The Biggest Winners and Losers Following the Vikings' 2026 Draft

The NFL Draft brings with it big impacts and lasting effects on the current roster of each team across the league. With the draft having come and gone, it's time to start analyzing the ripple effects of all the moves the Vikings made over the weekend.

From the blockbuster Jonathan Greenard trade to the selections of nine college prospects, Minnesota's front office signaled quite a bit about how they view their future. Let's dive into the weekend's biggest winners and losers.

Winners

Dallas Turner

After the Vikings sent Greenard to Philadelphia, 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner now becomes the key pass rusher for the Vikings going forward. Greenard's desire for a bigger contract forced the move. However, the Vikings' need to see what they have in Turner certainly played a role in Minnesota finally pulling the trigger on the long-rumored trade.

While Turner struggled for large parts of his rookie season, he shined last year when filling in for the injured Greenard. In Week 10-12, with Greenard injured or returning from injury, Turner racked up 4 sacks and nine total pressures. Overall, Turner took a big step during his second season in the league, tallying eight total sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, and four forced fumbles. He's still just 23 years old.

The biggest change came when Turner got snaps at Greenard's more pass rush-focused outside linebacker role, compared to the snaps he got in 2024 filling in for Andrew Van Ginkel's more coverage-based outside linebacker role. With Greenard gone, it will be up to Turner to now create havoc in the backfield. The Vikings have to decide next offseason whether they will exercise Turner's fifth-year option, so the upcoming 2026 season will be a massive one for his future.

Tai Felton

Despite a presumed need for a third wide receiver entering the weekend, the Vikings repeatedly chose to pass on receiver prospects in the draft. Not one of the Vikings' nine picks in the draft was at the receiver position, with their top pickup in that room being Georgia's Dillon Bell as an undrafted free agent. At the moment, that leaves 2025 third-round pick Tai Felton as the team's third wide receiver, when looking at the post-draft depth chart.

Felton appeared in all 17 games in 2025, mainly as a kick returner. He caught three passes for 25 yards last season, with two of those receptions coming late in Vikings' blowout wins. Jalen Nailor thrived over the last two seasons as the Vikings' third receiver. Felton will now potentially be tasked with picking up some of Nailor's departed production.

However, Felton only lasts as a winner as long as Minnesota doesn't go out and make a late-summer signing at the position. The Vikings have a sudden influx of cash after the Greenard trade, and if they choose to use that on bringing in, say, Jauan Jennings or Deebo Samuel, then you can probably flip Felton to the loser column.

Brian Flores

One of the biggest winners of the weekend was Brian Flores. His defense got a significant influx of talent, including some much-needed beef up front.

After the disappointing returns from veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, the Vikings cut ties with the expensive vets and instead used two of their top three picks to bring in big-bodied, promising defensive tackles. By selecting Caleb Banks (6-foot-6, 327 pounds) and Domonique Orange (6-foot-2, 322 pounds), the Vikings have two massive bodies to throw up front in an effort to shore up a defense that got routinely run over last season.

Minnesota also added depth for Van Ginkel by selecting Jake Golday in the second round. The Vikings also got more safety depth late on Day 2 with Miami's Jakobe Thomas. Flores saw the Vikings use four of their first five picks, all in the top 100, on his side of the ball. That's a big commitment to shoring up a defense that has been great but lacked depth this offseason.

Losers

Levi Drake Rodriguez

On the flip side of the Vikings' selection of Banks and Orange is someone like Levi Drake Rodriguez. The departures of Allen and Hargrave opened the possibility for Rodriguez to earn starting snaps on the Vikings' defensive line. He now gets pushed back to being a depth option, though he will likely get more opportunities in 2026 as a potential rotational piece on Minnesota's front line.

Kevin O'Connell hot seat speculation

The thinking, following a fourth season without a playoff win and the firing of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January, was that O'Connell was potentially heading into the 2026 season on the hot seat. By drafting several guys in the top 100 who may not get a ton of snaps in 2026, such as Golday and offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan, the Vikings signaled this was a long-term approach.

Without a true general manager in the draft room, O'Connell likely had quite a bit of say — perhaps more than in years past — on the team's selections. There is very little chance he signs off on several long-term approach type picks that high in the draft if he's at all nervous about his future beyond 2026. O'Connell's seat noticeably cooled off after the weekend.

Brian O'Neill/Andrew Van Ginkel

Those long-term picks will have an impact on the negotiating statuses for pending free agents Brian O'Neill and Van Ginkel. O'Neill is entering the final year of his five-year, $92.5 million deal he signed in 2021. Van Ginkel inked a one-year extension earlier this offseason that keeps him on the Vikings through 2026.

Van Ginkel's deal includes numerous void years, so there is the presumption that a bigger, longer-term extension is in the works. O'Neill is set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason if a deal can't be worked out. He has spent each of his eight years in the NFL as a Viking.

At 31, O'Neill conceivably still has at least another contract in him; however, he has dealt with injuries in two of the past three seasons. If the Vikings are concerned about inking him to another long-term contract, then Tiernan could be lined up as the replacement.

In Van Ginkel's case, he dealt with injuries in 2025 that limited him to just 12 games. If Minnesota is not convinced of his long-term ability to stay healthy, then Golday could be the successor opposite Turner in the Vikings' outside linebacker room.

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