Donovan Jackson wanted to commit to the Vikings after making his Top 30 visit in April.

He told his father, Todd, as much on the phone when he was departing from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The excitement in his voice, and the list of reasons he was sold, was telling.

Mainly because Jackson didn't make that type of call so quickly after visiting with any other team.

Of course, a simple commitment isn't how the NFL Draft works. The Vikings needed to select Jackson.

Which meant the 6-foot-4, 324-pounder, oozing individual potential and the skill set to step into a hole on Minnesota's offensive line at left guard, would have to be available when the club was on the clock.

Maybe fate did its thing. Maybe it's just how the board fell. Maybe Jackson manifested it.

Maybe a little bit of all three factored into Jackson's dreams becoming reality.

Earlier this week, with Jackson continuing preparation for his NFL debut on Monday Night Football as a starter on the team he was determined to be a part of, snippets of his journey were chronicled by Emily Leiker of the Minnesota Star Tribune. His aim to be great from an early age put him in position to be great.

Here's an excerpt from Leiker's story:

His parents traveled around the country for different camps as Jackson's recruitment progressed. Jackson attended his first collegiate camp around eighth grade at Ohio State while on a family vacation.

After a day working his way up from pancaking ninth-graders to holding his own against 11th-graders in one-on-one line drills, Jackson and his dad talked with a strength and conditioning coach about what he could do at his age to prepare for a D-I career.

The brunt of the advice? Cut out junk.

Jackson was a big Dr. Pepper fan, his dad said, drinking two to three a day at the time.

But as he and his dad headed back to their car, Jackson said he was done drinking soda. His dad couldn't believe it.

"If this is in the way of my dream, I don't want it," Jackson said.

That discipline helped Jackson ascend from the top of the football-frenzied Texas high school ranks to eventual All-American recognition from several outlets at Ohio State. He began his college journey as a small fish in a big pond and capped it by knocking off another one of his goals, winning a championship – and no less did it playing out of position, kicking out to left tackle – before he was drafted 24th overall.

Alas, Jackson got to yell "I am a Viking!" and take the next step in realizing his football dreams.

Read Leiker's full feature on Jackson here.

Two decades of PFF

With Week 1 upon us, there's obviously no shortage of stories on the current Vikings.

But to briefly change the pace, we're highlighting some Legends who donned the Purple and were recognized Thursday by Pro Football Focus on their all-time single-season Minnesota Vikings squad.

Say, what?

In honor of PFF entering its 20^th season of grading performances and collecting all kinds of game-related data, the analytics website is pushing out starting offensive and defensive lineups for all clubs based on the highest-graded seasons at every position. Naturally, there are a few parameters: 1) A player had to garner at least 500 snaps in a given season; 2) Players are limited to one appearance – for instance, Harrison Smith could not man both of the Vikings safety slots even if he posted the two highest grades; and 3) A player acquired mid-season via trade or free agency can be included if he met the snap count.

Without further ado, here's a rundown of the 22 Vikings included (with grades and seasons):

Offense

QB: Brett Favre, 91.5 (2009)

RB: Adrian Peterson, 92.4 (2012)

WR: Justin Jefferson, 91.1 (2023)

WR: Sidney Rice, 89.6 (2009)

WR: Adam Thielen, 89.4 (2018)

TE: Jim Kelinsasser, 90.4 (2008)

LT: Christian Darrisaw, 90.4 (2022)

LG: Steve Hutchinson, 90.8 (2007)

C: John Sullivan, 86.5 (2013)

RG: Brandon Fusco, 84.1 (2013)

RT: Brian O'Neill, 82.7 (2022)

Defense

EDGE: Danielle Hunter, 89.0 (2019)

EDGE: Everson Griffen, 84.7 (2017)

DI: Linval Joseph, 91.0 (2015)

DI: Pat Williams, 90.0 (2006)

LB: Eric Kendricks, 90.1 (2019)

LB: Anthony Barr, 90.0 (2015)

CB: Antoine Winfield, 91.9 (2008)

CB: Terence Newman, 83.0 (2016)

S: Harrison Smith, 91.8 (2017)

S: Anthony Harris, 91.1 (2019)

FLEX: Darren Sharper, 82.6 (2006)

Dalton Wasserman of PFF assessed Minnesota's offense is stacked with historic players – Favre, Peterson, Jefferson and Hutchinson. He noted that Favre's tremendous performance in 2009 was helped by a career-best 1.8 percent turnover-worthy play rate. In case you didn't know, Peterson finished nine yards shy in 2012 of resetting the all-time single-season rushing record (held by Eric Dickerson – 2,105 yards). Jefferson earned a slightly higher mark in 10 games in 2023 than his 2022 campaign, when he won the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Hutchinson, a Pro Football Hall of Fame guard, was a beast in 2007.

On the flip side, Wasserman highlighted Minnesota's secondary as its strength and lauded the combination of Winfield, Newman and Smith in particular. Notably, Newman recorded his 83.0 grade at the ripe old age of 38. Smith was part of that defensive backfield and delivered his best the next season.

Check out the article here to learn about the other NFC North teams.

View the 2025 Vikings Schedule.

Check out the 2025 International games.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.