Thirty-one NFL clubs — yes, including Super Bowl LX runner-up New England — missed the mark.
Only one (as it goes every year), Seattle, hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in the end, meaning it's back to the drawing board for every other franchise. And the Seahawks, no doubt, will maintain their tenacity.
As for Minnesota, it faces a naturally steeper hill to climb, being one of the 18 teams that whiffed on making the postseason. There's tiers of "steep," however, and the Vikings aren't in an unfavorable spot.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Thursday placed Minnesota and the 17 other non-playoff teams into six categories that characterize the amount of work to be done by each this offseason, and he explained reasons why. The half-dozen tiers: "No need to panic"; "A few moves away"; "Sneaky good trajectory"; "Somewhere between contention and reset"; "In the middle of a rebuild"; and "Full-blown overhaul."
Three organizations — the Ravens, the Lions and the Chiefs — have the best outlooks and potential to rebound in 2026 based on Fowler's ranking system. The main commonality is a perennial Pro Bowl QB.
Minnesota finds itself in the second tier, which is both encouraging after a 9-8 finish and unsurprising after narrowly missing out on the conference's No. 1 overall seed in 2024 by losing at Detroit in Week 18.
Fowler offered a couple of takes on the Vikings, who 1) currently have negative 2026 cap space, and 2) could be awarded one or more compensatory picks in the NFL Draft. Firstly, Fowler explored why there is real hope for a quick turnaround; and then he outlined why the process might take longer than hoped.
Optimistically, he wrote:
Kevin O'Connell's 43-27 record (including playoffs) through four seasons suggests the Vikings will be in the thick of the NFC North race yet again. The defense is among the league's most physical and opportunistic. The offense is still full of playmakers, and the offensive line should be healthier.
And considering the other side, Fowler added:
The quarterback position remaining a huge question entering the fifth season of this regime is concerning. It looks like Minnesota will add a veteran to compete with J.J. McCarthy. Several benched starters have resurrected their careers recently — including Sam Darnold with this franchise — and Minnesota offers a stable environment. But this is the one area holding the team back from major progress. That, and an offensive line that couldn't stay healthy.
Since the OL was mentioned twice, we'll remind that Minnesota's intended starting five in 2025 of LT Christian Darrisaw, LG Donovan Jackson, C Ryan Kelly, RG Will Fries and RT Brian O'Neill played only 83 snaps together due to a series of injuries. All told, the offense used 26 unique groupings on the o-line, the most for a Vikings team since at least 2014, to protect McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer.
Additionally, McCarthy's progress should be night and day this offseason because he's healthier than last and has 10-ish games of experience to reflect on, learn from and fuel him during the spring and summer.
The other teams listed in the "A few moves away" tier are Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay.
You can read the scope of Fowler's article here.
Top 5 prospects by position
It's time to start getting to know the players who'll command attention in the first few rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com shared a rundown of his Top 5 at each position that'll help.
For the sake of not overdoing it, let's gander at the positions that have popped up in the first two iterations of our Mock Draft Tracker series (check out version 2.0). That means RB, WR, DL, CB and S.
In the backfield, Brooks is highest on Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, declaring that he's "the total package as a rugged runner with soft hands and polished pass-catching skills, giving him superstar potential in the NFL." Brooks also is enamored by RB2 Emmett Johnson out of Nebraska, who first flashed at Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota, and could be a riser as April approaches. Brooks rounded out his RB group with Jadarian Price (Love's running mate at Notre Dame), who doubles as a dynamic kickoff return man, and Washington's Jonah Coleman and Penn State's Nicholas Singleton.
Brooks compared Johnson to Packers RB Josh Jacobs in terms of his "potential to score from anywhere on the field," and hyped up Coleman's awesome quickness, burst and wiggle at 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds.
The Top 3 wide receivers in Brooks' mind are Arizona State's Jordan Tyson, Ohio State's Carnell Tate and Southern California's Makai Lemon. We've noticed all three as Top 15 choices in various mock drafts, so they might be out of Minnesota's reach at No. 18 in the first round. Zachariah Branch, who was a screen merchant at Georgia and is lightning in a bottle, is Brooks' WR4, and Tennessee's Chris Brazzell II is WR5.
Overall, Brooks, who in case you didn't know was a standout wide receiver at North Carolina and a defensive back in the NFL, believes the class of wideouts "lacks a true WR1," but he assessed "there are several explosive pass catchers with the potential to earn Pro Bowl honors within their respective roles."
On the defensive side, let's start in the trenches.
In order, Brooks pegged Clemson's Peter Woods, Florida's Caleb Banks and Texas Tech's Lee Hunter, as well as Ohio State's Kayden McDonald and Georgia's Christen Miller as his five-favorite defensive tackles.
Notably, he wrote Banks is a "boom-or-bust prospect with the freakish talent and heavy hands to dominate opponents at the line of scrimmage," and he likened Hunter's tape to five-time Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork because of "his heavy hands and cat-like quickness posing problems for blockers at the point of attack." Brooks deemed the interior DL group presents desirable run-stoppers and pass-rushers.
The secondary is packed with upside, and according to Brooks has a crop of cover corners that could excel in turnover-obsessed systems (hi, Vikings!) thanks to their instincts, awareness and diagnostic skills.
Each of Brooks' Top 5 cornerbacks have recently been mocked to the purple flock by one or more reputable media outlets: Tennessee's Jermod McCoy; LSU's Mansoor Delane; Tennessee's Colton Hood; Clemson's Avieon Terrell; and South Carolina's Brandon Cisse. Here's how Brooks spelled out his ranking:
Jermod McCoy is an instinctive ballhawk with outstanding diagnostic skills and anticipation in bump-and-run and shadow coverage. Despite missing the entire 2025 season while rehabbing from a torn ACL, the Tennessee star's 2024 tape is littered with impressive flashes that showcase his ability as a feisty and physical defender with big-play potential. Teams looking for a silky-smooth cover corner with the potential to win in the slot or out wide could target Mansoor Delane as a top-20 pick. The 6-foot, 190-pounder not only possesses a scheme-versatile game, but creative play-callers could build their call sheets around the LSU star's playmaking talents. Brandon Cisse is an unorthodox technician with a fearless approach that overwhelms some perimeter pass catchers. With a playing style that evokes memories of Josh Norman, the South Carolina product could make his way into Round 1 due to his mastery of the "shuffle and scoot" technique that enables him to shadow explosive pass catchers.
Last but definitely not least, Brooks shared his Top 5 safeties: Ohio State's Caleb Downs; Pittsburgh's Kyle Louis; Oregon's Dillon Thieneman; Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Texas Christian's Bud Clark.
Each one has a solid history of playmaking, but let's for a moment zero in on Louis and Clark, who were mighty impressive to us at the Senior Bowl two weeks ago. Clark nabbed 15 interceptions (two pick sixes) over his final four seasons at TCU — he played six — and he looked like a natural center fielder in Mobile. Louis actually spent the week of all-star practices as a LB, his official college position, but could very well play all over the field as a pro due to his coverage range and instincts and physicality in the box.
Brooks wrote about the undersized but hyperactive Louis:
"As teams begin to narrow their focus to role-specific defenders with significant upside, Louis' reputation as a splash-play specialist could move him up the charts."
In addition to Brooks’ story, here's a list of the 319 prospects invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
See the Vikings 2026 Opponents.
Check out the Vikings 2026 Draft Picks.
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