Free agency comes first for the Minnesota Vikings. Coaches and staffers will meet to discuss the most important decisions after the Super Bowl. The team’s plans at quarterback will be chief among them.
Then, after the early March flurry, the Vikings will turn their attention toward a pivotal draft. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah won’t have many picks to use. Minnesota has just one first-round pick and two fifth-rounders. A third-round compensatory pick is expected, as well.
Trading back is an option, but the Vikings must ensure they land an impact player early.
We have already laid out some of the most appetizing free-agent options. Which players are most intriguing for the Vikings in the first round of the draft? Here are 12 names at their four most important positions of need.
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Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ archetype for a defensive tackle is a big guy who moves like a little guy. There might not be a more explosive player on the interior in this draft than Nolen. He measured 6 foot 3 and 293 pounds at the Senior Bowl. He is similar to last year’s first-rounder, Byron Murphy Jr. from Texas, whom the Vikings loved. The most interesting question for the Vikings as it relates to Nolen might be this one: Will he fall to No. 24?
Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Harmon might not be as impressive a mover as Nolen, but he was more productive this season. He tallied more pressures than any other interior defender at the FBS level, and his pressure rate topped the charts, according to Pro Football Focus. Harmon was listed at 6-5 and 310 pounds in college. Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s draft expert, ranked Harmon at No. 14 (and Nolen at No. 20) in his November ranking of the top 50 prospects.
Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
The Vikings have whiffed plenty of times drafting first-round defensive backs in recent years. And Barron is not a prototypical Flores cornerback. He is not super long and might not be the fastest in terms of vertical speed. He is versatile, though, and he processes the field well. The comparisons to Lions defensive back Brian Branch are almost too easy to make, but they’re apt. Sometimes, you might just be best off drafting a good football player.
Jahdae Barron had a grade of 90.8 in 2024🤘
The Highest-Graded Cornerback in CFB🏈
Via PFF College pic.twitter.com/NWqPyNa7sU
— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) February 3, 2025
Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
Will he be there at No. 24? It’s a fair question. But if the Vikings opt to spend in free agency at defensive tackle and want to shore up one of the guard spots through the draft, he is a name to watch. He was one of the best pass protectors in college football this season. He won’t turn 21 until April. Pairing him with a more experienced free-agent signing at the opposite guard spot would make sense.
Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State
If you designed a cornerback in a lab for Flores, he’d probably look a lot like Thomas. He is long (almost 6-2), he can run and he has ball skills. Thomas dominated the Senior Bowl, displaying press coverage ability and confidence. As mentioned above with Barron, using first-round picks on defensive backs has not worked well for the Vikings in recent years (Lewis Cine, Jeff Gladney and Mike Hughes). Fortifying the trenches should be the focus of the offseason, but not at the expense of drafting the best player available.
Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Grant is a different flavor of interior defender. He weighs close to 340 pounds and is less of a penetrator, though there is some pass-rushing ability on his tape. He is capable of quick movements and impressive swim moves. Drafting Grant would be a pick similar to the Eagles snagging Jordan Davis in 2022. Place him next to Harrison Phillips, and Minnesota should not have a hard time stopping the run.
Michigan DT Kenneth Grant weighs 340 pounds.
Watch big No. 78 show off the wheels on this tackle from behind. 👀@KennyGrant78 x @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/nUjeq5sBv3
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 12, 2023
Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Morrison missed most of the 2024 season with an injured hip. Checking the medical boxes at the combine will be his most important task of the draft cycle. As long as he’s recovering and projected to return to full health, he’ll be highly coveted. Morrison displays a combination of ball skills and movement fluidity. Zone coverage may fit him better than man, but the on-field awareness matters at this position (see: Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie).
Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State
He might have earned more respect at the Senior Bowl than any other player. Drafting him could serve two purposes. In the short term, he could fill one of the Vikings’ holes at guard. His versatility at 6-5, 316 pounds makes him an option at center, too. So, if Minnesota keeps Garrett Bradbury for another season, Zabel could stick at guard in 2025, then slide to center the following year. Or, he could stay at guard and plug that hole for good. This is what versatility allows.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
Drafting a running back this high only makes sense if he provides immediate and eye-popping impact. Bijan Robinson did this for Atlanta, and Jahmyr Gibbs has done it for Detroit. Henderson is not the no-brainer those two were — nor is he on par with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, who is not on this list because he’ll likely be taken before No. 24 — but he is dynamic. Henderson posted the highest explosive play rate in the country among qualified running backs, according to TruMedia. He can catch and pass protect, as well.
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T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina
Sanders has a similar profile to Nolen in that he’s an interior defender who creates pressure. He played multiple positions on South Carolina’s front, which mirrors how Flores likely would want to use a player of his stature. The Gamecocks also deployed him in various stunts and games, another hallmark of Flores’ system. Brugler did not rank him in his top 50 in November, but Sanders participated in the Senior Bowl and might be moving up the draft rankings.
Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
The same running back rules from the Henderson conversation apply here. For the Vikings, a team that has been more finesse than brute strength over the last three years, to look past the trenches and snag a running back would mean they believe Johnson is a potential star. Like Henderson, he became a one-man explosive play rate at Iowa. He is thicker than Henderson at 6 feet and 212 pounds. It’s been a minute since the Vikings had a bell-cow running back, and he could be that guy.
Josh Farmer, DT, Florida State
Farmer is a blend of Nolen and Grant from a body type perspective. Nolen hovers around 295 pounds, and Grant is close to 340. Farmer resides in the 315 range. Like Nolen and Sanders, he fared well at the Senior Bowl. His 35-inch arms are rare for a player at the position, and his lower body is not stiff. He may align more as a second-round pick (or even later), but players of his stature and ability to push the pocket don’t grow on trees. It doesn’t take more than a glimpse at the NFL’s final four teams this season (Chiefs: Chris Jones; Bills: Ed Oliver; Eagles: Jalen Carter; Commanders: Daron Payne) to realize how essential dominant interior defenders have become.
(Photo of Walter Nolen: Petre Thomas / Imagn Images)