A Too Early Minnesota Vikings 53-Man Roster Projection

I always have reservations about projecting a Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster in May. The players likely on the roster bubble haven’t even had a chance to show what they can do or show any of the potential they might have. Despite the reservations, I can’t stop myself in May from projecting what the Vikings roster might look like in September. 

This projection includes a projection that Harrison Smith returns to continue his brilliant career. If he hasn’t announced his retirement by May, he’s coming back! Besides, I’m not ready for a Vikings defense that doesn’t include #22. 

A Too Early Minnesota Vikings 53-man Roster Projection

Offense (25)

Quarterback (3)

Kyler Murray

J.J. McCarthy

Carson Wentz

Running Back (3)

Aaron Jones

Jordan Mason

Demond Claiborne

Fullback (1)

Max Bredeson

Wide Receiver (5)

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jauan Jennings

Tai Felton

Myles Price

Tight End (3)

T.J. Hockenson

Josh Oliver

Gavin Bartholomew

Offensive Line (10)

Christian Darrisaw

Donovan Jackson

Blake Brandel

Will Fries

Brian O’Neill

Ryan Van Demark

Caleb Tiernan

Michael Jurgens

Joe Huber

Gavin Gerhardt

Defense (25)

Defensive Line (6)

Jalen Redmond

Caleb Banks

Domonique Orange

Levi Drake Rodriguez 

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

Elijah Williams

Outside Linebacker (5)

Andrew Van Ginkel

Dallas Turner

Bo Richter

Tyler Batty

Chaz Chambliss

Linebacker (4)

Blake Cashman

Eric Wilson

Ivan Pace Jr.

Jake Golday

Cornerback (4)

Byron Murphy Jr.

Isaiah Rodgers

James Pierre

Chuck Demmings

Safety (6)

Harrison Smith

Josh Metellus

Jay Ward

Theo Jackson

Jakobe Thomas

Tavierre Thomas

Special Teams (3)

Kicker (1)

Will Reichard

Punter (1)

Johnny Hekker

Long Snapper (1)

Andrew DePaola

Minnesota Vikings 90 - Man Roster

Since completion of the draft and a wave of undrafted signings, the Minnesota Vikings have made a significant signing a few tweaks to bring the offseason roster close to the 90 - man limit. 

The significant signing:

Jauan Jennings, WR

The Vikings needed a third receiver to go with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Now, they have the best receiving trio in the league. Jauan Jennings gives the Vikings some size and edginess they didn’t have in the receiver room and on the offense. 

Signed:

Smith Vilbert, DL

Bangally Kamara, LB

Terrill Davis, WR

Isaiah Loudermilk, DL

Waived:

Jordan Botelho, OLB

Shaleak Knotts, WR

Smith Vilbert and Bangally Kamara were signed after successful tryouts during the rookie minicamp. After going unselected in the draft, Terrill Davis had tryouts with the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings ended his tryout tour. Isaiahh Loudermilk is the veteran addition of the recent roster tweaks. Drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, he had a five-year run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of those years was with Brian Flores on the Steelers coaching staff. 

The Vikings currently have 90 players on the roster. Undrafted rookie punter Brett Thorson is one of those players. He’s from Australia and is part of International Pathways Program. As such, he doesn’t count towards the 90 - man roster limit. That leaves a vacancy. Harrison Smith? 

Minnesota Vikings Post-Draft Roster (90)

Offense (44)

Quarterbacks (4)

Kyler Murray

J.J. McCarthy

Carson Wentz

Max Brosmer

Running Backs (6)

Aaron Jones

Jordan Mason

Zavier Scott

Demond Claiborne

Max Bredeson - fullback

Kejon Owens

Receivers (12)

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jauan Jennings

Tai Felton

Myles Price

Jeshaun Jones

Dontae Fleming

Joaquin Davis

Dillon Bell

Marcus Sanders Jr.

Luke Wysong 

Terrill Davis

Tight Ends (5)

T.J. Hockenson

Josh Oliver

Gavin Bartholomew

Ben Yurosek

Bryson Nesbit

Tackles (7)

Christian Darrisaw

Brian O’Neill

Ryan Van Demark

Walter Rouse

Caleb Etienne

Caleb Tiernan

Triston Leigh

Guards (5)

Donovan Jackson

Will Fries

Joe Huber

Henry Byrd

Tomas Rimac

Centers (5)

Blake Brandel

Michael Jurgens

Vershon Lee

Gavin Gerhardt

Delby Lemieux

Defense (42)

Defensive Line (11)

Jalen Redmond

Levi Drake Rodriguez

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

Elijah Williams

Taki Taimani

Caleb Banks

Domonique Orange

Monkell Goodwine

Eric Johnson II

Isaiahh Loudermilk

Smith Vilbert

Outside Linebackers (7)

Andrew Van Ginkel

Dallas Turner

Bo Richter

Tyler Batty

Chaz Chambliss

Cam’Ron Stewart

Arden Walker 

Inside Linebackers (8)

Blake Cashman

Eric Wilson

Ivan Pace Jr.

Josh Ross

Jacob Roberts

Jake Golday

Keli Lawson

Bangally Kamara

Cornerbacks (9)

Byron Murphy Jr.

Isaiah Rodgers

James Pierre

Zemaiah Vaughn

Dwight McGlothern

Chuck Demmings

Marcus Allen

Da’Veawn Armstead

Tyreek Chappell

Safeties (7)

Joshua Metellus

Theo Jackson

Jay Ward

Tavierre Thomas

Kahlef Hailassie 

Jakobe Thomas

Jacob Thomas

Special Teams (4)

Kicker

Will Reichard

Punter

Johnny Hekker

Brett Thorson

Long Snapper

Andrew DePaola

The NFL Draft Is Coming To Minnesota

A few weeks ago, there were rumors that Minneapolis-St. Paul was the “favorite” to host the 2028 NFL Draft. Those rumors became fact at this week’s Owners Meetings in Orlando. Seeing as the draft has been held in Chicago (2x), Detroit, and Green Bay during its recent travels, it’s only natural for the league to complete the NFC North. 

The NFL will always follow dollars in all that it does. Making the draft a traveling show has been a cash explosion for the league and the cities that host it. Combined attendance for the three-day event is creeping towards a million. While the Minneapolis-St. Paul Draft is expected to be spread across the metropolitan area, its focus will be on the spectacular US Bank Stadium. Unless some architectural tricks are planned, the stadium’s footprint isn’t as expansive as recent sites. There will be a great fan turnout but I doubt attendance records will be threatened. I might even be there. It would take a lot to pull me from my draft routine. Minnesota hosting might be enough. 

The NFL Draft became a nomadic event in 2015. 

2015: Chicago, IL

2016: Chicago, IL

2017: Philadelphia, PA

2018: Arlington, TX

2019: Nashville, TN

2020: Virtual due to the global pandemic

2021: Cleveland, OH

2022: Las Vegas, NV

2023: Kansas City, MO

2024: Detroit, MI

2025: Green Bay, WI

2026: Pittsburgh, PA

2027: Washington DC

2028: Minnesota

The NFL Draft became a thing in 1936. For the first five decades, it was a barely noticeable thing. For the next couple decades, it was a somewhat noticeable thing. For the past three decades, the NFL Draft has become a very big thing. The ridiculous growth of the NFL Draft has been a very curious thing. A movie was even made about the damn thing. 

When the draft went on the road in 2015, it felt new because it had been held in New York City for the previous fifty years. It was actually a return to what it had been. Before becoming a New York staple in 1965, the site of the draft roamed about for it’s first thirty years.

Pre-2015 draft locations:

1936: Philadelphia, PA

1937: New York City, NY

1938: Chicago, IL

1939: New York City, NY

1940: Milwaukee, WI

1941: Washington DC

1942-43: Chicago, IL

1944: Philadelphia, PA

1945-47: New York City, NY

1948: Pittsburgh, PA

1949-50: Philadelphia, PA

1951: Chicago, IL

1952: New York City, NY

1953-54: Philadelphia, PA

1955: New York City, NY

1956-61: Philadelphia, PA

1962-64: Chicago, IL

1965-2014: New York City, NY

I have been, and always will be, fascinated with the NFL Draft. The draft as an event, it’s critical part in football team-building, it’s history. All of it. It all fascinates me. 

And Then There Were 4 (5)

The Minnesota Vikings have reached the finalist stage of their search for their next general manager. At the start of the process, there were six external candidates for the job.

Terrance Gray - Buffalo Bills Assistant General Manager

Dave Ziegler - Tennessee Titans Assistant General Manager

RJ Gillen - San Francisco 49ers Assistant General Manager

Chad Alexander - Los Angeles Chargers Assistant General Manager

John McKay - Los Angeles Rams General Manager

Nolan Teasley - Seattle Seahawks Assistant General Manager

Interim GM and long-time salary cap expert, Rob Brzezinski expressed an interest in the full-time job and is an internal candidate. A few days after the first six names were revealed, three more external candidates were added. 

Ray Agnew - Detroit Lions Assistant General Manager 

Reed Burkhardt - Denver Broncos Assistant General Manager

Kyle Smith - Miami Dolphins Assistant General Manager 

Pretty much from the moment Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired on January 30, Los Angeles Chargers Assistant General Manager Chad Alexander was my favorite for the job. I’ve always preferred career scouts over football people focused on the analytics of the game. I get the importance of analytics in the evaluation process. I just prefer a background of on-field evaluation over spreadsheet evaluation. Alexander has been scouting football players since 1999. He was with Ozzie Newsome and the Baltimore Ravens for 20 of those years. Unfortunately, he withdrew his name from consideration for the Vikings job last weekend. 

The first round of interviews were conducted before Vikings ownership departed for this week’s league meetings in Orlando. Upon their return, the team’s decision-makers will conduct in-person interviews with the finalists. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, there are four external candidates and one internal candidate.

Terrance Gray - Buffalo Bills Assistant General Manager

John McKay - Los Angeles Rams Assistant General Manager

Nolan Teasley - Seattle Seahawks Assistant General Manager

Reed Burkhardt - Denver Broncos Assistant General Manager 

and

Rob Brzezinski- Minnesota Vikings Interim GM/EVP - Football Operations

All four external candidates come from teams with recent team-building and on-field success. That’s a good thing. All four also have connections to the Vikings organization or people in the Vikings organization. Terrance Gray and Reed Burkhardt spent more than a decade as scouts for the Vikings. Both should still be well-known to many in the building. John McKay crossed paths with Kevin O’Connell with the Los Angeles Rams. Nolan Teasley is a little less connected. When Rob Brzezinski was tapped to guide the Vikings this offseason, former Seattle Seahawks cap guru Matt Thomas was brought out of retirement to assist in Minnesota. Thomas was in Seattle as Teasley rose through the organization. 

Then there’s Rob Brzezinski. 

Throughout this important change, I’ve favored Rob Brzezinski returning to his Executive Vice President - Football Operations role. Maybe it’s an expanded role. He’s been a crucial franchise fixture for nearly 30 years. If he’s truly interested in the general manager job, it doesn’t feel right to send him back to where he’s been. Brzezinski is a team- and consensus-builder. Actually, he perfectly matches what owner Mark Wilf says they’re looking for in someone for the GM job. Personally, I prefer a general manager that’s spent their career evaluating football talent. In my Vikings dream world, Brzezinski becomes more involved in the football operations than he’s been. Perhaps that opens up an opportunity for Emily Badis to become even more involved in contract negotiations and salary cap management. Most important, in that Vikings dream world, an external candidate is hired as general manager. It’s been an emerging trend in the league that the GM works below a football operations person. Brzezinski is too important to the franchise to be on the annual chopping block. The GM is always a few bad decisions away from being fired. 

So, Rob Brzezinski oversees football operations and helps make spectacular TCO Performance Center a happy place moving towards great on-field success. The Vikings then hire one of the four finalists to run the football decision-making process. Many fans and pundits want one person making all decisions. I think those people just want someone to blame when a decision turns bad. For things to work, there has to be a consensus between the front office and coaches. Brzezinski has already shown that he can help build that. Nothing works on the field if people aren’t on the same page off the field. Of the four external finalists, I wouldn’t mind seeing any of them running things in Minnesota. Right now, I’m leaning Nolan Teasley. Tomorrow, it could be Terrance Gray. Next week? John McKay. Maybe Reed Burkhardt. I just want to get to the other side of this important GM decision. I’m ready for just the usual football stuff. Roster and training camp thoughts. 

All Picks Signed

With few restrictions on the contracts, the signing of draft picks used to be an annual challenge. Holdouts were frequent. The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement changed all of that. It took an offseason lockout to get there but that agreement between the players and the owners made the signing of draft picks a scripted deal. Holdouts are now rare. Despite 15 years of relative draft-pick signing ease, I’m still amazed at how smooth the process has become. Perhaps I haven’t fully recovered from Bryant McKinnie’s 98-day holdout in 2002. Whatever the reason, I don’t rest easy until the Minnesota Vikings have all of their draft picks signed. There once was a year when the entire draft class was signed before the start of rookie minicamp. A week after the draft was held and the Vikings had all of their rookies under contract. It was beautiful. This year, it looked like it might happen again. 

The Vikings selected nine players in the 2026 NFL Draft

1. Caleb Banks, DL, Florida

2. Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati

3. Domonique Orange, DL, Iowa State

3. Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern

3. Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami

5. Max Bredeson, FB, Michigan

5. Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F Austin

6. Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest

7. Gavin Gerhardt, C, Cincinnati

In advance of the May 8 rookie minicamp, the Vikings signed eight of the nine draft picks. The only pick not signed was second-rounder Jake Golday. In recent years, the signings of players selected in the second round have become difficult. Agents have been trying to add some of the contract guarantees given to first-rounders to the second-rounders. The owners, of course, have been resistant to such a change. While it hasn’t resulted in holdouts, the pace of second-round signings has lagged behind those of all other rounds. It’s a trend the Vikings have avoided because they haven’t made a second-round selection since 2022. They had one this year and the they are finally a part of the contentious second-round negotiations. While I was thrilled that the Vikings had a pick in the second round, I was a little nervous about them being part of this new negotiation nonsense. Fortunately, those negotiations aren’t as contentious this year as they’ve been the past couple years. It appears teams and agents have finally worked out their differences as second-round signings are moving easier than first-round signings. While Jake Golday was the last of the draft picks to sign his first NFL contract, the Vikings signed their second-round pick yesterday. 

And with that, the Minnesota Vikings have signed all nine of their picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

First Round Signing Tracker

The 2026 NFL Draft was over three weeks ago. That means that teams are more than three weeks into the task of signing the players they drafted. Here’s a look at the signing status of the first round picks.

2026 NFL Draft - First Round

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 

2.   New York Jets: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech - Signed

3.   Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

4.   Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State - Signed

5.   New York Giants: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State

6.   Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

7.   Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State - Signed

8.   New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State - Signed

9.   Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah - Signed

10. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami 

11. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State - Signed

12. Miami Dolphins: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

13. Los Angeles Rams: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State - Signed

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami - Signed

16. New York Jets: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon - Signed

17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson - Signed 

18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida - Signed

19. Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia - Signed

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Makai Lemon, WR, USC - Signed

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State - Signed

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami

23. Dallas Cowboys: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF

24. Cleveland Browns: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

26. Houston Texans: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech

27. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

28. New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

30. New York Jets: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

31. Tennessee Titans: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn

32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame 

15 of the 32 players selected in the first round have signed.

Minnesota Vikings Roster: How Did They Get Here?

Here’s a look at how the players got to the roster of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Draft: First Round

Justin Jefferson (2020)

Christian Darrisaw (2021)

Jordan Addison (2023)

J.J. McCarthy (2024)

Dallas Turner (2024)

Donovan Jackson (2025)

Caleb Banks (2026)

Draft: Second Round

Brian O’Neill (2018)

Jake Golday (2026)

Draft: Third Round

Tai Felton (2025)

Domonique Orange (2026)

Caleb Tiernan (2026)

Jakobe Thomas (2026)

Draft: Fourth Round

Jay Ward (2023)

Draft: Fifth Round

Ty Chandler (2022)

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (2015)

Max Bredeson (2026)

Chuck Demmings (2026)

Draft: Sixth Round

Josh Metellus (2020)

Blake Brandel (2020)

Walter Rouse (2024)

Will Reichard (2024)

Demond Claiborne (2026)

Draft: Seventh Round

Michael Jurgens (2024)

Levi Drake Rodriguez (2024)

Gavin Bortholomew (2025)

Gavin Gerhardt (2026)

Undrafted Free Agent

Ivan Pace Jr. (2023)

Jeshaun Jones (2024)

Dwight McGlothern (2024)

Bo Richter (2024)

Taki Taimani (2024)

Max Brosmer (2025)

Chaz Chambliss (2025)

Dontae Fleming (2025)

Joe Huber (2025)

Myles Price (2025)

Elijiah Williams (2025)

Ben Yurosek (2025)

Bryson Nesbit (2025)

Zemaiah Vaugh (2025)

Marcus Allen (2026)

Da’Veawn Armstead (2026)

Dillon Bell (2026)

Tyreek Chappell (2026)

Monkell Goodwine (2026)

Shaleak Knotts (2026)

Keli Lawson (2026)

Tristan Leigh (2026)

Delby Lemieux (2026)

Kejon Owens (2026)

Tomas Rimac (2026)

Marcus Sanders, Jr. (2026)

Cam’Ron Stewart (2026)

Jacob Thomas (2026)

Brett Thorson (2026)

Arden Walker (2026)

Lyke Wysong (2026)

Smith Vilbert (2026)

Bangally Kamara (2026)

Terrill Davis (2026)

Trade

T.J. Hockenson (2022)

Jordan Mason (2025)

Unrestricted Free Agent

Josh Oliver (2023)

Byron Murphy Jr. (2023)

Andrew Van Ginkel (2024)

Blake Cashman (2024)

Isaiah Rodgers (2025)

Will Fries (2025)

Tavierre Thomas (2025)

Eric Wilson (2025)

James Pierre (2026)

Johnny Hekker (2026)

Eric Johnson II (2026)

Jauan Jennings (2026)

Restricted Free Agent

Ryan Van Demark (2026) 

Street Free Agent

Andrew DePaola (2020)

Theo Jackson (2022)

Henry Byrd (2023)

Aaron Jones Sr. (2024)

Jalen Redmond (2024)

Zavier Scott (2024)

Carson Wentz (2025)

Joaquin Davis (2025)

Caleb Etienne (2025)

Vershon Lee (2025)

Kahlef Hailassie (2025)

Jacob Roberts (2026)

Josh Ross (2026)

Kyler Murray (2026)