Will Ragatz Vikings NFL Draft Mailbag: Trading Up? Dark Horse at 18?

It's almost time. The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a week away. Next weekend, we're going to find out who Rob Brzezinski and the Vikings are bringing into their organization.

This is a huge draft for the Vikings, who have four top-100 picks and all kinds of needs to address as they look to get back to the postseason in 2026 and build a sustainable contender for years to come under Kevin O'Connell. As a result, fans have lots of questions. Today, I'm going to answer some of those draft questions, which I asked for on X/Twitter earlier this week.

Let's open up the mailbag and dive in.

@Murfalopolis56: Would you take the Oregon tight end if he's there at 18? With Hock set to be free in 27, I think TE is an overlooked need...

I am 100 percent on board with the idea of taking Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at 18 if he's there and he's the highest-ranked player on the Vikings' board. It's not a true immediate need, with T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver both still on the roster. But it's also not a pure BPA (best player available) pick, given that Hockenson will be a free agent after the season. Sadiq is a big-time athlete who can get open with his explosiveness in the passing game and use his strength to win as a blocker. He'd play in various packages as a rookie and could then step into a featured role in 2027.

@Devlin_clark84: Is there a player, and if so who, you would want or think the Vikings would trade UP for?

Jeremiyah Love would be an incredibly fun addition to the Vikings' offense, but I'm not sure he'll even fall far enough to be a realistic trade-up candidate for Minnesota. The one that stands out as a possibility is Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. He could potentially slide a bit because of the positional value of safeties and the fact that he didn't run at the combine or OSU's pro day. It's possible Brian Flores loves Downs and thinks he has a chance to be an All-Pro in the Vikings' scheme.

With that said, I don't think the Vikings will want to part with the draft capital required to move up from 18 to, say, the Chiefs' pick at No. 9. But if Downs falls out of the top 10, it might be worth making some calls to see about the price on moving up 5-7 spots. Ultimately, I don't think it's particularly likely they go up or land Downs.

@andrewolson30: Do you think we target a center in the second or third rounds? If so, who would be a good fit?

I definitely do. The third round, specifically, is where the top centers in this class are expected to go, and I'd imagine there's a pretty good chance the Vikings will scoop one of them up with either the 82nd or 97th overall pick. The names to know include Florida's Jake Slaughter, Kansas State's Sam Hecht, Auburn's Connor Lew, Iowa's Logan Jones, and Texas A&M's Trey Zuhn III. Any of those five could compete with Blake Brandel to start as a rookie, although Lew is coming off an ACL injury and might not be ready to go immediately. Hecht might be my favorite option for the Vikings.

@FFRabbitDad: Day 2 RBs. Are the Vikings locked in to take one? Who do you like? Who scares you?

I wouldn't say the Vikings are locked into taking a running back on Day 2. With Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason still around, they don't have to force an RB pick if they don't like the value. They could wait and swing for upside on Day 3 with someone like Demond Claiborne or Nicholas Singleton.

If the Vikings do elect to take a Day 2 RB, the options appear to be Jadarian Price and maybe Mike Washington Jr. in the second round and Washington, Emmett Johnson, Jonah Coleman, and maybe Kaytron Allen in the third round. Taking either Price or Washington at 49 would scare me a bit, just because of positional value and the questions around both as prospects. I'd definitely be on board with Washington at 82 because of his athletic upside. I prefer Johnson to Coleman as possible picks at 97; the Minnesota native has big-time pass-catching value and contact balance as a runner.

@HenryHenryHenri: Who is your number one dark horse candidate for the Vikings at 18? A name that maybe isn’t a positional priority or even secondary concern but could very well be our pick.

This is a fun question, and I think I'd have to go with Auburn EDGE/DE Keldric Faulk. He seems to be a bit of a polarizing prospect among Vikings fans I've heard from, which makes sense considering he's an upside bet who had just two sacks last season. I like Faulk because he's a big-time athlete at 6'6" and 276 pounds, doesn't turn 22 until September, has some positional versatility, and comes with strong reviews on his character and leadership. Faulk is like a supercharged version of Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who the Vikings took in the fifth round last year, as a 3-4 DE in Flores' system. With some development of his pass rush plan, his potential is through the roof.

@themcconicowire: What are the chances the Vikings do NOT pick a player from Oregon with 1st pick (Sadiq or Thieneman)?

@Jeff_sixKings: Do you think it would be wise for the Vikings to toss need out the window and draft the best player available at a premium position like OT, WR, Edge or CB?

I'm lumping these together because the juxtaposition is kind of amusing to me, and the broader philosophical question is an interesting one. Will the Vikings take one of the two stud prospects from Oregon who happen to play "non-premium" NFL positions in safety and tight end? Or will they prioritize positional value and go with an offensive tackle, receiver, edge rusher, or cornerback?

I don't think there's a perfect answer there. It all depends on how they have their board stacked. Generally speaking, positional value is a smart thing to consider from a roster-building standpoint. Drafting the positions that get paid the most money on the open market is a good way to approach it. But if the Vikings feel like Sadiq or Thieneman (or Emmanuel McNeil-Warren or Peter Woods or Kayden McDonald) will be an All-Pro in the NFL, any of those would be a defensible pick. The main goal of the draft is to acquire great players.

I'm fascinated by the cornerback spot. The Vikings haven't drafted CBs early under Flores, but Jermod McCoy from Tennessee has a chance to be the best player on the board at 18. I also think it's worth considering the dark horse possibility of the Vikings taking an offensive tackle or a wide receiver as early as the first round. There are all kinds of possibilities on the table, which is a big reason why I'm so excited for this draft to finally arrive.

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