It might be wise for the Minnesota Vikings to ignore one of their biggest needs in the 2026 NFL Draft

When you look at the Minnesota Vikings needs in the NFL Draft, there are a lot to choose from.

• Defensive tackle
• Cornerback
• Inside linebacker
• Safety
• Edge rusher
• Wide receiver
• Center
• Tight end
• Running back

Each need is of varying degree, and a couple of them arguably need multiple players added to the roster to fill both depth spots and rotational/starting roles. When you have that many needs, there will be a lot of difficult decisions throughout the course of the NFL Draft. One of the bigger ones that will happen with the Vikings is at running back.

The Vikings should consider punting on running back in the NFL Draft

Long-term, the running back position is one that should be addressed. Aaron Jones is likely not going to be on the roster in 2027, and Jordan Mason is a solid 1b. option. However, he shouldn't be the top guy in the room. Zavier Scott is a good third option for special teams with some potential to grow into a bigger role long-term.

Here's where the problem lies for the Vikings: are you going to get a player worthy of being the 1a. in 2027 at good value? That is where this discussion comes into play.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have the top two running backs in the NFL Draft: Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Love is likely going in the top five, while Price probably goes at the top of round two. Now, the Vikings could make a trade to take either player while getting a good value, but they would need to be convinced they were a true difference-maker. The reality is that the Vikings likely won't get either player.

After that, it's a massive crap shoot of backs that have a wide variety of opinions. Washington Huskies' Jonah Coleman has fans, but he didn't test and has serious concerns with his athleticism. Emmett Johnson of the Nebraska Cornhuskers has his own issues in that department. Plus, the Penn State Nittany Lions running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, have serious deficiencies as well.

Is there a running back who is even worth investing heavily in after Love and Price? When you consider who the prospects are, it might behoove the Vikings to work on other positions first before making an investment in running back. They did that in 2024 by completely overhauling and fixing the edge rusher position and adding impactful players at multiple other positions. In turn, they waited until 2025 to seriously address defensive tackle. It's hard to argue that their strategy initially failed, because the defense was tremendous. Now, their efforts to fix it didn't work, but the process was a good one.

Next year, the NFL Draft class looks to be a little deeper with players like the Florida Gators' Jadan Baugh, Michigan Wolverines' Justice Haynes, and Louisville Cardinals' Isaac Brown. Plus, free agency has some intriguing potential names like Jonathan Taylor, Jahmyr Gibbs, Breece Hall, DeVon Achane, and Bijan Robinson. Now, that's not to say those players will end up being free agents, but at this moment, they all have expiring contracts.

With your running back room already set for the 2026 season, waiting on a position where someone can step in and be an impact player, easier than other positions as a rookie, could be the smart play. With how the draft class is shaping up, they should seriously consider it.