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We should have known a batch of physical players was on its way to the Vikings when we learned Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski began the 2026 NFL Draft Weekend by having breakfast with Vikings Ring of Honor linebacker and former scout/personnel exec Scott Studwell.

Brzezinski had overlapped with Studwell in Minnesota's front office for nearly two decades until Studwell retired at the end of the 2019 NFL Draft and appreciated the opportunity to start his Thursday (in a different role than past years) by reconnecting with the franchise's all-time leading tackler.

What followed was the addition of two massive defensive linemen, a tall off-ball linebacker with great intrigue, a mammoth tackle and a safety, who while returning a pick for a touchdown waved an opponent toward him before lowering a boom, with Minnesota's first five selections.

The physicality continued Saturday with a fullback who helped a national title run and a spirited corner, followed by a speedy running back and a sizeable center to round out the selections.

We've got a lot to get to in this behemoth of a Mailbag, so I'll simply list the nine-player draft class and head for the questions. We'll have more draft-related content this week and early next week before excitedly hosting Vikings rookie minicamp (open practice expected on May 8).

Vikings 2026 NFL Draft Picks

Round 1, 18^th overall: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida

Round 2, 51^st overall: Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati

Round 3, 82^nd overall: Domonique Orange, DL, Iowa State ("Big Citrus")

Round 3, 97^th overall: Caleb Tiernan, T, Northwestern

Round 3, 98th overall: Jakobe Thomas, S, Miami

Round 5, 159^th overall: Max Bredeson, FB, Michigan

Round 5, 163^rd overall: Charles "Chuck" Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin

Round 6, 198^th overall: Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest

Round 7, 235^th overall: Gavin Gerhardt, C, Cincinnati

Another draft in the books. They clearly made defense a priority, as they should have. They committed to the defensive line. Every team that has made a deep playoff run over the past few seasons all have very strong defensive line play in common.

They did get some great talent that can help right away and a few players that have potential to help in time. Having said that, the path they took to get those pieces was very head scratching. They failed to help the secondary, which is where many fans would feel they needed help the most. They needed one of the top safeties, and passing on Jermod McCoy at the end of round 3 was a huge mistake. He's a steal at that point, regardless of his knee.

I think Banks will be a monster and be the game-wrecking tackle our defense has been missing. However, I think it's a safe assumption he would've been there at 49. They should have taken Thieneman at 18 or traded back a few spots. Get Banks at 49 and still gotten Big Citrus (love that name) and McCoy in the third. That would've been the perfect draft, but would potentially be sacrificing Golday, who could be very similar to Andrew Van Ginkel.

I would like to thank the Vikings content staff for all the great content they provide throughout the draft weekend. The draft calls are always fantastic to listen to. I always enjoy watching the first-round pick's first day as a Viking the day after being drafted.

Lastly, will the team publish the entire list of players invited to the rookie minicamp that is fast approaching? Would be nice to see who they bring in, and where they are from.

Thank you as always,

— Roman B. (Getting excited in Grand Forks, North Dakota)

Brzezinski, Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Director of College Scouting Mike Sholiton each spoke with Twin Cities media members over the course of the weekend and iterated the Vikings felt good about the way they built their draft board and followed it. That doesn't mean the team set out to "go defense" with four of its first five picks but does indicate potential outcomes that were prepared for during meetings before the draft.

The groupthink among external media, whose opinions we publish during our Mock Draft Tracker series, largely pointed to adding a safety (Dillon Thieneman was the most common, followed by Emmanuel McNeil-Warren) or a cornerback (McCoy was among the players projected) with a first-round pick.

It seems like McCoy's knee injury, which sidelined him for all of 2025, might have affected multiple front offices' thoughts. The Raiders wound up snagging him at 101.

With several options on the board, the Vikings opted for Banks, whom they had with the highest grade, at No. 18.

It seems like Banks' injury that cost him most of 2025 and a foot injury that occurred at the combine caused his stock to fall. O'Connell and Brzezinski said they didn't believe he would have been available at 18 under normal circumstances. There's also been reporting that a couple of teams were interested in Banks in the 20s. His unique traits may have made him hard to sneak through all the way to 49.

Gink' provides one of the most unique aspects of the Vikings defense under Brian Flores. It's a tall order for anyone to play his role, which is dramatically different from the other "OLB" spot of the defense formerly manned by Jonathan Greenard (we'll have more on that later), and I think Gink's absence was notable early last season after he was sidelined by a neck injury suffered in Week 1. Golday offers some interesting attributes, so it might be a wonderful opportunity for him to understudy Gink' as he adjusts to NFL life.

I feel good about speaking on behalf of my colleagues to say how much we enjoy getting to provide content from the draft (and beyond) each year. We genuinely appreciate the opportunity to help introduce the new wave of players. I'm hopeful that we will be able to list the players invited to tryout at rookie minicamp as we have in recent years, so stay tuned for that.

The draft was a surprise to me, I thought Rob Brzezinski would have gone after Dillon Thieneman to replace Harrison Smith instead of injured DL Caleb Banks. It's good that we picked up DL Domonique Orange and LB Jake Golday. What are your thoughts on S Jakobe Thomas and CB Charles Demmings?

For the offensive side they picked up T Caleb Tiernan, which can help with filling in, FB Max Bredeson to replace C.J. Ham, who retired last month, RB Demond Claiborne and C Gavin Gerhardt. Claiborne has the speed the Vikings are looking for out of the backfield, but he has some stuff to clean up before becoming an RB2. I thought the Vikings could have gotten a better center than Gavin Gerhardt; there must have been something there they saw that they liked when they invited him in.

For the undrafted free agents, the two that caught my eye were WR Dillon Bell and P Brett Thorson. Is Bell good enough to compete with Tai Felton for the WR3 spot? I thought for the punter the Vikings could have signed a higher ranked one. I saw that Thorson is an International Player, so he won't count toward the 90-man roster.

See how Rob Brzezinski's 2026 turns out, if he gets hired as the Vikings new GM.

SKOL Vikings,

— Matt from Cedar Rapids, Iowa

We don't have a final decision yet from Smith, and we might not for a while.

We do know that the 2025 Vikings tried to make a big splash on the defensive line by bringing in veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Signing veterans with pro accolades is not cheap, and the investment didn't yield the best-case scenario of return. This approach of adding Banks and Orange as draft picks, to go along with 2025 breakout player Jalen Redmond and more young linemen, is exciting.

Thomas was born in Starkville (home of my alma mater) and played high school and most of his college ball in Tennessee. I'm always excited to welcome another "Tennesota" Viking to the mix and can with him and Golday, who is from near Memphis. Beyond those off-field connections, his highlights from last season at Miami, which included a run all the way to the title game, are a fun watch.

The current status of college football with NIL money creating "free agency light" enabled the Hurricanes to get Thomas' services, and he responded well.

I was not on the conference call with Demmings but did enjoy listening to it. Talk about contagious energy. I have a soft spot for "small school" guys, as well as the depth of scouting that goes into finding players.

It's hard to argue with adding an offensive lineman in the top 100 picks in a year after the Vikings used 26 different combinations of five linemen, even if Minnesota was able to sign Ryan Van Demark during free agency.

Regardless of where anyone thinks J.J. McCarthy is this early into his career, how cool was it that he was able to attend Bredeson's draft party in Wisconsin? I'd classify Bredeson's highlights as a fun watch, as well. They'll be able to grow together the way they did in Ann Arbor.

Claiborne showed some breakaway speed that will be a nice addition. Although he's not large, he squatted 500 pounds.

We'll have some Gerhardt chatter at the end of this edition. As for Bell and Thorson, each will be granted an opportunity to compete for a gig. We'll get a look at both during rookie minicamp, but yes, similar to Oscar Chapman last year, Thorson will enable Minnesota to roster 91 instead of 90 players.

Now that the draft has concluded, the Vikings organization will ramp up its evaluation and decision-making process for what to do at GM.

A few observations on the Vikings moves over the weekend.

1. Drafting Banks may have been a risk with the health history, but all the so-called media experts and draft gurus need to step back and see how it plays out. He has as much of a chance to be an All-Pro player, and sometimes you need to step out and take a swing. I liked Thieneman as much as anyone but believe a star defensive lineman has a greater impact. Six other teams passed on the safety before he was picked, so other teams ranked him a bit lower also.

2. We maybe could have held off on Greenard, but it was also a case where the organization knew he didn't want to be here under the current contract, and our cap situation wasn't going to make it work, so they had class to do what was right for a classy player. Getting two third rounders might be light, but we also gained $12 million in space [this year] to get 2-3 good players to fill depth at 3-4 million per year. WR DeAndre Hopkins comes to mind as an option for a year.

3. I believe Golday was a great find along with Demmings and Claiborne later in draft. Big Citrus will get reps early also.

4. I see more good than past decisions, and time will tell.

— Rick in Blaine

Pseudo-spoiler alert, we plan to post initial draft grades from external media today, as we have in previous years, but we usually point out that it can sometimes take two-three years before the grade can be fully and accurately determined.

Banks' impact will have significant weight on the eventual grades for the 2026 draft class because of his selection in the first round. Ideally, he and the defensive front affect their share of snaps before the second or third level of the defense comes into play.

Thieneman wound up going to the Bears, so the Vikings figure to have multiple contests with him over the years.

Regarding Greenard, the Vikings did their best to try to maximize the market, which resulted in the pick used this year on Thomas and a third-round pick in 2027, as well as massive salary cap relief.

It's tricky because the Vikings smartly had signed him to a four-year deal for $76 million, which he had a case for saying he had outplayed. Judging by the fact that Philadelphia issued him a reported four-year, $100 million deal, there was not going to be a salary cap situation that worked for Minnesota. With Greenard's departure, Dallas Turner is primed to build off increased opportunities after filling in for Greenard and Gink' last season.

Freeing up space this year enables Minnesota to evaluate the next wave of free agents (vets are still available) and created even more space for 2027.

Again this year, the media and social media draft experts (ha-ha-ha) have had a lot of negative comments toward Rob Brzezinski's draft choices. With that said, why are the Vikings confident that Caleb Banks can stay healthy and be a long-term answer at DT?

Some pundits say that Jakobe Thomas is a steal; others say that he was a reach. Granted, the draft is a subjective endeavor, yet it still makes me ponder the decisions just a little given all the negative comments surrounding the choices again this year. Furthermore, after the last few drafts, I can't help but wonder if there is maybe something to the negativity, but given that some folks just like to be heard, or make noise, I will continue to just trust the Vikings leadership under Rob Brzezinski, K.O. and Flores. Look forward to getting your response.

— Jeff in Littleton, Colorado

Medical evaluations are probably the least-discussed-most-important aspect of the pre-draft process. They were the impetus for the scouting combine in the '80s, but those evaluations are not conducted in the open like the on-field timing and testing drills.

Minnesota clearly felt good about its medical eval of Banks, but I understand why fans would have their stomachs churning a bit, especially coming off a 2025 season significantly marred by injuries. It will be a bit before Banks is in action, but Flores and others will stress other development while waiting for the on-field opportunities.

We hear a significant amount of debate on whether teams reach or not for a prospect, but that depends on the role envisioned by the team, as well as the sets of information being used vs. the information that goes into formulating consensus boards.

I always try to start at neutral or better (usually the latter because people who are much more qualified than me have spoken in favor of adding a player) when new players arrive, and I always try to remind that gratification isn't always immediate, especially in the later rounds.

I think the Vikings got a steal in Banks.

Looks to me like what they did in Rounds 1-3 will help them now, and well into the future.

As to this year, my biggest concern is the offensive line play and especially at center.

The two people who always touch the ball on offense are the center and quarterback.

The transition always has to be well-timed, and the center has to be able to read the line blocks and defense as well as being able to not give off the snap count by twitches, or even looks in the eye.

Way back in high school, our head coach would have the center snap the ball on "hut," when the play started on "hut one, hut two, or hut three" which allowed the offensive line an extra quarter-second jump on the defensive linemen and linebackers. It's the same, albeit more competitive in college and in the pros.

The game certainly has evolved over the years to be sure.

The players are bigger, faster, stronger, and the game is infinitely more complex.

I remember seeing the Baltimore Colts practicing on our high school football field after our season was over. They were staying up at the Roosevelt Hotel on the Blvd., and our assistant football coach offered them the use of our field for their walk-through before playing the Rams. Our assistant football coach was Barry Brown, who was a longtime NFL ref on the side. Our head coach was Dr. Louis Birnbaum who was an All-American lineman about the same time as Lombardi back in the '30s.

I got to watch some of the walk-throughs by the Colts, and Bubba Smith walked down the field about 20 yards from where I was standing.

It dawned on me that he couldn't even get on the field today because he isn't big enough — nor could Merlin Olsen or Jackie Slater or Forrest Gregg. The players today are that much bigger, faster and stronger.

— Bruce Malby

I loved this anecdote from Bruce. That must have been a sight to see.

Bubba Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in 1967 and is listed by Pro Football Reference at 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds.

Linemen Olsen (6-5, 270), Slater (6-4, 277) and Gregg (6-4, 249) are all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Banks is 6-6 and about 327. He was around 260 earlier in his college career at Louisville (before transferring to Florida). Orange is 6-2 and 322, so his framework is a little different than Banks. At one point, he was well north of that weight before refining his approach.

The game has gotten more complex, but blocking and tackling remain paramount.

What exactly was the strategy behind the Vikings draft choices in the first three rounds? It certainly wasn't "take the best player available" with each pick. Instead, it seemed more like that "Minnesota Nice Gene" reared its ugly head, selecting players that would have otherwise slipped down the draft order under their own exposed weaknesses.

In fact, what it reminded me of was the NFL version of the Island of Misfit Toys from the classic stop-motion Christmas TV special. Especially when you consider that players with way-better stats and résumés were standing in line (especially Dillon Thieneman). Players that other GMs were thanking the football gods that they fell into their laps. Those GMs were no doubt recovering from another bout of ROFLMAO.

If I didn't know better, I'd say the Vikings were making a blatant run at next year's No. 1 draft pick. How else to explain the mystifying illogic behind their draft evaluations? It really does feel like a bunch of kids got their hands on the Vikings draft board and scrambled it all up. Or is this a lingering testament to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's infatuation with analytics? Because from the evidence I see every time I perform an online search, it's the "I" in AI that is woefully lacking.

Though I am surprised that the Vikings even threw in an offensive lineman on Day 2, let alone someone in the secondary (albeit another reach when better players were still available) …

Rob Brzezinski and staff are beholden to the Wilfs, but the Vikings have untold thousands of non-voting stakeholders, the fans, who have bled purple for over a half century waiting for the team to bring home a Super Bowl victory. And from what I've seen they deserve better than what transpired in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Sincerely,

— David A. (From the North Shore but banging my head on the wall in the South)

I'm including David's thoughts here, even though much of the Mailbag so far is of a different opinion from what he's sharing.

The Vikings had multiple options at 18 and went with their highest-graded player at a position where the team released two expensive starters because of salary cap considerations.

Banks, Golday and Orange are among the players who have landed in Minnesota, but I don't expect them to be "nice" guys between the lines.

Tough, smart, disciplined players who love the game of football is the general job summary.

If people have had a chance to listen to interviews with Brzezinski this offseason, it would be hard for them not to link their fandom with how much he cares about the Vikings and wants the best for the organization. He bleeds Vikings Purple.

Flores' background in New England's personnel department, where he launched his NFL career, is not to be discounted as a resource and influence in Minnesota's decision making, which blended input from the coaching staff and personnel department.

Now that all the hype is over and the draft is done, I can tell you I don't know what to think. For brevity, I'm only going to comment on the first 3 rounds.

On one side, I can't tell you that the draft was a bust. I think that in Banks, Golday and Orange that the Vikes got three really good athletes who have the potential to be impact players for this team. We knew we needed more depth at DT to back up Jalen Redmond, and I think we found it without the big price tags (and meh results) we got from Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.

On the other side — SOOOOO many questions about what Brzezinski and team were thinking.

1) Why choose to ignore the needs at safety and corner? This team has not been good in press and man-to-man coverage for YEARS!

2) Why take a LB in Round 2 when that wasn't a real position of need? There were centers, CBs and safeties available we needed more.

3) Why are we the team that keeps taking "rehab project" players? Whether it's been free agents Michael Pierce, Marcus Davenport and now Kyler Murray, we seem to always take a flyer on the often-injured players as though they will get healthier playing for us. Spoiler alert: They don't. If Banks' injury was a concern for every team, why not us? And if we are going to reach for talent that will play well when healthy, why pass over first-round talent in Jermod McCoy in R3 for a backup T or S?

I don't disagree with gaining defensive talent, but with Flores interviewing every year for a head coach job, are we getting guys that can play in any system or just his?

Last, I guess in trading Greenard (so sad about this) the team has epic confidence in the continuing emergence of Turner, which is great, if he can fill those shoes.

I hope all my skepticism is misplaced, but I have a little unresolved past draft trauma to work through yet. If I am right, give my email to Zygi and Mark Wilf, and I'll be happy to help out next year.

Skol!

— MB

Let's take a moment to breath in the cool composure of "2-minute" Tommy Kramer, who ranks second in most team passing categories and orchestrated the Miracle at The Met.

I think I've offered enough so far to explain Minnesota's interest in drafting Banks and Orange. While I'm not going to immediately task a rookie with being able to step in for Gink, the opportunity to learn from him, as well as Minnesota's blitzing off-ball linebackers should bode well for Golday, the highest off-ball linebacker drafted by the Vikings since Eric Kendricks (45^th in 2015). Thus, it had been quite a while since the Vikings had directed that much draft capital to that part of the roster.

It was the end of the third round before Minnesota added a safety and the fifth before the Vikings picked Demmings.

It is a fair point to bring up the fact that Flores has interviewed for head coach positions in each of the past two offseasons, but I think there are some elements that Minnesota would intend to replicate if he did wind up departing.

It seems like McCoy's injury affected his stock in teams' eyes than Banks' injury did.

Brzezinski and O'Connell didn't shy away from saying Greenard's departure is a significant change, but both have high confidence in Turner being ready for more.

Personally, it's sad to see him go after just 29 games. He made a difference in more of those than not, and people valued his perspective and role as a captain. Minnesota is where he earned his first Pro Bowl and was voted as a captain by teammates for the first time in his career.

Sometimes, the obvious choice is the best choice.

Dillion Thieneman should have been the selection.

Hear me out:

We could've had Kyle Hamilton a few years ago, but we inexplicably traded back and got Lewis Cine.

We could've had Nick Emmanwori last year, but we took Donovan Jackson instead. Still can't run the ball with him.

Thursday, we could've had Thieneman. We took an injured Caleb Banks instead! With our No. 1 pick! If you wanted him, he still would've probably been there in the second round!

Three times we passed on Harrison Smith's successor!

I was hoping Kenyon Sadiq would make it to us. He was my No. 1 pick, followed by Thieneman. In my opinion, we should've tried to go up and get Sadiq. T.J. Hockenson has slowed considerably since his knee injury two years ago.

Color me confused by this selection.

— Barb Aud

After the selection of Banks, I told a co-worker I expected an email referencing the 2022 decision to pass on Kyle Hamilton. That's not dismissing those thoughts as invalid.

Emmanwori turned in an impressive rookie season, but I think Jackson did, as well, and that need was much more immediate.

I'm excited about what things could look like with Christian Darrisaw and Jackson working together more this year on the left side of the line. I'm also highly intrigued at the tweaks to the running game that are planned for this season.

Sadiq is a traits unicorn with high upside projected, but picking the tight end also would have resulted in not drafting a first-round safety. There would have been some logic there, however, with Hockenson now heading into the final year of his deal. I thought Hockenson did a pretty darn good job last year when the team needed him to help protect the edge more instead of getting out on routes. Ideally the o-line health will be better because of how that position helps every other part of the offense.

Eventually replacing Smith, either this year or down the line, will be easier said than done.

Hats off to Rob Brzezinski and Co. I believe that the Vikes addressed all their needs on defense and some on offense, so now it's up to K.O. and Coach Flores to get them to work together. Love the gamble with DL Caleb Banks in the first round. I hope that Harrison Smith comes back to patrol center field, but we'll be OK. Banks is a beast and could be very disruptive to any offensive line.

The Purple People Eaters are back!

With our ground game and Kyler Murray (or J.J. McCarthy) acting like Sir Francis, it's the '70s all over again. Go VIKINGS!!!

Skol,

— Nicholas Balkou

I've seen some say the Vikings are on their way to the next version of Purple People Eaters, and I've seen some express optimism for a recreation of "The Williams Wall."

There's definitely a historic correlation of strong defensive line play with some of the best squads in franchise history.

First, I would like to say I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Joey Browner — one of the best to ever play the strong safety position! Jeff Siemon, MLB, part of the Purple Gang, also Doug Martin, DE, one of the great players that surrounded Keith Millard as you pointed out last time we talked.

I thought that we grabbed a good defensive lineman Thursday, Caleb Banks. I know he's had issues with his foot, but whoever you draft, you're always worried about injury. He is huge: 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan. If he stays healthy, he will be a handful on the inside. I think we will get another DE or a pass-rushing linebacker.

— Nighthawk

This message was sent before Friday's selections of Golday, Orange, Tiernan and Thomas. The linebacker with some pass-rush skills came to fruition with Golday.

Thank you for your thoughts on Browner, Siemon and Martin. It's been tough to bid farewell to so many Vikings Legends this year.

Surprisingly, they did not pick anybody on my radar.

Caleb Banks was an absolute steal. You cannot teach his intangibles. You can teach him how to play football. He was a 265-pound lineman at Louisville. He is 325. He is growing into his potential.

Jake Golday: Great athlete with position flexibility. He will be a chess piece in Brian Flores' defense.

Dominique Orange "BIG CITRUS": It will be a lot harder to run on us with him in the middle. Our defensive line rotation will be awesome. Young and talented. Ready to wreak havoc.

Caleb Tiernan: Big dude with position flexibility.

Jakobe Thomas: Very Athletic. Not afraid to make contact. Perceived flaws are fixable.

Max Bredeson: C.J. Ham 2.0. Whatever it takes to help the team win. We need these guys.

Charles Demmings: Athletic corner with something to prove. Time to show the big boys what you are made of.

Demond Clairborne: Twitchy change-of-pace back. This will be fun.

Gavin Gerhardt: Consistent captain on a very good college O-line. Is he up for the challenge?

I heard Gerhardt came on a Top 30 visit. Were any of our other draft choices or free agent signings Top 30 visits?

Only time will tell, but we may find some diamonds in the rough. I think we had a good draft.

— Gerald Goblirsch

These are good summaries of the draft class, offering potential impacts under good-case scenarios.

Gerhardt was one of seven Vikings draft picks who had visited Minnesota two weeks earlier for the team's Top 30 program permitted by NFL rules.

He, Banks, Golday, Orange, Thomas, Bredeson and Claiborne were all in the building earlier this month for deeper evaluations.

That's an incredible hit rate, resulting from some pretty keen forecasting on which players might be available when it was Minnesota's turn "on the clock."

Why aren't the Vikings putting more effort and money toward getting an elite center? When we had Mick Tingelhoff or Jeff Christy or Matt Birk, our ability to run the ball and pass down field started with these gentleman. I look at Jason Kelce and what he brought to the Eagles; what Creed Humphrey does for the Chiefs and I'm wondering why the Vikings aren't more focused on this considering the retirement of Ryan Kelly.

— Greg Slotten in Big Lake, Minnesota

And…

The draft is done, so let the chips fall where they land. I was surprised. Honestly, very surprised, at drafting a center with the last pick. Someone must be now thinking inside the box. I've always thought that the team should have a dedicated center on the roster as a back-up. Center has to be one of the most physical points of contact on any team. They not only have to be physical but also be the leader in pointing out the various opposing defense's plays. To have your center go down with injury is a coach's nightmare. The coach must reshuffle the whole front offensive line, and that is not a good thing. It opens up too many weaknesses. Here comes Gavin Gerhardt. Yes, he is green, but with the training from the excellent coaching staff he will excel. Gavin may very well be placed on the practice team, but he can be activated to take over should the need be required. My best wishes and good luck for Gavin in this new chapter in his career.

On a side note, I also greet our new FB Max Bredeson to the team. He has some "big" shoes to fill in replacing C.J. Let us ask C.J. to come and give him some coaching pointers. That would be pretty awesome. Good luck to the team, a new season and all the UDFAs.

SKOL,

— Jerry in Ohio

The attempt for veteran money toward a Pro Bowl center was made in 2025, but Kelly's health struggles prevented that plan from going into full effect.

This year, the free agency market at center was not considered to be very deep (Tyler Linderbaum may have been the happiest in the world about that).

The Vikings have 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Jurgens and 2020 sixth-rounder Blake Brandel returning after both played pivot in place of Kelly last season. The Vikings evaluated multiple interior linemen. Gerhardt's inclusion in the Top 30 process enabled the team to see how he would handle an install and his voice in a simulated huddle.

Tingelhoff entered the NFL unceremoniously as an undrafted free agent in 1962 before becoming one of the best for nearly two decades; Christy was a fourth-round selection by the Cardinals in 1992 but didn't play in a game until as a reserve with Minnesota in 1993. Birk was a sixth-rounder in 1998 who learned from Christy for two seasons before becoming the starter in 2000 after Christy headed for Tampa Bay.

There will be plenty of eyes cast toward Minnesota's progress at center this offseason.

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