The Minnesota Vikings currently hold the 18th overall selection in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
This selection is just the first of a 9 picks that the Vikings own in the event.
- Round 1, Pick 18
- Round 2, Pick 49
- Round 3, Pick 82
- Round 3, Pick 97 (compensatory)
- Round 5, Pick 163 (via Eagles)
- Round 6, Pick 196 (via Colts)
- Round 7, Pick 234
- Round 7, Pick 235 (via Panthers)
- Round 7, Pick 244 (via Texans)
Most notably, Minnesota has 4 selections in the first 100 total of the draft. The popular opinion is that the Vikings will look to infuse their defense with young talent with the majority of the selections.
Names like Avieon Terrell, Kayden McDonald, and C.J. Allen are likely to be available for the Vikings at 18th overall.
Recently, Bleacher Report shared some information that may catch the Vikings eye.
Vikings Have Path to Trade Up in First Round
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 04: Head coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings and Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers embrace after the Vikings beat the Packers 16-3 at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Bleacher Report shared some interesting words from Albert Breer of Monday Morning Quarterback.
“Breer reported Monday that the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders are all exploring deals to move down.
‘The problem for those five is finding teams to move up,’ he wrote.”
With that, it’s now clear that the Vikings have a path to jump in the draft should they want to. Names like Mansoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, or Caleb Downs could tempt the Vikings to jump up a handful of spots.
Bleacher Report added some insight into why teams might not want to move up in this year’s draft.
“For the most part, teams simply aren’t all that incentivized to trade up this year. General managers often leapfrog the competition in order to get a quarterback they like. The dearth of good QBs in the 2026 class removes that as a consideration.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson is the second-best passer on the Bleacher Report big board but ranks 28th overall. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is QB3 and is all the way down at 65th.
Then you have prospects such as Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, OSU linebacker Sonny Styles and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love who are very good but don’t play premium positions. Does it make sense to give up valuable draft capital for a running back, even one as dynamic as Love?“
Lack of Star QBs Leads to Less Trade-Up Executions in NFL Draft
It’s a fair assessment from BR. If there were more quarterbacks to go around, we would absolutely see some big-time trades go down. Of course, trades are still possible, but teams are much more likely to give up significant draft capital for franchise QBs.
The mixture of the lack of QBs and everyone wanting to hold on to their 2027 first round selection paints a murky picture for those that love draft trades.
Whether or not the Vikings will want to trade up remains to be seen, but they at least have a clear path to do so.
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