The Mock Drafts have been running for months and most commonly predict the Vikings to use their first-round pick on the defensive side of the ball — particularly in the secondary. But if there's one thing that's certain about the NFL Draft … it's that nothing is certain. So in leading up to this year's three-day event that begins with Round 1 on April 23, 2026, we're previewing prospects by position groups (all except quarterback, where the Vikings have four players on the roster, and specialists, where the Vikings have a trio of All-Pros). This draft prospect series includes rankings by national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects.

Worth noting with this position preview is that after the top four or five safeties, experts differed quite significantly on their later-round prospects.

Vikings status at safety

We know what you're all asking: Is Harrison Smith returning for a 15^th season in Purple?

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about "The Hitman" in Arizona at last month's Annual League Meeting.

"He knows how I feel about him, how we feel about him, but we also want to be respectful and give him space to kind of continue to figure out what he wants to do," O'Connell said. "It doesn't seem like he's in any real rush to — and certainly not from us or from me — to decide whether he's going to be playing football or not."

Smith finished the 2025 campaign on a high note after a slower start to the season. He battled an illness during training camp, then slowly ramped up and returned to the field for Week 3 against Cincinnati. Fans recognized more of a "vintage" Smith in the second half of the season, during which he showed he's got juice left in the tank — and had an especially impactful Week 17 outing that earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Should Smith play this season, he'll be joining fellow returning safeties Theo Jackson, Joshua Metellus, Jay Ward, Tavierre Thomas and Kahlef Hailassie. No new names have joined the position group in free agency.

Metellus played 14 games for Minnesota before landing on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury. Some of his stats dipped from the previous season, as he finished his sixth NFL campaign with two interceptions, a half sack and six passes defensed, the latter of which was a single-season career high.

Jackson, a 2022 sixth-round pick, saw increased opportunities in 2025 after the departure of Camryn Bynum in free agency and recorded his first two career sacks in Minnesota's final two games, showing the ability to finish blitz opportunities.

And speaking of increased opportunities, the Vikings called on Ward, a 2023 fourth-round pick, when facing depth challenges. Ward's 248 defensive snaps were a significant jump from the 35 and 28 he played in 2023 and 2024, respectively. He made five starts and allowed four completions on seven targets defensively while also contributing on four of Minnesota's six special teams phases.

The Vikings signed Thomas during the offseason as a free agent and utilized him almost exclusively on special teams, where he played on five phases. They re-signed him this spring.

Hailassie was with Minnesota throughout the 2025 offseason, was released during final roster cuts and then signed with the team's practice squad. The Jaguars signed Hailassie off the scout team roster, however, and he spent first chunk of last season in Jacksonville until being waived mid-November. He re-joined the Vikings practice squad and in January signed a reserve/future contract.

Expert rankings

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has three safeties in his Top 50: Caleb Downs (No. 9), Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (16) and Dillon Thieneman (17).

ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has the same three safeties in his Top 25, though in a slightly different order: Downs (6), Thieneman (22) and McNeil-Warren (24).

Rankings for cornerbacks by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.

Prospects

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Caleb Downs

School: Ohio State (after Alabama) | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-11 5/8 | Wt: 206 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: S1

Bucky Brooks: S1

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S1

Pro Football Focus: S1

Dane Brugler: S1

2025 stats: 68 tackles, 2 INT, 1.0 sack, 5 TFL, 2 FF, 1 PD

Career stats: 44 games (44 starts); 256 tackles, 6 INT, 1.5 sacks, 16 TFL, 3 FF, 1 FR, 11 PD

Football family: Downs' father, Gary, played running back at N.C. State and then at the NFL level with the Giants, Broncos and Falcons from 1994-2000. He spent 10 years as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at East Tennessee State, as well as worked as a scouting and coaching intern with the Atlanta Falcons. Downs' uncle, Dre' Bly, played cornerback and was a two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXXIV winner as a rookie with the Rams in 1999. He served as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Jets last season.

Dillon Thieneman

School: Oregon (after Purdue) | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-0 1/8 | Wt: 201 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: S3

Bucky Brooks: S2

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S2

Pro Football Focus: S2

Dane Brugler: S2

2025 stats: 96 tackles, 2 INT, 1.0 sack, 3.5 TFL, 5 PD

Career stats: 39 games (39 starts); 306 tackles, 8 INT, 2.0 sacks, 10 TFL, 2 FF, 14 PD

'Football Freak': Thieneman made The Athletic's 2024 "Football Freaks" list as a standout athlete. He demonstrated that again this February at the NFL Scouting Combine in his home state of Indiana, where ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds, tying for the ninth fastest participant and fourth fastest safety. Thieneman's vertical jump of 41 inches was second best among safeties, and he topped the position group with 18 reps of 225 pounds on the bench.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

School: Toledo | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-3 1/2 | Wt: 201 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Daniel Jeremiah: S2

Bucky Brooks: S3

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S3

Pro Football Focus: S3

Dane Brugler: S3

2025 stats: 77 tackles, 2 INT, 0.5 sack, 5.5 TFL, 3 FF, 2 FR, 5 PD

Career stats: 48 games (26 starts); 214 tackles, 5 INT, 1.0 sack, 11 TFL, 9 FF, 2 FR, 13 PD

Notable alma mater: McNeil-Warren's alma mater of Lakewood High School (Florida) has produced a number of talented athletes, including WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling; twin defenders Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin, the latter of whom played for the Vikings in 2024; former DB Pat Terrell and former OL Isaiah Wynn, among others.

A.J. Haulcy

School: LSU (after New Mexico and Houston) | Year: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-11 5/8 | Wt: 215 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Bucky Brooks: S5

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S6

Pro Football Focus: S4

Dane Brugler: S5

2025 stats: 88 tackles, 3 INT, 0.5 TFL, 1 FF, 4 PD

Career stats: 48 games (44 starts); 347 tackles, 10 INT, 4.5 TFL, 4 FF, 1 FR, 19 PD

Immediate impact: Haulcy may have only played one season for LSU, but he immediately made his presence felt in all the right ways, tying for the team lead in interceptions and earning First-Team All-SEC honors.

Kyle Louis

Note: Louis was also included in the linebackers position preview, but we are including him here, too.

School: Pittsburgh | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-11 7/8 | Wt: 220 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Bucky Brooks: S4

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S4

Pro Football Focus: LB7

Dane Brugler: LB7

2025 stats: 81 tackles (43 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two interceptions, three passes defended, forced fumble, two fumble recoveries

Career stats: 201 tackles (93 solo), 25.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, six interceptions, one interception returned for a touchdown, six passes defended, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries

Hybrid playmaker: Louis isn't an obvious fit at one position in the pros as he's lighter than preferred to handle a traditional linebacker role and he doesn't have the coverage experience in the deep parts of the field that true safeties in this class do. He has practically everything else, though, that is coveted from an instant impact defender: tremendous play speed, ball skills and instincts. Louis impressed in Mobile during Senior Bowl practices. He flat-out moved differently, and he was sticky in coverage, giving up virtually nothing to running backs and tight ends over multiple days of 1-on-1 reps.

Genesis Smith

School: Arizona | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-2 1/8 | Wt: 202 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S10

Pro Football Focus: S6

Dane Brugler: S9

2025 stats: 77 tackles, 1 INT, 3 TFL, 2 FF, 2 FR, 8 PD

Career stats: 37 games (22 starts); 164 tackles, 5 INT, 6.5 TFL, 4 FF, 3 FR, 14 PD

Gives back: Smith established the Genesis Smith Foundation to provide resources for families in need. Inspired by Smith's grandmother, the nonprofit seeks to "give a hand up, not a hand out" to those who could benefit most.

Zakee Wheatley

School: Penn State | Year: Redshirt Senior | Ht: 6-foot-3 1/8 | Wt: 203 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S9

Pro Football Focus: S7

Dane Brugler: S6

2025 stats: 74 tackles, 1 INT, 2 TFL, 1 FR, 1 PD

Career stats: 58 games (28 starts); 223 tackles, 6 INT, 5 TFL, 2 FF, 3 FR, 6 PD

Versatility is key: Though Wheatley is most looked at as a safety, he has demonstrated an ability to play multiple positions. He started his collegiate career at cornerback before transitioning, and he also was used as a linebacker in specific packages at Penn State.

Bud Clark

School: TCU | Year: Redshirt Senior | Ht: 6-foot-0 7/8 | Wt: 188 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Bucky Brooks: Nickelback5

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S8

Pro Football Focus: S8

Dane Brugler: S7

2025 stats: 56 tackles, 4 INT (1 TD), 1.0 sack, 1.5 TFL, 7 PD

Career stats: 61 games (45 starts); 214 tackles, 15 INT (2 TD), 1.0 sack, 3.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 21 PD

Football and family: Clark and his girlfriend Nesha welcomed a baby boy, Kenzo, in 2023; Clark and Nesha got engaged in May 2025.

Kamari Ramsey

School: USC (after UCLA) | Year: Redshirt Junior | Ht: 6-foot-0 1/4 | Wt: 202 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S11

Pro Football Focus: S5

Dane Brugler: S10

2025 stats: 27 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 2 PD

Career stats: 35 games (31 starts); 133 tackles, 2 INT, 2.0 sacks, 9.5 TFL, 2 FF, 11 PD

Mentored by Mom: Ramsey is deeply grateful for the wisdom imparted by both his parents, but in a blog entry titled "Tough as a Mother," he shared the way his mom's "resolute and steady" character — along with her willingness to make tremendous sacrifices — has shaped who he is today. Ramsey noted she would drive him and his two older siblings two hours each way to a better school. He wrote:

As we navigated the grueling commute, our car turned into a modest classroom, where books, assignments and young ambitions filled the hours before sunrise. This routine, though challenging, built my foundation of resilience and time management. My mother's silent sacrifice taught me to control what I could, even when the world seemed intent on testing us.

Michael Taaffe

School: Texas | Year: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-11 7/8 | Wt: 190 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Pro Football Focus: S9

Dane Brugler: S13

2025 stats: 70 tackles, 2 INT, 1.0 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PD

Career stats: 53 games (36 starts); 222 tackles, 7 INT, 3.0 sacks, 9.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 14 PD

Making an impact: Taaffe was named to the 2025 Allstate Good Works Team for his efforts in giving back. He has been active with Texas Against Fetanyl after losing his friend, Jake Ehlinger, to an accidental drug overdose (Xanax laced with fentanyl); has fundraised for victims of the Camp Mystic flood disaster; and has gotten involved in various other volunteer opportunities, as well.

Jalon Kilgore

School: South Carolina | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-1 3/8 | Wt: 210 pounds

Experts' Position Rankings

Mel Kiper, Jr.: S5

Pro Football Focus: CB18

Dane Brugler: S8

2025 stats: 54 tackles, 2 INT, 2 FR, 10 PD

Career stats: 36 games (33 starts); 178 tackles, 8 INT, 4.5 TFL, 1 FF, 2 FR, 21 PD

All-around athlete: In addition to starring on the football field at Putnam County High School, Kilgore lettered in basketball and won the Georgia 2A long jump state title as a sophomore. Following his junior year, he was named the Region 4-AA Athlete of the Year.

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