Vikings Select Cincinnati LB Jake Golday in Second Round: Instant Grade

The Vikings have selected Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

When their spot came up at No. 49, the Vikings elected to trade the pick to the Panthers. In moving down two spots in the second round, they turned their sixth-rounder (No. 196) into another fifth-round pick (No. 159).

For the second straight round, the Vikings passed on the opportunity to take a safety. In the first round, they went with Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks instead of Oregon's Dillon Thieneman. And this time, with Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren on the board, the Vikings went LB instead.

Golday is a big, physical linebacker with some impressive athletic tools. He's 6'4", 240 pounds and ran a 4.62 40 at the combine. He's coming off a big season for Cincinnati, in which he recorded 105 tackles, 6 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and 3 passes defended.

Golday, who spent his first three college seasons at Central Arkansas, is a rangy downhill linebacker who fits Brian Flores' scheme with his abilities as a blitzer and run defender. He remains somewhat of a work in progress as a coverage player, according to scouting reports.

The Vikings hosted Golday on a top-30 visit during the pre-draft process.

Golday is Minnesota's first second-round pick since the 2022 draft, when they took Andrew Booth Jr. and Ed Ingram in the first draft under now-former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Due to various trades, they did not have a second-round selection in any of the past three years. The Vikings are hoping Golday will be their first true round two success story since Brian O'Neill in 2018.

Coincidentally, it was O'Neill who announced this pick on Friday night.

Instant grade: B-

This is not a particularly exciting pick for fans, especially with someone like McNeil-Warren on the board, but that certainly doesn't mean it was a bad one. There are plenty of reasons to believe Golday could fit nicely in Flores' defense in the coming years.

The Vikings didn't exactly need to take a linebacker this high, given that they have Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson locked in as their starters. But they clearly believe in Golday's talent and the player he'll become under their development. Right away, he figures to play on special teams and potentially mix into certain packages.

Cashman is only under contract for one more season, while Wilson is 31 years old.

What it means for Round 3

The Vikings came into Friday with three picks (49, 82, 97) and all kinds of potential needs they could address, including cornerback, safety, linebacker, wide receiver, running back, and center. The last two of those always seemed like more likely targets in the third round than the second.

With this pick, the Vikings may want to focus on the offensive side of the ball in round three.

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