Minnesota Vikings post-draft depth chart: Position battles, sleepers

The Vikings added 25 rookies to their roster this past weekend, making five selections in the draft and signing 20 undrafted players — several of whom are intriguing — to round out their offseason roster. They currently have 89 players, including one Australian punter who won't count towards the 90-man limit. That leaves two open spots at the moment.

With the offseason program underway and rookie minicamp coming up the weekend after this one, it feels like a good time to go position by position and project what Minnesota's updated depth chart might look like. This should help you get a sense of some of the position battles to watch and sleepers to keep an eye on. Projected starters are in bold.

Quarterback

• J.J. McCarthy
• Sam Howell
• Brett Rypien
• Max Brosmer (R)

McCarthy is very clearly the Vikings' guy, which is exciting. Howell, acquired on Saturday, feels like a solid backup solution. He has a full season of NFL starting experience and is likely a better version of Nick Mullens as a gunslinger with turnover problems. The only question here is if Brosmer, the undrafted rookie out of Minnesota, has a chance to unseat Rypien for the QB3 job. Even if he doesn't, he might stick around as a developmental fourth guy into the fall.

Running back/fullback

• Aaron Jones
• Jordan Mason
• C.J. Ham (FB)
• Ty Chandler
• Zavier Scott
• Tre Stewart (R)

The 1-2 punch of Jones and Mason in the backfield should be quite fun to watch this season, especially behind the Vikings' revamped offensive line. That'll likely be a 1A/1B kind of dynamic, favoring Jones, unless production or health dictates otherwise. It was a bit interesting that the Vikings didn't draft a running back to push Chandler for the RB3 role, especially with Jones turning 31 in December. They did sign Stewart, who is a long shot reminiscent of 2023 seventh-rounder DeWayne McBride (small school RB with extreme production but questionable physical traits).

Wide receiver

• Justin Jefferson
• Jordan Addison
• Jalen Nailor
• Tai Felton (R)
• Tim Jones
• Rondale Moore
• Lucky Jackson
• Jeshaun Jones
• Thayer Thomas
• Dontae Fleming (R)
• Silas Bolden (R)
• Robert Lewis (R)
• Myles Price (R)

Felton, the Vikings' third-round pick, could potentially push Nailor for the WR3 job, but it seems unlikely that he'd win that battle. The more likely outcome for Felton would seem to be starting out as WR4 or WR5, contributing on special teams right away, and then entering a larger role in 2026 once Nailor is out of the picture. Jones seems likely to make it because of his blocking ability. Moore, still recovering from an ACL injury, figures to start the year on the PUP list.

Beyond those six, you've got three returning practice squad guys and four new undrafted players. The one I'm looking at as having the best chance to make the 53-man roster is Bolden, who is a dynamic return specialist.

Tight end

• T.J. Hockenson
• Josh Oliver
• Gavin Bartholomew (R)
• Ben Yurosek (R)
• Bryson Nesbit (R)

The Vikings needed to add some depth to their tight end room, and they did just that by bringing in three intriguing rookies. Bartholomew is the favorite to be TE3 because he was drafted, but there are some physical traits to like with both Yurosek and Nesbit as well. Between the roster and practice squad, all three could stick around for a while. I'm curious to see if Oliver gets a contract extension at some point this offseason.

Offensive tackle

• Christian Darrisaw
• Brian O'Neill
• Justin Skule
• Walter Rouse
• Logan Brown (R)
• Marcellus Johnson
• Leroy Watson

Skule was brought in to be the swing tackle, and he might have to be the Week 1 starter at left tackle if Darrisaw's knee isn't ready to go. Rouse is still listed as a tackle, but he spent plenty of time at guard last season and might end up as interior depth in the long term. Brown, who is the headliner of the Vikings' UDFA class, was projected as a fourth or fifth-round pick by some analysts. He's a former five-star recruit with significant athletic upside and is absolutely worth keeping in mind.

Interior offensive line

• Will Fries
• Ryan Kelly
• Donovan Jackson (R)
• Blake Brandel
• Michael Jurgens
• Henry Byrd
• Joe Huber (R)
• Zeke Correll (R)

Jackson, the Vikings' first-round pick, is basically a lock to beat out Brandel as the starting left guard, completing the renovation of Minnesota's interior that began with the Kelly and Fries signings in March. Things would have to go pretty poorly for Jackson to not win that job, one would think. Brandel figures to slide down into a valuable role as the top backup at both guard spots, with Jurgens projecting as the backup center. Huber is an intriguing UDFA who had a nice career at Wisconsin and possesses some versatility.

Defensive line

• Jonathan Allen
• Javon Hargrave
• Harrison Phillips
• Jalen Redmond
• Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (R)
• Taki Taimani
• Levi Drake Rodriguez
• Jonathan Harris
• Travis Bell
• Alex Williams (R)

Beyond the Vikings' top three players, both Redmond and fifth-rounder Ingram-Dawkins should factor in as important rotational pieces who can get after the quarterback. Taimani and Rodriguez are bigger players in more of a Phillips mold. The Vikings are very excited about the inside-outside versatility Ingram-Dawkins can bring to Brian Flores' front.

Outside linebacker

• Jonathan Greenard
• Andrew Van Ginkel
• Dallas Turner
• Gabriel Murphy
• Bo Richter
• Tyler Batty (R)
• Chaz Chambliss (R)

With Pat Jones II gone, the path is cleared for Turner to play a lot more and potentially take a big leap in production in year two. The Andrew Van Ginkel extension doesn't say anything about how the Vikings feel about Turner. Beyond him, there should be a solid competition involving pair of 2024 UDFAs and a pair of 2025 UDFAs. Murphy and Richter have the advantage of being around for a year in Flores' system, but Batty and Chambliss both have some upside. Batty, in particular, is interesting. The BYU product is already 26 years old and was highly productive in the Big 12.

Linebacker

• Blake Cashman
• Ivan Pace Jr.
• Eric Wilson
• Kobe King (R)
• Brian Asamoah II
• Max Tooley
• Austin Keys (R)
• Dorian Mausi (R)

I'm only putting 11 starters in bold on each side of the ball, but Pace basically is one as well. Wilson, who returns for a second stint with the Vikings, is probably the LB3 and a core special teams player. Minnesota is excited about landing King, who is an excellent run defender with a potentially bright future. He should immediately slot in ahead of Asamoah, who may end up getting cut in the final year of his rookie deal.

Safety

• Harrison Smith
• Josh Metellus
• Theo Jackson
• Jay Ward
• Bubba Bolden
• Mishael Powell (R)

Many people, myself included, thought the Vikings would draft a safety at some point, considering this could be Smith's final year and Jackson is still somewhat unproven as a projected starter. But that never seemed to be something they were strongly considering. They'll roll with what they've got. That includes Ward, who is now one injury away from a sizable role.

Cornerback

• Byron Murphy Jr.
• Isaiah Rodgers
• Mekhi Blackmon
• Jeff Okudah
• Tavierre Thomas
• Dwight McGlothern
• Ambry Thomas
• Reddy Steward
• Kahlef Hailassie
• Zemaiah Vaughn (R)
• Keenan Garber (R)

The Vikings didn't draft a cornerback, either, which is probably due to a combination of the way the board fell and confidence in the players currently on the roster. They've got high hopes for Rodgers in his first year with the Vikings. CB3 is likely either Blackmon, who is coming off a torn ACL, or Okudah, a former top draft pick. Thomas has plenty of experience in the slot, while McGlothern is a former UDFA who made the 53-man roster last year as a rookie. There's some intrigue with the guys further down the depth chart as well.

Still, this could (and perhaps should) certainly be a position where the Vikings continue to add at some point. Maybe that means bringing back Stephon Gilmore or Shaq Griffin or going after a different free agent. There's also a pretty interesting player who will be attending their rookie minicamp.

Specialists

• K: Will Reichard
• LS: Andrew DePaola
• P: Ryan Wright, Oscar Chapman (R)

Chapman is the aforementioned Australian punter who could push for Wright's job after a five-year career at Auburn. As for return specialists, Bolden is someone who figures to be in the mix along with incumbent options like Nailor and Chandler.

More Vikings news, rumors, analysis