of fifth-rounders (Nos. 140 and 161).

Even with the comp pick, they still currently have the weakest collection of draft picks in the NFL this year. The Vikings traded their second-round pick to move up from 42 to 23 last year, then dealt their third and fourth-rounders in this draft to move up from 23 to 17 and select Dallas Turner.

Comp picks are awarded based on a formula that weighs the qualifying free agents a team loses against the qualifying free agents a team signs. Lose more than you sign, and you could be in line for a comp pick. Here's what the formula looked like that led to the Vikings getting pick 97 this year:

The Vikings' comp pick cancellation chart from last offseason | Nick Korte / Over the Cap

The Vikings could also be in line to get a premier comp pick in next year's draft after losing Sam Darnold. Two of the most notable free agents they're adding — Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave — don't count towards the formula because they were released by their previous teams instead of having their contracts expire.

Here's what this year's chart currently looks like:

This year's Vikings comp pick chart | Nick Korte / Over the Cap

The Vikings will likely also lose Cam Robinson on a qualifying contract, and it's theoretically possible someone like Stephon Gilmore or Dalton Risner could factor into the left side of the ledger as well. That would give the Vikings more room to add a player or two on the right side and still be in line for comp picks.

The full list of comp picks in this year's draft can be viewed here.

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