One promising rookie lineman versus a season of disappointment. Did the Vikings' 2025 draft class truly fall short of expectations?
The Minnesota Vikings (9-8) had a roller coaster of a season in 2025. The year drew mixed reviews, but to many it was viewed as a colossal failure.
The Vikings plummeted from a 14-3 season to 9-8 in 2025. They watched the quarterback they let walk, Sam Darnold, turn around and go 14-3 again with a new team in the Seattle Seahawks.
Many put the blame for the underwhelming 2025 campaign on the Vikings' new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and certainly the blame was in many ways warranted. McCarthy put up pedestrian numbers for much of the season failing to finish with as many touchdown passes as interceptions. At one point he was the second worst qualifying quarterback of the 21st century in expected points added. He finished 32nd in the league in passing yards.
Even so, there's enough blame to go around for the Vikings' failures. Aaron Schatz of ESPN says the team's draft failed to address much, sharing that Donovan Jackson about the only 2025 draft pick worth mentioning. He shared the blunt analysis.
"Much like the Colts, almost all the rookie value for the Vikings came from a single first-round pick. Minnesota took guard Donovan Jackson with the No. 24 selection, and he was a quality starter for most of the season. Jackson finished with a 92.6% pass block win rate (average for guards) and a 76.9% run block win rate (well above average).
And then … that’s about it. Undrafted free agent quarterback Max Brosmer was terrible when forced into action (14.0 QBR), and any other rookies had very minor impacts. This is Minnesota’s second straight year at or near the bottom of this list."
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) practices before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesThere are worse things than having a quality offensive lineman hit in the first round as the lone major contributor from a rookie draft class. Still, ideally there would be more than one impact player from a draft class. And in reality, it only exacerbated the struggles of McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings offense.
The Vikings lacked much in the way of consistency in the running game, and some receivers, though they have proven themselves over time, struggled to catch catchable passes at times. Certainly, the offensive line left something to be desired.
The most recent Vikings draft class was not good enough to improve the team this season. The 2026 class will need to be better for Minnesota to break out of the middle of the league and make the playoffs.