The challenge for the Minnesota Vikings and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah entering the 2025 NFL Draft was simply the lack of picks at their disposal. As a result of moves up for J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner last offseason, the Vikings had just four picks to work with throughout the draft in enemy territory, Green Bay.
Because of that, many expected the Vikings to work hard in order to trade back, specifically early with the 24th overall pick. They didn't do that, however, though Adofo-Mensah did work some trade magic later in the draft. All told, Minnesota ended up making their pick at No. 24 and making five total selections in the draft — while also acquiring a veteran player via trade as well.
It might not be a high quantity of draft picks and newcomers joining the Vikings, but that's of little consequence if the team did a quality job drafting the right guys. The big question is: Is that what Minnesota accomplished? We'll be the judge of that as we grade every Vikings pick from the 2025 NFL Draft.
OG Donovan Jackson, Ohio State (Round 1, Pick 24)
If the Vikings were going to stick at the 24th pick, then someone like Donovan Jackson would've been ideal. The Ohio State product holds a great deal of versatility after kicking outside to tackle last season due to injuries. He's extremely quick and agile for a guard, which should fit ideally in Kevin O'Connell's offense while also giving this team the right group of front.
With Jackson entering the fray after adding Ryan Kelly and Will Fries this offseason, the Vikings now arguably have a Top 3 offensive line in the NFL. Putting that type of group in front of McCarthy in his first year as a starter is paramount to helping ease the young signal-caller in and help him get comfortable at the pro level. Jackson also adds to the versatility if injuries occur.
The only reason this isn't a firm A as a grade is simply because it probably still would've been better to trade down, especially considering the Texans and Rams right behind Minnesota were able to.
Grade: A-
WR Tai Felton, Maryland (Round 3, Pick 102)
This fits right into one of my feelings on the Vikings coming into the draft that felt a bit under-discussed. Outside of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the wide receiver room seemed to be lacking around McCarthy. Tai Felton comes in and provides a wonderful third young option. While he needs to be a cleaner route-runner, the overall package is that of a player who can line up all over the formation, has real speed, and can attack multiple levels of the field.
Again, this might not have been considered a top priority for the Vikings by some, but it should've been in my book. There were receivers, guys such as Jalen Royals, among others, who I might've preferred to Felton. However, the Maryland product's versatility in the offense along with his ability to further stretch the field makes this another strong pick to help put McCarthy in the best position to succeed.
Grade: B+
DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (Round 5, Pick 139)
On one hand, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins answers a need on the Minnesota defense I'd highlighted throughout the offseason. While you have to like the veteran additions that the Vikings made on the defensive front this offseason, the depth behind those players has been lacking quite substantially. Thus, getting someone like the Georgia product would absolutely be worthwhile. Even better, he has the length and burst to line up at multiple spots.
The problem with Ingram-Dawkins, specifically, is that we haven't really seen him put it all together into the total package yet. He's largely a project where the Vikings are banking on his tools. Based on his college tape, though, it'd be difficult to feel confident in putting him in an NFL game right now beyond a trial by fire situation. Early in the fifth round, that doesn't feel like ideal value for Minnesota.
Grade: C
LB Kobe King, Penn State (Round 6, Pick 201)
Minnesota traded back twice to end up with back-to-back sixth-round picks to conclude their draft. The first of those picks went to Kobe King, who just seems to fit the mold of what we've seen with Brian Flores with the likes of Ivan Pace Jr. and other linebackers. King is a bit undersized but moves well, particularly getting a head of steam moving downhill to attack against the run.
When at this stage of the draft, you're looking for players who are able to contribute in some way, even if that's in specialized roles. King isn't a three-down linebacker due to his deficiencies in coverage. As an early-down linebacker and special teams threat, though, this is a nice addition that we could see pay off right away for the Vikings.
Grade: A-
TE Gavin Bartholomew, Pittsburgh (Round 6, Pick 202)
If you were looking Adofo-Mensah to finish the Vikings draft with sex appeal, we got the opposite. Gavin Bartholomew might as well be in the dictionary for all of the cliches we throw around for substandard athletes with a high motor. He's a leader on the offense despite physical limitations but, again to the point of the cliches, does the dirty work well when asked to block down, get tough short yardage and so on.
With several move tight ends like T.J. Hockenson already on the roster, adding players like Bartholomew to the fold makes a ton of sense for Minnesota. Again, roles and depth are crucial, especially with only five draft picks. This won't win any awards, but it's a player who makes life easier for this offense series to series.
Grade: B-
Bonus: Vikings trade for QB Sam Howell
Amid the trades that the Vikings made, the biggest came in the fifth round as the Vikings moved down from No. 142 to No. 172 in a deal with the Seattle Seahawks that also sends quarterback Sam Howell to Minnesota. This is an absolute banger of a trade for the Vikes. We've known that the orgnaization has been kicking the tires on backup options for McCarthy.
Howell, however, is the best option we've seen connected to the situation in quite some time. He's not a specter like Aaron Rodgers that would be a cloud over McCarthy's soldier, nor does he carry the prohibitive cost of guys like Kirk Cousins or even Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones much earlier in the offseason. Howell kind of is what he is at this point but, what he is is a backup quarterback, and it was a stellar move for the Vikings to land him to fill that role.