2025 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings Draft Grades Roundup

How do the Really Smart Football People™ think the Vikings did?

If you’ve been following this site for any length of time, you know that I think the concept of “grading” a draft less than 24 hours after it’s concluded is a fairly ridiculous exercise. There’s absolutely no way to know how these players are going to fare in the National Football League at this point, and it seems useless to trash young players that people might think were a “reach” just because they didn’t align with your rankings or someone else’s rankings.

However, I also understand that a lot of people think that draft grades are a good thing, and at the very least, I suppose they can spark some discussion. So, I’ve rounded up as many of those grades for our Minnesota Vikings as I could find and put them in one place here for your reading and discussing pleasure.

Mel Kiper Jr., E$PN – B- grade

The Vikings have one of the NFL’s most talented rosters around one of the biggest unknowns of the 2025 season. It appears they’re going to ride with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, the 2024 first-rounder who missed his rookie campaign because of a knee injury. They let Sam Darnold walk in free agency and have passed up a chance to bring in Aaron Rodgers to compete with him. (They also traded back in Round 5 on Saturday to acquire Sam Howell, who should be the backup.) Can McCarthy thrive? He has all the tools; I ranked him No. 15 on my final Big Board last year.

Minnesota, however, came into this draft with just four total picks, the fewest of any team (the Vikings added one more via a trade with the Rams). If general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was going to help out his young passer, he was going to have to do it with surgical precision. The first move was Donovan Jackson in Round 1. He will take Blake Brandel’s spot at left guard, where he will help both as a pass protector and run blocker. Somewhat surprisingly, Jackson was the third guard off the board at No. 24.

The Vikings got some value with the next few picks. Receiver Tai Felton had 96 catches last season; Minnesota landed my No. 83 prospect at No. 102. Edge rusher Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins didn’t fill the stat sheet in a deep Georgia rotation, but he has some traits that can be developed. He was No. 123 on my board, acquired at No. 139.

Adofo-Mensah did what he could with the team’s limited picks, but I wanted to see the Vikings snag an impact cornerback who could thrive in Brian Flores’ aggressive system. Minnesota was the last team to make a pick on defense (Ingram-Dawkins at No. 139), and it didn’t do anything at corner. But the Vikings like the young corners they already have in the room.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com – B grade

The Vikings made the offensive line a priority in Round 1, taking Jackson, a sturdy guard, over available defensive backs. They also ignored defensive needs when good value presented itself in Felton, whose game will take pressure off Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Minnesota came into Day 3 with just two picks because of trades, including moves to acquire edge Dallas Turner and running back Jordan Mason. Ingram-Dawkins is a tall, athletic lineman able to step in at 5-technique behind free agents Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. The Vikings later traded for Sam Howell and a fifth-round pick from Seattle, then sent the fifth-rounder acquired in that deal to the Rams for a pair of sixth-round choices, which Minnesota used on stout inside ‘backer King and solid No. 2 tight end Bartholomew. They did not address their secondary concerns, however.

Sports Illustrated – B+ grade

Clearly, the Vikings don’t want J.J. McCarthy to see the kind of pressure that derailed Sam Darnold’s breakout season last year. Minnesota completed its retooled offensive line after drafting the stout Jackson, who will join veteran newcomers Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. Felton could become a friendly target for McCarthy after the Maryland product racked up 96 receptions for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns. McCarthy is now set up to succeed in his first season as the starter with all of the offseason moves the Vikings have made.

Pro Football Focus – C- grade

Jackson — With the Vikings set at the tackle positions and signing center Ryan Kelly in free agency, Minnesota looks to protect its first-round pick from 2024 with the Ohio State guard. Jackson graded above the 75th percentile in run-blocking grade on both zone and gap schemes. He has experience at both guard and tackle to give the Vikings flexibility long term.

Felton — Felton was a standout weapon in Maryland’s offense this past season, producing career marks in receptions (96), yardage (1,119) and PFF receiving grade (80.2). He profiles well as a rotational/depth receiver in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

Ingram-Dawkins — Ingram-Dawkins is a big-bodied edge defender who is at his best against the run. He posted a 70.8 run-defense grade in 2024 while contributing 18 total pressures as a pass rusher.

King — King was a run-stopping specialist at Penn State, earning an 89.2 grade in the discipline. He also posted 15 coverage stops in 2024.

Bartholomew — Bartholomew snatched 38 of 51 targets for 322 yards, 169 of which were earned after the catch. Twenty of his receptions went for first downs.

Rob Maaddi, Associated Press – B grade

G Donovan Jackson (24) is versatile and determined. WR Tai Felton (102) could shine with Justin Jefferson drawing most of the attention. LB Kobe King (201) was their best Day 3 pick. Edge Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins adds depth at a position of strength.

Nate Davis, USA Today – C grade (ranked 30th out of 32 classes)

Previous deals left them with one pick in the top 100, though taking G Donovan Jackson was prudent with QB J.J. McCarthy coming back from his knee injury … even if Jackson is a Buckeye protecting a Wolverine. Otherwise, a team that spent freely in free agency seemed largely relegated to targeting depth, including backup QB Sam Howell via a pick swap.

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports – A grade

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah started this draft with four selections, added one more, and knocked this selection process out of the park. Jackson in Round 1 directly helps J.J. McCarthy and the run game. He’s a pro-ready guard with All-Pro upside.

Felton’s speed is evident on film — and from looking at his combine workout — but there’s also run-after-the-catch pop his profile, and Ingram-Dawkins can be another chess piece for Brian Flores up front..

King is a throwback type linebacker who provides much needed size to that position, and Bartholomew was probably the most underrated receiving tight end in the class. Needs met, and they were aligned with prospects snagged at the right values.

Yahoo! Sports – C grade

Here’s why: The Vikings had a nice first pick with Donovan Jackson to bolster their offensive line, but they didn’t really have too much draft capital to add impact players as the draft went on. That’s OK because they got Jackson at the top of it. Perhaps Kobe King or Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins can develop and provide depth to Minnesota’s front seven.

Most interesting pick: Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State

Donovan Jackson and Will Fries is a great new guard duo for the Vikings as they begin the J.J. McCarthy era. McCarthy and the run game will benefit from the additions, and investments on the interior offensive line should make that unit a whole lot better than a season ago.

Rob Rang, Fox Sports – C grade

Given the highly aggressive moves GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made in free agency, the Minnesota’s decision to stand pat and select Ohio State blocker Donovan Jackson is roughly the equivalent of walking past a litany of your favorite restaurants, only to go home and make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That said, I like Jackson … a lot. I won’t quibble too much with a playoff-caliber team investing in the blockers necessary to protect young quarterback JJ McCarthy.

However, with the Vikings’ next pick coming at receiver (Tai Felton) — obviously a relative strength of their roster — I thought they made some odd selections in this draft. Things got a little more logical in the later rounds, with the addition of flashy defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, hard-hitting run-stuffer Kobe King at inside linebacker and steady, all-purpose tight end Gavin Bartholomew.

Danny Kelly, The Ringer – C grade

The Vikings were light on picks in this draft after doing some wheeling and dealing last year to move up for edge rusher Dallas Turner, a move that cost them 2025 third- and fourth-round picks. As such, their haul is pretty underwhelming. The anchor of the group is Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, a versatile, easy-moving lineman who can start right away at guard while bringing potential to play at tackle in a pinch. Maryland receiver Tai Felton brings blazing speed and some added depth to the receiver group, and Georgia edge rusher Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins could factor into the team’s defensive line rotation early on.

That’s a pretty solid roundup of the “big names” in the Draft world and what they thought of the Vikings’ selections this year. If I managed to find any more, I’ll add them in here.