The most telling aspect of this Minnesota Vikings roster projection is how much more difficult it was to put together than in past years.
That’s more of a reflection on their improved depth than anything. The Vikings will have intriguing choices to make at receiver, offensive line, defensive line, edge rusher and linebacker. Undrafted prospects in recent years who have hung on will be pushed by this year’s interesting crop of undrafted free agents.
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Minnesota established a vision for the offseason. It wanted to improve in the trenches, get younger on the back end and increase urgency. The Vikings accomplished those goals in free agency and this weekend in the draft.
How is the 53-man shaping up? Here is a guess at what’s possible.
Quarterback (2)
In: J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell
Others: Brett Rypien, Max Brosmer
What can the Vikings accomplish in 2025? It will hinge on two things: how McCarthy performs and whether the team can stay healthy. Workouts will begin in the coming weeks, providing the first real glimpse at McCarthy’s progress in responding to his torn meniscus. He doesn’t have to do anything more than move with ease and display the leadership traits the Vikings drafted him to show.
Howell is the obvious backup even though the Vikings respect Rypien. It’ll be interesting to assess Brosmer, the former Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback who signed as an undrafted free agent, throughout the summer.
Skol Sam!@sam7howell
📺: https://t.co/Wz1CLiOp3c pic.twitter.com/2zMsZyp4TF
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 27, 2025
Running back/fullback (4)
In: Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Tre Stewart, C.J. Ham
Others: Ty Chandler, Zavier Scott
Coach Kevin O’Connell wants the Vikings to return to his roots, marrying the run and the pass. That means instilling fear in defenses through both phases. The Vikings have been explosive enough in the passing game. But they need to be better at running the football in short-yardage situations, and they know it.
Had Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks fallen to the Vikings at No. 201, he would’ve likely been in play. Instead, they landed Stewart, who ran for 1,678 yards and 25 touchdowns last season for Jacksonville State, as an undrafted signing. He had more carries of 4 or more yards after contact than any other college running back not named Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton or Cam Skattebo.
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Wide receiver (6)
In: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Tim Jones, Silas Bolden
Others: Rondale Moore, Lucky Jackson, Thayer Thomas, Jeshaun Jones, Dontae Fleming, Robert Lewis
Welcome to the engine of the offense. Jefferson and Addison provide the flint for the fire O’Connell pieces together. Addison’s availability for the first few weeks of the season remains in question. He may face a suspension for last summer’s DUI.
If that happens, the Vikings will lean heavily on Nailor and potentially even Felton, whom they drafted in the third round. There shouldn’t be many worries here with receivers coach Keenan McCardell leading this group.
Tim Jones, meanwhile, is a bigger-bodied role player for special teams. Bolden, an undrafted free-agent signing from Texas, has the skills in the return game to beat out Moore.
Tight end (3)
In: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Gavin Bartholomew
Others: Ben Yurosek, Bryson Nesbit
“Find yourself someone who loves you as much as O’Connell loves Johnny Mundt.” That was the longtime joke about the Vikings’ former No. 3 tight end who filled in admirably when the starters were hurt. Mundt’s block-and-catch versatility earned him consistent snaps, too. In signing with Jacksonville, Mundt forced the Vikings’ hand.
They coveted a tight end in this draft and landed Bartholomew, a similarly resourceful option. He’ll be competing with the undrafted Yurosek for the final spot in a position group Minnesota will expect a lot out of this season.
.@GavinBartholom6 is the type of player you want a lot of in your locker room. pic.twitter.com/MQdNkBQ1Uf
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 27, 2025
Offensive line (10)
In: Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Brian O’Neill, Justin Skule, Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens, Walter Rouse, Logan Brown
Others: Marcellus Johnson, Leroy Watson, Joe Huber, Henry Byrd, Zeke Correll
It’s almost jarring to compare this group to the ones of years past. It’s rugged, experienced and athletic. Three of the five projected starters (Darrisaw, Jackson and Kelly) were first-round picks.
The depth is a massive improvement, too. Skule started five games last year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and held his own. Brandel may have struggled down the stretch, but he has the versatility to play both guard positions. Throw in some developmental pieces in Jurgens, Rouse and undrafted signing Brown — an explosive former five-star recruit projected to go in the fourth or fifth round — and Minnesota should feel exceptional about the upgrades here.
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Defensive tackle (6)
In: Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Harrison Phillips, Jalen Redmond, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez
Others: Taki Taimani, Travis Bell, Jonathan Harris, Alexander Williams
It was not easy to keep this to six players. Allen and Hargrave are shoo-ins. The Vikings extended Phillips before last season, and he’s been critical to one of the most impressive run defenses in the NFL.
Redmond surfaced last season as a player with upside. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores targeted Ingram-Dawkins. And it feels too early to give up on a player with a motor like Rodriguez’s.
In this projection, Taimani, whom the team values, is on the outside looking in.
Edge rusher (5)
In: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Bo Richter, Tyler Batty
Others: Gabriel Murphy, Chaz Chambliss
If McCarthy warrants the most attention on the team this summer and fall, Turner ranks second on the list. Minnesota swooped up the draft board for him last April. He didn’t produce the way he’ll need to for the Vikings to feel good about the move.
Behind him, the team will have decisions to make. Richter thrived on special teams in his rookie season. Murphy, an undrafted signing last year from UCLA, flashed in spurts. Two undrafted signings this cycle have a clear chance at the 53-man roster: Georgia’s Chambliss, an instinctive player in the Van Ginkel mold, and Batty, who can also play on the inside like former Vikings lineman Jerry Tillery.
Linebacker (4)
In: Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., Eric Wilson, Kobe King
Others: Brian Asamoah II, Austin Keys, Max Tooley, Dorian Mausi
There hadn’t been a peep from off-ball linebacker all offseason until the Vikings selected Penn State’s King with the 201st pick. That’s a good thing. Cashman debuted exceptionally last year, and the Vikings know what they have in Pace. Wilson enters as an upgrade for Kamu Grugier-Hill on special teams. His experience in Minnesota offers some beneficial familiarity.
Leaving out Asamoah was not easy. He has carved out an unheralded special teams role. Keys, an undrafted free agent who played at Ole Miss, is also in play as a potential bottom-of-the-roster contributor on special teams.
Cornerback (5)
In: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, Mekhi Blackmon, Dwight McGlothern
Others: Zemaiah Vaughn, Ambry Thomas, Reddy Steward, Kahlef Hailassie, Keenan Garber
Could the Vikings add another veteran to the cornerback position? It’s possible. Murphy and Rodgers are the likely starters. Okudah could see opportunities depending on the opposing receivers. Blackmon’s play in his return from a torn ACL last fall is going to be a summer storyline. And then there is McGlothern, who excited coaches with his instinctive play last fall.
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If there’s a wild card, it might be Vaughn, whom the Vikings signed as an undrafted free agent. The former Utah player came for a top-30 visit, is 6 feet 2 and 184 pounds and has the skills for zone coverages. The competition should be entertaining.
Safety (5)
In: Harrison Smith, Theo Jackson, Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Tavierre Thomas
Others: Bubba Bolden, Mishael Powell
Many draft experts expected the Vikings to pick a safety as early as the first round, but the team was always comfortable enough with its current group.
Jackson has played only 222 defensive snaps since he arrived in the NFL, but the team has long believed he could be a starter. Its decision not to match the Indianapolis Colts’ offer for Cam Bynum — and not to take a swing at a safety in the draft — cements that thinking.
Ward would slide into action in the event of injury, and Thomas gives the Vikings a reliable gunner in punt coverage.
Specialists (3)
In: Will Reichard, K; Ryan Wright, P; Andrew DePaola, LS
Others: Oscar Chapman
Reichard and DePaola are mostly locks. Wright, on the other hand, will have to compete for the job just like he did last fall. Last summer, Minnesota allowed an undrafted free agent to push Wright. This time around, the Vikings went a more creative route. They signed former Auburn punter Chapman, who hails from Australia, as an undrafted free agent. He joins them as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, giving the Vikings additional roster flexibility.
(Photo of Silas Bolden: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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