Vikings Draft Just Produced These Obvious Winners

Vikings wide receiver Tai Felton returning the ball against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Tai Felton (13) fields the ball and turns upfield during first-quarter action against the Green Bay Packers, Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Felton accelerates into space as Minnesota looks to generate early momentum in a key division matchup at home. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

On Sunday, we posted the “losers” from the Minnesota Vikings’ draft, a list of 10 players and coaches deep because Minnesota had so many selections this go-round. Now, it’s time for the winners.

Minnesota’s latest draft class reshaped the depth chart and opened new doors for several returning players.

These players and coaches clearly had to be all smiles during and after the event.

Turner Gets the Biggest Post-Draft Green Light

Ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = main winner), here’s who won the draft for the Vikings.

Jordan Mason running the ball during Vikings vs Texans preseason game. Vikings draft — Jordan Mason bursts through the line with the football secured, pushing into open space as the Minnesota Vikings face the Houston Texans during first-quarter action on Aug 9, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The running back, wearing No. 27, shows power and vision while gaining yardage early in preseason play. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

5. Jordan Mason (RB)

In theory, the Vikings could’ve found a way to draft Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price (Seahawks), Arkansas’s Mike Washington Jr. (Raiders), or Washington’s Jonah Coleman (Broncos) at running back, which would’ve put Mason’s trajectory as the long-term RB1 in jeopardy.

Instead, interim general manager Rob Brzezinski waited until Round 6 to pick Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne. When a player is chosen that late, he is truly a lottery ticket. A scratch-off.

While Claiborne could become “the next De’Von Achane” with the tutelage of Frank Smith and Kevin O’Connell, Mason remains the somewhat youthful main option at tailback for the Vikings in 2026, with a splash of Aaron Jones, who could split the RB1 workload if he stays healthy.

4. Blake Brandel (C)

One month ago, O’Connell essentially nominated Brandel as his starting center in 2026 — and he wasn’t kidding.

He said to media members who asked about the center spot, “It is great that we feel that good about Blake’s versatility, but ultimately we want to do what’s best for Blake to ascend and reach his highest potential at one position or have the flexibility still to play multiple. What his offseason looks like, what his training camp looks like and what his work flow looks like leading into the season, we want to have him more than likely at that center spot and build on some things that he did last year.”

“It’s a position that’s got some really unique names in the draft, depending on where you may be looking to take one. There’s some guys with experience, there’s some guys with tremendous upside and then some guys that have that flex above the neck of really the smarts and the command that it takes to play center at the National Football League level. We’ll continue to work through it.”

The “tremendous upside” guys turned out to be a single human, named Gavin Gerhardt from the University of Cincinnati, a man extracted from Round 7. While Gerhardt could emerge in time, it’s probably Brandel’s job to lose at center this season.

3. Brian Flores (DC)

After the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at the end of January, fans assumed that Flores would have more say in the organization and the draft process.

Fans were right.

Zone Coverage‘s Tom Schreier wrote over the weekend, “Ultimately, the issue with Adofo-Mensah is that he didn’t have a scouting background. The idea behind hiring him was that he would collaborate with the coaches and scouts to identify the best players, then use analytics to maximize draft picks and free-agent spending.”

“By replacing Rick Spielman with Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings were moving from a super scout as their general manager to a CEO.”

Brian Flores watching Vikings players during organized team activities practice. Vikings draft. — Brian Flores observes players moving through drills, tracking positioning and effort as the Minnesota Vikings conduct organized team activities on June 10, 2025, at the team’s training facility in Minneapolis. The defensive coordinator studies each rep closely, continuing to shape a unit that gained momentum during the previous season and enters a pivotal offseason stretch. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.

Five of the nine new guys play defense:

That’s a Floresian draft, folks.

2. Tai Felton (WR)

Minnesota scouted oodles of wide receivers in February, March, and April. How many did they draft? Zilch.

Brzezinski and O’Connell said “no thanks” to dozens of promising wideouts, basically allowing Flores to cook from the section above. And — that turned out to be good news for Felton, who remains the Vikings’ WR3 right after the draft.

In theory, Minnesota could sign Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Tyreek Hill, DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs, or Keenan Allen — or even trade for Brandon Aiyuk — but for now, Felton is the WR3 on paper. Most fans didn’t expect that outcome in the fallout from the draft.

1. Dallas Turner (OLB)

For two seasons, Flores struggled to find full-time playing time for Turner, the team’s 1st-Round draft pick in 2024. Those days are over.

Dallas Turner lined up on defense during Vikings playoff game against Rams. Vikings draft. — Dallas Turner lines up on defense during postseason action, focused on the snap as the Minnesota Vikings face the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC wild card game on Jan 13, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Wearing No. 15, the linebacker prepares to engage, bringing energy to a high-stakes playoff matchup. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.

Pro Bowl outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles for two 3rd-Round draft picks, completely paving the way for Turner to start in 2026. He received ample playing time down the stretch of 2025 when Greenard was hurt, but now Turner doesn’t have to sit around and wait for injuries to hear his name called.

In September and beyond, you will soon find out if the [very] expensive Turner trade, conducted by the aforementioned Adofo-Mensah, was worth it.