The Minnesota Vikings have a low-key need at WR3 heading into the 2026 NFL Draft. WR Jalen Nailor, the WR3 in 2025, departed to sign a big deal with the Las Vegas Raiders and left a hole.
Many look at the Vikings as a great WR room just because of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Obviously, this is a great top duo to have on your team. However, there’s virtually no one behind them.
2025 3rd-round selection Tai Felton has shown no signs of taking the job, though that could change in camp. Felton was a burner in college, but wasn’t really super capable of getting completely open. Consider his success rates against different coverages at Maryland in 2024-2025, per Reception Perception.
- vs. Man – 63.2% – 22nd Percentile
- vs. Zone – 80.2% – 59th Percentile
- vs. Press – 52.2% – 18th Percentile
Anything could happen, but this doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence on paper. It’s also come out recently that WR Myles Price, an electric kick and punt returner, is doing a lot of work this offseason.
The Vikings have, however, subtly hinted in the direction they want to go to fill this WR3 hole with their Top 30 visits.
Vikings Reveal Desired WR3 Archetype
GettyTALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 4: CJ Daniels #7 of the Miami Hurricanes reacts after making a reception in the first half of the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on October 4, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Jason Clark/Getty Images)
Over the last few days, it was announced the Vikings would host 4 WR prospects of a specific archetype for Top-30 visits.
- Cincinnati WR Jeff Caldwell
- Georgia State WR Ted Hurst
- Miami WR C.J. Daniels
- Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling
If you’ve been doing your draft homework, you would know that all of these men are boundary or “X” receivers. This means they do most of their bidding beginning lined up near the sideline.
The average height of these gentlemen? A quarter-inch over 6’3. C.J. Daniels and De’Zhaun Stribling are the “shortest” of these men at 6’2. Caldwell is the tallest at 6’5, and Hurst stands at 6’4.
For reference, the average height of the Jefferson-Addison-Nailor trio from 2025 was a hair under 6 feet tall. If the Vikings were to draft one of these prospects at a taller height, it could mean great things for Jordan Addison, who could be moved to work primarily out of the slot and would absolutely cook.
Paul Allen Questions Minnesota on Role of Dallas Turner
GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 25: Dallas Turner #15 of the Minnesota Vikings is congratulated by Harrison Smith #22 after a tackle against the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
As Adam Patrick of The Viking Age mentioned, Paul Allen spoke about Turner on The Paul Allen Show earlier this week. Patrick summarized the words for us.
“[The Vikings] want to play him, [but] Greenard’s better than him until proven otherwise. [Andrew] Van Ginkle is, probably, can argue the best of the three, but he and Greenard are 1 and 1A, whichever way you want to go.
I’m just not sure they know what to do with Dallas Turner.”
Patrick added some of his own insight on the matter.
“Thankfully, Turner is still only 23-years-old and he likely hasn’t hit the prime of his NFL career yet. However, one of the biggest benefits of selecting him in the first round is the ability to take advantage of how affordable of his rookie contract is, and the Vikings haven’t really been able to do that yet.”
Of course, a role for Turner could open up should the Vikings actually trade away Jonathan Greenard. However, it’s still not clear that Minnesota would commit to trading away a top-end edge rusher in a win-now season.
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