School – er, the season — is out of session for the Vikings, so it's time to review final grades.

Emily Leiker of the Minnesota Star Tribune on Wednesday dished out rookie report cards to help determine how draft picks and select undrafted free-agent signings met the moment during Year 1.

Naturally, Leiker led with 2025 No. 24 overall pick Donovan Jackson. She wrote the following:

Jackson, a product of Ohio State, proved the Vikings right in picking him. He was one of the most consistent presences on the offensive line. … Coaches and teammates routinely praised "Donnie" for his ability to learn on the fly and his grit, especially only missing two games after a wrist injury that required surgery. Jackson allowed two sacks and five quarterback hits all season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips assessed the left guard near the end of his debut campaign.

"He's been everything that we hoped for going into his rookie year," the coach said Dec. 30. "He's had some ups and downs, as any [first-year player] will, but he's improved throughout the year."

Phillips also noted his sense that Jackson earned the respect of teammates "which is just huge going forward as a young player." Head Coach Kevin O'Connell recently touted Jackson's ability to self-correct throughout the season — even mid-game at times — and said he couldn't be more excited for his future.

Several other youngsters left good first-year impressions, but maybe none greater than Myles Price.

The undrafted WR out of Indiana (after Texas Tech) emerged as a star returner, handling duties on kickoffs and punts. He averaged about 26 yards in the former phase and approximately 10 in the latter.

Leiker noted Price had his miscues, but he asserted himself as the answer at both spots after veteran Rondale Moore, who was viewed as a strong option for those roles, was lost to injury in the preseason.

Read more about Minnesota's rookie classmates and their performance reviews here.

Next Gen All-Pros

For the third time ever, the Vikings have zero Pro Bowl players.

There's at least two guys on Minnesota's roster, though, who performed at a historically elite level, outperformed league counterparts, and — 1,000-percent — warranted the premier player fanfare.

Fortunately, the Next Gen Stats Analytics Team put together an All-Pro team to highlight them. If you paid attention, you perhaps guessed the two in question: linebacker Eric Wilson and kicker Will Reichard.

Let's start with the former. Wilson, 31, was an undrafted free-agent signing by the Vikings in 2017 and spent four years with the team before stints in Philadelphia, Houston, New Orleans and Green Bay. He was a revelation in his return, ranking first on the defense in tackles for loss (17, which tied for sixth in the NFL), second with 115 total tackles (108 on defense and seven on special teams) and third in sacks (6.5). After beginning the year as a backup, he wrapped it up as a leader inclined to make splash plays.

Wilson, like Reichard, is a candidate for the NFL's actual All-Pro Teams that are scheduled for release Friday, but his interesting career arc likely hurts more than helps. Hopefully, the 50 media members who cast ballots weighed what he accomplished in 2025 — and paid less mind to the route traveled to now.

Here's the write-up on Wilson, tabbed by NGS as the centerpiece of Minnesota's dominant defense:

The Vikings allowed 4.5 yards per play when Wilson was on the field, compared with 6.5 when he was off the field, the largest split of any defender with 100-plus snaps on and off. Wilson's 22.5 percent pressure rate was the highest by any player with 150-plus pass rushes since 2022, his 4.4 yards per target allowed in coverage were the fewest among linebackers and his 20 run stuffs were the third-most in the NFL.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to digest those nuggets and realize Wilson's unbelievable impact.

And here's the case for Reichard, who was snubbed from the Pro Bowl Games in favor of outstanding Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey. Reichard's portfolio includes a franchise-record 62-yard field goal, 11 makes from 50 yards or farther (also a new Vikings benchmark and tied for the most in the NFL in 2025) and an NFC Special Teams Player of the Month honor, reflecting December/January, awarded Thursday:

Aubrey paced the position for most of the season before faltering late. Cam Little's record-setting distance made him an enticing option, as well, but Reichard's full body of work outperformed the competition. He hit 94.3 percent of his attempts despite a high degree of difficulty (74.6% expected FG%); his +19.7% FG probability over expected was the highest in the last decade by any kicker with 30-plus attempts. And he was no slouch on distance, either, converting the seventh-longest kick of the season.

Check out the complete 2025 Next Gen Stats All-Pro lineups, featuring the likes of Patriots QB Drake Maye, Cardinals TE Trey McBride, Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell and Chargers S Derwin James, right here.

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