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Vikings Trade Up For Electric RB Demond Claiborne in Rd. 6: Instant Grade

The Vikings have their home-run threat in the backfield in Claiborne, who has 4.37 speed.
Will Ragatz|
Oct 4, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons running back Demond Claiborne (1) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium.
Oct 4, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons running back Demond Claiborne (1) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have traded up to land the big-play threat in the backfield they've been looking for. They sent the Patriots a 2027 sixth-rounder to move up from 234 to 198 and select Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne in the sixth round on Saturday.

Claiborne is an electric playmaker with 4.37 speed at 5'10" and 188 pounds. He had 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns in 2024, then followed that with another 1,000 yards and 10 TDs last season. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry in 2025.

Claiborne is undersized and won't bring a ton of physicality to the RB room, but he wins with his elite burst and agility on the edge. He can find a hole, make a cut, and explode through it for big plays with his high-end speed. He also caught 51 passes over the past two seasons.

The Vikings did quite a bit of homework on Claiborne in the pre-draft process, including hosting him on a top-30 visit at TCO Performance Center, so this pick doesn't come as a surprise (other than the fact that they traded up to do it).

Instant grade: A

This is great value for the Vikings in the sixth round and makes a lot of sense for their future. They needed some youth and explosiveness to join Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason in their running back room, and they got it. No one would've batted an eye if they had taken Claiborne with one of their fifth-round picks (he was 144th on the consensus media board), so to get him at 198 feels well worth parting with a 2027 sixth.

This offseason, the Vikings hired former Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith as their assistant head coach, and one of his big duties will be helping improve a running game that hasn't been particularly efficient or explosive throughout Kevin O'Connell's tenure.

In Miami, Smith and Mike McDaniel had success with a bursty running back (De'Von Achane) and a fullback (Alec Ingold), among other pieces of their run game. Today, the Vikings have drafted a fullback in Max Bredeson and now an explosive RB in Claiborne. This scouting report from The Athletic's Dane Brugler should be exciting for fans: "(Claiborne) has the mismatch-creating athleticism and receiving upside to be a diet version of De’Von Achane."

Demond Claiborne
Demond Claiborne | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Vikings 2026 draft picks

Round 1, Pick 18: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
Round 2, Pick 51: Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
Round 3, Pick 82: Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State
Round 3, Pick 97: Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern
Round 3, Pick 98: Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami
Round 5, Pick 159: Max Bredeson, FB, Michigan
Round 5, Pick 163: Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin
Round 6, Pick 198: Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest
Round 7, Pick 235: TBD

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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