After making the 163rd overall pick in the fifth round during the final day of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings weren't scheduled to make another selection until late in the seventh round.
But then the Vikings realized former Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne was still on the board, who they've had their eyes on for a while, so they felt the need to make a trade and grab him before it became too late.
After completing a trade with the New England Patriots, Minnesota moved into the sixth round to select Claiborne with the 198th overall pick.
In the deal with the Patriots, the Vikings acquired pick No. 198 after sending over the No. 234 selection (seventh round) and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Could Demond Claiborne be a future starting RB for the Minnesota Vikings?
After deciding to stick with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason for another season, it became clear that Minnesota needed to find a running back in this year's NFL Draft with breakaway speed. In Claiborne, they're getting just that.
At the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this offseason, the former Wake Forest running back clocked in at a blazing 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash. In his scouting report, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein described Claiborne as "a twitched-up, elusive slasher who can turn minimal gains into explosive runs."
In 12 games at Wake Forest last season, he rushed for 909 yards and 10 touchdowns on 179 carries (5.1 yards per attempt) in addition to catching 28 passes for 137 yards.
During his college career, Claiborne also returned a total of 22 kicks for 579 yards (26.3 average per return) and two touchdowns, so he has that capability as well.
Ty Chandler left in free agency earlier this year, so at the very least, this selection feels like a simple way for the Vikings to replace his spot on the roster. But if all goes well, Minnesota is hoping Claiborne can achieve a whole lot more than Chandler was ever able to during his tenure in a purple uniform.
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