Ranking Every Vikings Draft Class of the Last Decade: It's Not Pretty

The Vikings drafted so poorly over the past four years that no team in the league may be under more pressure to get the 2026 NFL Draft right than Minnesota.

Former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was fired in January, hit on players like wide receiver Jordan Addison and kicker Will Reichard, but for the most part, his draft picks were notoriously bad. However, as you'll quickly notice in the rankings below, fellow former GM Rick Spielman wasn't exactly selecting gems left and right between 2016 and 2021.

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Without further ado, enjoy the past 10 Vikings draft classes, ranked from worst to less worse ... because, let's be real, none of them were very impressive.

10. 2022 Class — the Lewis Cine draft

Round 1: Lewis Cine, S
Round 2: Andrew Booth, CB
Round 2: Ed Ingram, G
Round 3: Brian Asamoah, LB
Round 4: Akayleb Evans, CB
Round 5: Esezi Otomewo, DT
Round 5: Ty Chandler, RB
Round 6: Vederian Lowe, OL
Round 6: Jalen Nailor, WR
Round 7: Nick Muse, TE

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's debut draft was a disaster. He traded back in the first round and settled on Cine when he could've taken Kyle Hamilton, who has developed into a perennial All-Pro safety for the Ravens. Booth was dripping with talent but had a very well-documented injury history, and he simply didn't pan out.

Ingram started a lot of games at right guard but didn't perform at a high level, and he's since turned himself into a reliable starter in Houston. Asamoah, Evans, Otomewo, Chandler, Lowe, and Muse haven't done much, while Nailor had two quality WR3 seasons before signing with the Raiders.

9. 2016 Class — the Laquon Treadwell draft

Round 1: Laquon Treadwell, WR
Round 2: Mackensie Alexander, CB
Round 4: Willie Beavers, OT
Round 5: Kentrell Brothers, LB
Round 6: Moritz Boehringer, WR
Round 6: David Morgan, TE
Round 7: Stephen Weatherly, LB
Round 7: Jayron Kearse, S

It's never a good sign when a seventh-round pick has as much of an impact as the first- and second-round selections, but that's the case of the 2016 Vikings draft in which Weatherly and Kearse were arguably as impactful overall as Treadwell and Alexander.

Treadwell played four years with the Vikings and totaled 65 catches for 701 yards and two touchdowns. Alexander started 15 of 81 games with Minnesota, and he intercepted only two passes.

8. 2019 Class — Yikes!

Oct 24, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) looks on before the start of a game against the Washington Redskins at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-Imagn Images | David Berding-Imagn Images

Round 1: Garrett Bradbury, C
Round 2: Irv Smith Jr., TE
Round 3: Alexander Mattison, RB
Round 4: Dru Samia, G
Round 5: Cameron Smith, LB
Round 6: Armon Watts, DT
Round 6: Marcus Epps, S
Round 6: Oli Udoh, OT
Round 7: Kris Boyd, CB
Round 7: Dillon Mitchell, WR
Round 7: Olabisi Johnson, WR
Round 7: Austin Cutting, LS

Bradbury was Minnesota's starting center for six seasons, but it's hard to forget how Dexter Lawrence ate him alive in the 2022-23 playoffs to help the Giants spoil Minnesota's 13-win regular season. The rest of the 2019 class had a limited impact, with marginal performances from Smith and Mattison and Udoh.

7. 2023 Class — the Jordan Addison draft

Round 1: Jordan Addison, WR
Round 3: Mekhi Blackmon, CB
Round 4: Jay Ward, S
Round 5: Jaquelin Roy, DT
Round 5: Jaren Hall, QB
Round 7: DeWayne McBride, RB

Addison has been good despite being arrested three times since Minnesota selected him in the first round, but the rest of this draft class has had little to no impact. Ward could have a bigger role at safety in 2026, but to date, he's primarily played on special teams.

6. 2018 Class — at least they picked Brian O'Neill...

Sep 16, 2018; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson (7) reacts after missing a game winning field goal as time expires during overtime against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Round 1: Mike Hughes, CB
Round 2: Brian O'Neill, OT
Round 4: Jalyn Holmes, DE
Round 5: Tyler Conklin, TE
Round 5: Daniel Carlson, K
Round 6: Colby Gossett, G
Round 6: Ade Aruna, DE
Round 7: Devante Downs, LB

The picks that stand out are Hughes, O'Neill, and Carlson. Hughes was a bust. Plain and simple. No argument from anyone. O'Neill has been an awesome right tackle for nearly a decade. Carlson wound up becoming a very good kicker for the Raiders after Mike Zimmer infamously cut him when he missed a few kicks at Lambeau Field in the second game of his NFL career. Brutal.

5. 2017 Class — Dalvin Cook and 10 whiffs

Round 2: Dalvin Cook, RB
Round 3: Pat Elflein, C
Round 4: Jaleel Johnson, DT
Round 4: Ben Gedeon, LB
Round 5: Rodney Adams, WR
Round 5: Danny Isidora, G
Round 6: Bucky Hodges, TE
Round 7: Stacy Coley, WR
Round 7: Ifeadi Odenigbo, DL
Round 7: Elijah Lee, LB
Round 7: Jack Tocho, CB

Cook is one of the best running backs in Vikings history, but the rest of this class, outside of some very average center play from Elflein, did next to nothing. Hitting on one of 11 picks isn't impressive, even if nine of the selections were on Day 3 of the draft.

4. 2025 Class — there's still hope

Round 1: Donovan Jackson, G
Round 3: Tai Felton, WR
Round 5: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DL
Round 6: Kobe King, LB
Round 6: Gavin Bartholomew, TE

It's too soon to judge the 2025 class, but Jackson appears to be a quality pick with long-term starter potential at left guard. King was cut as a rookie, while Felton has a chance to compete for WR3 in his second season. Ingram-Dawkins could be a key player on the defensive line, and Bartholomew will get another chance to make some noise at training camp after a back injury prevented him from doing anything during his rookie season.

3. 2024 Class — the J.J. McCarthy draft

Round 1: J.J. McCarthy, QB
Round 1: Dallas Turner, LB
Round 4: Khyree Jackson, CB
Round 6: Walter Rouse, OT
Round 6: Will Reichard, K
Round 7: Michael Jurgens, C
Round 7: Levi Drake Rodriguez

It's still unfair to cast final judgment on this draft class, but it's not looking good for McCarthy. However, he's only 23 and still has a chance to make Adofo-Mensah look smart for drafting him.

Turner showed signs of becoming a dominant pass rusher in 2025, while Reichard might be the most reliable kicker in the NFL. Rodriguez also impressed as a seventh-round pick last season.

Rouse and Jurgens appears to be career backups with some position flexibility, and Jackson's potential was never realized due to his tragic death in a high-speed car crash before his rookie season began.

2. 2021 Class — Christian Darrisaw and Cam Bynum

Round 1: Christian Darrisaw, OT
Round 3: Kellen Mond, QB
Round 3: Chazz Surratt, LB
Round 3: Wyatt Davis, OL
Round 3: Patrick Jones II, DL
Round 4: Kene Nwangwu, RB
Round 4: Cam Bynum, S
Round 4: Janarius Robinson, DE
Round 5: Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR
Round 5: Zach Davidson, TE
Round 6: Jalen Twyman, DL

Honestly, it's sad that the class featuring a 1-for-4 performance in the third round is ranked this high, but so it goes for a franchise that hasn't drafted well for the last decade. That said, Darrisaw is a star, Jones earned himself a solid contract as a former third-round pick, Nwangwu gave Minnesota some excellent kick returns, and Bynum developed into a stud who was rewarded with a fat contract from the Colts.

1. 2020 Class — Justin Jefferson and a pair of 6th-round hits

Round 1: Justin Jefferson, WR
Round 1: Jeff Gladney, CB
Round 2: Ezra Cleveland, OT
Round 3: Cam Dantzler, CB
Round 4: D.J. Wonnum, LB
Round 4: James Lynch, DT
Round 4: Troy Dye, LB
Round 5: Harrison Hand, CB
Round 5: K.J. Osborn, WR
Round 6: Blake Brandel, OL
Round 6: Josh Metellus, S
Round 7: Kenny Willekes, DE
Round 7: Nate Stanley, QB
Round 7: Brian Cole II, S
Round 7: Kyle Hinton, G

Jefferson alone makes this the best draft class of the last decade, but former general manager Rick Spielman also hit on Brandel and Metellus. Both are projected as starters on the 2026 Vikings.

Osborn also gave Minnesota a quality WR3 for a few seasons, and Wonnum was a good pass rusher who started 14 games in 2021 and 2023, and he's since been a full-time starter the past two seasons for the Panthers.