What draft day surprise do you think will happen?
2025 NFL Draft: Predicting This Year’s Biggest Draft-Day Surprises
Matthew Golden Is The First Wide Receiver Drafted
The Saints Will Not Draft A Quarterback At No. 9
The Patriots Will Not Select An Offensive Tackle At No. 4
Omarion Hampton Isn’t The Second Running Back Drafted
Jalen Milroe Is The Third Quarterback Drafted
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My Surprise? The Vikings will not draft a defensive back in the first round
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Why the Vikings Are Betting Big on J.J. McCarthy
Note: I am only including some of this story. It is well worth the read.
Kevin O’Connell can’t say with any level of certainty what would’ve happened had the meniscus in J.J. McCarthy’s right knee held up. But he does know what he was looking at just before McCarthy sustained the injury, as his then-rookie quarterback ascended on the practice field, before translating his steps there into the Minnesota Vikings’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.
McCarthy had done enough, at that point, to at least provoke discussion in the Minnesota building.
“It started showing up more and more,” O’Connell told me Thursday. “And that’s always a real positive from my perspective, when you can really start stacking coaching points on to things that he’s showing improvement on or ownership of. His overall understanding of our offense, the comfort level, even in the reps, whether it was versus the No. 1 defense or in competitive situations in practice, you were starting to see him play faster but under control while still maintaining the principles that we’re coaching.”
This isn’t a team in a reset that can afford to sacrifice games in the name of quarterback rearing. Minnesota won 14 games last year, with a strong core of veterans that have every right to feel like they’re close. That’s why, in the end, the Vikings made bids to keep Sam Darnold first, and then Daniel Jones, to insure the position as best they could. It’s also why they had to consider the idea of Aaron Rodgers.
It’s also why the decision now to lock in with McCarthy is significant. The Vikings’ whole approach this offseason was to not leave their fate to chance. Now it’s up to the 22-year-old to show that by going with him (and, for now, him alone), Minnesota really didn’t.
But we’re starting with a story that, to me, is as fascinating as any in the NFL right now—and that’s where the Vikings are at quarterback.
It’s McCarthy’s show, and he’s going to get runway to affirm that over the next two months.
There’s a lot on the line for everyone involved.
“We won’t know until we get out on the grass with him,” O’Connell says. “But my expectation is he’s going to have a great spring and we’re going to feel really good about him going into training camp.”
Given the team the Vikings have, there’s a lot riding on things playing out that way.
If it doesn’t, well, the Vikings will address that later on. For now, though, they see all the pieces, in McCarthy himself and what’s around him. And we’ll know soon enough whether they come together as planned.
“I’m excited to see him get that opportunity to pick up where he left off and be accelerated, just because of the mental growth that he’s been able to have within our offense, and the verbiage and how we talk about plays,” O’Connell says. “So it’s just a matter of continuing to progress, knowing we feel good about the football team we’ve put together. We’ve got the goal of surrounding the quarterback with the best possible team we can, both offensively and defensively. We feel really good about what that looks like.
“Now we got to go to work, and we got to do our jobs as coaches.”
Most of all, they need to win the bet they’ve made on McCarthy. The rest of the guys on the team need that, too. And if you listen to O’Connell, you’ll understand why he was willing to gamble, by setting limits and drawing lines on other quarterbacks, that this one will pay off in a very big way.
The Minnesota Vikings O-Line is Getting Expensive
And according to popular NFL analyst Warren Sharp, the signings of (C) Ryan Kelly and (RG) Will Fries on the o-line have pushed the Vikings offensive line to the 5th most expensive in the entire league — at $64.4 million on the books for 2025.
2025 NFL Draft Prospects for Vikings: Cornerbacks
2025 NFL Draft Prospects for Vikings: Defensive Line
Report: Michigan running back Kalel Mullings visits Vikings
Could he fall to 24? Vikings show interest in Michigan cornerback Will Johnson
Yore Mock
This past weekend, I did the Legacy Mock Draft (which many of the members were involved in the former SBNation Live Mock Draft). There are reps for every team involved who trade players and picks. I did not trade any players but I was talking to Pittsburgh about a Jordan Addison for George Pickens deal where he would send back a 5th or 6th. It was serious but he ultimately decided not to do it. I would have done it for fits and giggles. But, the Vikings do not have a big receiver and Pickens might be worth it even though he would need a new deal next year.
The draft schedule was:
Friday April 11th-13th
Day 1: Round 1 Friday 8pm ET (5 mins per pick)
Day 2: Rounds 2-3 Saturday 1pm ET (3 mins per pick)
Day 3: Rounds 4-7 Sunday 1pm ET (2 mins per pick)
It was for the true Draft Doofuses (or is it Doofi?).
As you know the Vikings went in with picks 24, 97, 139, & 187 so I was not going to be very involved. I somehow managed to be very involved as I channeled my inner Capt Stubing (er, Rick Spielman).
First, doing trades in this kind of mock is tough because most of the Doofi want to trade down and get more picks. I made the first round trade early on April 2nd. All the other trades were made during the draft.
Here are the results.
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Trade Recap (with Rich Hill trade chart points)
Vikings sends: 24 (237 points)
Saints sends: 40, 93, 112, 248 (221 points)
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Vikings send: 93 & 187 (48 points)
Bengals send: 81 (56 points)
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Vikings send: 97 (37 points)
Jets send: 110 & 186 (36 points)
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Vikings send: 112 & 186 (35 points)
Rams send: 101 (34 points)
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Vikings send 139 (15 points)
Ravens send 176, 203, & 212 (16 points)
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Vikings send: 110 (30 points)
Packers send: 124 & 198 (27 points)
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Vikings send: 176 (8 points)
Chargers send: 181 & 256 (8 points)
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I lost about 16 points in all the trades which is the equivalent of a end of the 4th round/top of the 5th round pick. It was worth it to get MOAR picks.
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Draft Recap
40 – GREY ZABEL OG NORTH DAKOTA STATE 6’5.7’ 312
At 40, I had Tyler Booker, Donovan Jackson, Grey Zabel, Jonah Savaiinaea, Omarion Hampton, Benjamin Morrison, Maxwell Hairston, Azareye’h Thomas, Darius Alexander, and TJ Sanders available. I had decided to go interior offensive line since the top defensive tackles were taken and four top cornerbacks were taken. Plus, I did not really like the interior line options later in the draft as much as I did defensive tackle.
I picked Zabel because it will make me more popular here. I kind of like Jackson more and really was considering Booker because he is a beast. But Zabel offers a lot of versatility which Booker offers none (so far) while Jackson does have left tackle experience.
Zabel allowed just one sack and four pressures with a 90.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last season. He’s made 16 starts at left tackle, 17 at right tackle and four at left guard the last three seasons.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/north-dakota-state-grey-zabel-kansas-city
PFF graded Zabel the best on Pass-Blocking on Five and Seven step drops (92.9).
“While Zabel’s length may lead to an interior shift in the NFL, he showcased excellent technique at tackle to be supremely effective on deep pass sets. He played more than 300 snaps on five-to-seven step drops while surrendering a sub-2.0% pressure rate — one of just two players in the class to accomplish the feat with that level of volume,” said Mason Cameron of PFF.
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2025 NFL Scouting Report: Grey Zabel
In the 2025 NFL Draft, Zabel looks like a second-round pick with a shot at sneaking into the late portion of the first round. He has the ability to start early in his career at guard or center. Zabel could be an emergency tackle if an injury forced him to move out there, and that versatility is very valuable.
Prospect Comparison:
Ryan Kelly. In terms of style of play, Zabel could be a center that is similar to Kelly in the NFL. Both are good athletes with strength and versatility on the inside.
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https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Grey-Zabel-OL-NorthDakotaState
The fit is crystal clear – put him in a zone-heavy system where he can combo block and get on the move. The Vikings would be an ideal landing spot in round two – their inside zone scheme perfectly matches his skill set, and they desperately need interior help. His technique is already refined enough to compete for a starting guard spot as a rookie, but his ceiling as a potential Pro Bowl-caliber interior lineman will emerge by year three once he adds another 10-15 pounds of functional mass to his frame.
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Prediction: Zabel will take over for Ryan Kelly. Brandel will be serviceable. Can’t have above average to really good to All Pro cailber at every spot on the offensive line.
81 – QUINSHON JUDKINS RB OHIO STATE 5’11.5” 221
As the draft motored on I was getting anxious and was thinking of using some combo of 93, 97, & 112 to move up near the top of the third. But I was not sure for who. I kept monitoring Judkins as I felt he was the last of the really good backs. Maybe some could argue that Kaleb Johnson is just as good. I decided I wanted to move up to get Judkins and found a trade partner. The Bengals were willing to trade down and wanted an extra pick. After I took Judkins, Kalen Johnson and Jaydon Blue went off the board.
QUINSHON JUDKINS Draft and Combine Prospect Profile
The big winner of that assessment appears to be Judkins, who raised eyebrows among multiple high-ranking talent evaluators when he ran a 4.48second 40-yard dash at 6-feet and 221 pounds. He also showcased explosiveness with a 38.5-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump, while lighting up interview rooms with his personality. One evaluator I spoke with told me that Judkins’ reps advised him not to work out at the combine after the Buckeyes won the college football national championship. He declined that advice and did a full workout, rather than waiting for Ohio State’s pro day. Given his penchant for playing a physical brand of football that illustrates his love for contact, teams were pleased to see him show up and compete at the combine when others would not.
Judkins may seem like a luxury pick but Aaron Jones is more than likely not going to be here in 2026. A Judkins/Mason combo is not bad. They both are similar but it opens up the opportunity for the Vikings to add a smaller back next year or even as an UDFA this year. Can they carry four backs plus Ham? I think so.
At this point, I was OK with the first two picks but then Joshua Farmer, Omarr Norman-Lott, and Shemar Turner went off the board. I was nervous but there were still some interior defenders left. The Jest wanted to come into the third round so I was OK with moving 97 to get back 186. They then, took Vernon Broughton. Now, the pickins were getting slim.
The Rams wanted to move down from 101 and get more picks so I decided to jump back into the third round. I gave back #186 which makes it seem silly.
After the first trade, I had 40, 93, 97, 112, 139, 187, & 248.
After these three trade in the third round, I had 40, 81, 101, 110, 139, & 248. Lost one pick but moved up in the third.
101 – TY ROBINSON DT NEBRASKA 6’5.1” 288
Ty Robinson NFL Draft 2025: Scouting Report for Nebraska DL
Ty Robinson 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Nebraska Cornhuskers DT
Ty Robinson 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Projection: Mid-Late Second Round
Bottom Line on Ty Robinson
The bottom line on Robinson is that he’s a powerful football player with plenty of experience who will give you everything he has. His positional flexibility along the DL will help provide value, and he should see the field early in his rookie season. While he does have some limitations, his ceiling might be higher than some think, and the team that drafts him is getting a heck of a football player with tremendous upside.
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Ty Robinson moving up notable draft analyst’s list
Robinson’s draft stock has soared following good showings in the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine where the 6-foot-5, 288-pound lineman showcased great athleticism combined with his raw power for one of the better performances of the event.
Now analysts are moving him up draft boards as well.
ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, one of the biggest names in draft prognostication, placed Robinson at No. 50 on his recently released board.
“Robinson has enjoyed a rapid rise up the board during the pre-draft process thanks to his Senior Bowl week and combine performance. He is an ideal 5-technique for a 3-4 defense with the ability to slide inside on passing downs. Robinson is an ascending player who put his best tape together in 2024, showing improved quickness and awareness. While he doesn’t have a top-tier pass-rush plan, he’s an elite run defender.”
124 – JALEN MILROE QB ALABAMA 6’1.7” 217
181 – WR ISAAC TESLAA ARKANSAS 6’3.5” 214
198 – BILHAL KONE CB WESTERN MICHIGAN 6’1.2” 190
203 – HUNTER WOHLER S WISCONSIN 6’2.0’ 213
212TH PICK – BRANDON GEORGE LB PITT 6’3” 241
248TH PICK – JOSHUA SIMON TE SOUTH CAROLINA 6’4.1” 239
256TH PICK – JAY TOIA DT UCLA 6’2.0” 342
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images
The spreadsheet that tracked the picks is here. I am not sure if you will be able to see it but I think so.
I started with 4 picks and ended up with 10. I am happy with the first three picks. Since Milroe was falling, I figured I might as well take him because Brett Rypien is worrisome to say the least. Plus, you do need more than two Quarterbacks.
After Milroe, it was about adding depth and even practice squad types. The Vikings may not have too many spots open actually.
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