EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings are following their board and stacking players with elite measurables.

Minnesota selected former Northwestern offensive lineman Caleb Tiernan with the 97^th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday night, addressing its offense for the first time after choosing former Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks at 18 in the first round, former Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday at 51 in the second round and former Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange at 82 in the third round.

Tiernan is a native of Livonia, Michigan, and was listed on his NFL.com profile at 6-foot-7 5/8 and 323 pounds. He started 43 consecutive games for the Wildcats and switched from right to left tackle for his final three seasons after manning the right flank as a part-time starter in 2022 opposite Peter Skoronski.

Wearing a slightly lighter-purple Vikings cap during a post-pick video call, Tiernan discussed his alma mater — he was drawn to "prestigious" academics and the demands of Big Ten football — and quipped:

"I think I should probably say, I love purple, so that kind of works out!"

Tiernan posted the 10^th-highest vertical jump by an offensive lineman at the combine dating to at least 1999, according to MockDraftable. His leap of 35 1/2 inches was three inches shy of the top rung reached by Garret Greenfield in 2024. For what it's worth, Buccaneers five-time Pro Bowl tackle Tristan Wirfs jumped 36 1/2 inches in 2020, and Seahawks Super Bowl guard Grey Zabel ascended to that height in 2025. The Athletic's Dane Brugler noted in "The Beast" that although Tiernan exclusively played tackle in college and offers swing tackle ability, he may be best off long-term as a guard due to a lack of length.

"A lot of those [doubts] come from people who probably don't know football that well," Tiernan said of the analysis out there that may nitpick his 32 1/4-inch arms. "You know, obviously I'm a football player and there's no — it's not an arm length competition on the field. It's a physicality competition. And, you know, I feel like I'm really good at that. And I feel like that's kind of what allowed me to kind of succeed.

"I'd love for someone to say I got beat here or I didn't do as well here because my arms are too short — kind of going to be pretty tough to find," he added. "But yeah, you know, obviously arm length, some teams harp on it. Some fans love it. Some guys hate it. I'm just a football player at the end of the day."

In 2025, Tiernan allowed three sacks and 13 pressures, per Pro Football Focus, and earned the following grades — 70.5 overall; 84.3 pass-blocking; 59.7 run-blocking. He received greater marks two seasons ago — 82.3 overall; 88.9 pass-blocking; 74.8 run-blocking — and allowed as many sacks and pressures as '25.

Tiernan was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2021 coming out of Detroit Country Day school in Beverly Hills, Michigan. He helped his team win a state championship at Ford Field in a shortened 2020 season.

The selection of Tiernan provides Minnesota's offensive line with another positional flex player, akin in a sense to Blake Brandel, who has played all five OL spots for the Vikings. Tiernan will be afforded a chance to learn from and compete alongside one of his favorite pros, as well, in veteran right flank Brian O'Neill.

Tiernan said he kept getting asked throughout the pre-draft process which players he watches closest.

"The first guy I always say is Brian O'Neill because, you know, being from the North, being from Michigan, like, NFC North football is kind of all I've watched," Tiernan shared. "And, obviously, I think he's an amazing player. I think he's amazing in the run game and the pass game. So, yeah, it kind of works out perfect that now I'll be in a room where I get to learn and watch and kind of see how he operates."

Vikings history in NFL Draft

Tiernan is the fifth player ever picked out of Northwestern by Minnesota and the first since defensive lineman Ifeadi Odenigbo in the seventh round (220) in 2017. The most notable Wildcat-turned-Viking is 1963 44^th overall pick Paul Flatley, who caught 202 passes for more than 3,000 yards across five seasons.

See the Vikings 2026 Opponents.

Check out the Vikings 2026 Draft Picks.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.