The Minnesota Vikings are catching heat for their 2026 NFL draft picks, notably their first-round pick of Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who has been dealing with a foot injury. But, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and Kevin O’Connell certainly has a vision for the 2026-27 roster that he’s looking to fill. So, don’t get too worked up about what you’re about to read.
Eric Edholm of the NFL’s official website has released his latest round of 2026 NFL power rankings, and in it, he puts the Minnesota Vikings, sadly, quite low on the tally. He has them at No. 28.
His concerns start with Banks, but from there, Edholm also talks about questions he had about their lineup going into the draft that are still there.
Minnesota Vikings Get Criticism for Controversial Draft Picks in Power Rankings
Coming in at No. 28 out of 32 teams isn’t a great showing. But, it’s not all doom and gloom, and Edholm likes some of these choices.
“After the surprise of the Caleb Banks pick wore off, the Vikings settled into a little groove with a few of their selections,” he states in the piece. “Among the value picks I liked: LB Jake Golday, OT Caleb Tiernan, S Jakobe Thomas and CB Charles Demmings. Even a fullback in Round 5 didn’t offend me; if anything, it made me nostalgic.”
He adds: “I certainly understand Vikings fans could feel differently about it, given their personal investment in the team, but if Max Bredeson becomes the next C.J. Ham, it’s a good pick.”
So, what can the team do to move up the power rankings? He suggests they add a veteran or two to the lineup in the coming months. “They could use a center, a safety and maybe another receiver,” he says.
More Shade for the Minnesota Vikings in 2026 NFL Power Rankings
Over at Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport is also skeptical of the Minnesota Vikings’ draft class but he also says some good things about the team. In a piece out on Monday, April 27, he has them at No. 23, which is better than Edholm’s tally but still not great.
“We can talk about what the Minnesota Vikings did in free agency, even if they made only one truly major addition,” he says in the piece. “We can also talk about how a team still operating without a permanent general manager went all-in on defense in the draft, using four of its picks over the first two days to fortify a unit that ranked third in the league last season—headlined by first-round defensive tackle Caleb Banks.”
He adds that “whether or not the Vikings climb out of the NFC North basement in 2026 is going to come down to how that one major free-agent addition pans out.”
He also raises the J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray issue, stating that “it will be an upset if Kyler Murray isn’t the starter in Week 1 over J.J. McCarthy. The question then becomes whether Kevin O’Connell can highlight Murray’s strengths and get the 2019 first overall pick playing like the signal-caller who made two Pro Bowls earlier in his career. If O’Connell can do that, this team could be dangerous.”
What’s not to love about the idea of O’Connell crafting a dangerous team once again? These power rankings are early, so don’t let them get you down. O’Connell likely isn’t paying attention to the noise.
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