Draft visit clues point to an intriguing target at No. 18. Is Minnesota locked on one elite prospect, or is a trade back the strategic play?
NFL draft visits often draw plenty of speculation. Some conclusions are fair, but not all of them add up to what teams will ultimately do when they select in the first round and afterward.
The Vikings have made a few interesting decisions in how they have allocated visits. If we are to read into what they have done, there are some intriguing conclusions we can draw about what the team plans to do at No. 18.
Trevor Ripley of Zone Coverage interpreted what the Vikings' pre-draft visits tell us about where they could go with the pick. Here was some of what he had to say about it.
"For starters, each of the last four first-round selections made by the Vikings also had a Top-30 visit. Donovan Jackson, J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner, and Jordan Addison all met with Minnesota before the Vikings eventually selected them. Obviously, there’s a new man handling general manager duties this year, so the approach may be different this time around. But it is interesting to note that, according to consensus rankings, Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is the only first-round player to have had a Top-30 visit with Minnesota.
The Vikings have technically met with players like safety Dillon Thieneman and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, but only at the NFL Combine and not in any official capacity afterward — at least that has been reported (there are still eight or so Top-30 visits that haven’t been made public). Sadiq would be an interesting fit with the Vikings and could be Minnesota’s pick at No. 18 should he fall that far. Still, it seems likely that the Vikings break the streak of drafting Top-30 players this year, simply based on the lack of top-talent visits."
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) lines up before the play during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesSo, what is the Vikings' plan at No. 18? Are they all in on Sadiq, or could they trade back in the draft for more second round picks?
It's possible that either conclusion could be the case. Sadiq is a great player. Some may conclude that there may not be much difference between the No. 18 pick and an early second rounder. The Vikings may be able to get a quality extra pick with their first rounder should they trade back into the 30s. Then again, the Vikings could be concealing who they want to draft with their lack of visits so that one of their choices will fall to No. 18.
We'll see what the team does, but look for Minnesota to find a potential starter when they ultimately make their first pick in the 2026 NFL draft.