The Minnesota Vikings clearly had a focus in the early rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, using four of their first five selections on defensive players.
Their first-round pick at No. 18 overall, of course, was used on Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who some believed could fall out of the first round due to concerns over his injured left foot, which kept him out of all but three games this past year and will also keep him from participating in full football activities for at least another month.
The Vikes followed up by taking Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday in Round 2 at No. 51 overall, then another defensive tackle in Iowa State's Domonique Orange in Round 3 at No. 82 overall, and then Miami safety Jakobe Thomas later in the third round at No. 98 overall, a pick they received from the Philadelphia Eagles in the Jonathan Greenard trade.
The lone offensive player picked by Minnesota over the first two days was Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan, who was taken one pick before Thomas at No. 97 overall, which was the only compensatory pick the Vikings received this year and was awarded to them to offset the loss of new Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold.
And according to ESPN's Matt Miller, Tiernan was the best overall pick Minnesota made during this draft. But in addition, he also believes the Michigan native is the 34th-best pick of the 257 that were made last week in Pittsburgh.
Caleb Tiernan leads a list of five Minnesota Vikings on ESPN's new top-100 list
Instead of taking the normal route by simply ranking the best players only on talent, Miller brought a number of other factors into play when constructing this particular list of his top 100 picks from the 2026 draft.
It's not that talent didn't count for anything, as it obviously has to, but, using his words, he also "factored in value (where a player was drafted vs. where he was ranked predraft), scheme fit, how the selection addressed a need, what the prospect brings on the field and what draft assets were given up or added via trade in getting each player.
As mentioned, Tiernan, who was ranked 61st in Miller's final overall rankings leading into the draft, took the No. 34 slot on this list.
That's high praise to begin with, but when you throw in the fact that only two other players in the top 34 were drafted after Tiernan, those being cornerbacks Jermod McCoy (Las Vegas Raiders, No. 101 overall) and Keionte Scott (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 116 overall), the placement looks even better.
Here's what Miller had to say on why Tiernan landed where he did:
"A value pickup at the end of Round 3, Tiernan should be viewed as the long-term plan at right tackle. Brian O'Neill is still a very good player at 30 years old, but the team must make a decision on his expiring contract after this season.
Drafting Tiernan might give us a hint about Minnesota's long-term plans. A six-game starter at right tackle (38 at LT), Tiernan has experience on the right side and a frame many scouts think projects better to that side or at guard. He's worth monitoring in training camp to see where and how Minnesota plans to use him."
The idea of switching Tiernan from the left side to the right is certainly intriguing, but no matter which side he's on, that 6-foot-8, 323-pound frame is as imposing as it gets.
For as big as he is, though, he's quicker than some might think on the snap, leading to early positional advantages.
He's nowhere near perfect, of course, as he sometimes can't hold those early advantages for very long, but the upside is there, and the fact that he ranked 34th on this list is telling.
Tiernan was one of five Vikings to make Miller's ranking, with Caleb Banks in 43rd, Domonique Orange in 68th, fullback Max Bredeson in 83rd, and running back Demond Claiborne in 85th.
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