During the three days of this year's NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings made a grand total of nine selections. Of the players the Vikings added with those nine picks, none of them were wide receivers.
Now, Minnesota did sign four undrafted free-agent receivers after the conclusion of the draft's final round on Saturday. However, the Vikings' decision not to use one of their nine 2026 picks on a new pass-catcher makes it seem pretty obvious that the team already has something in mind for the position group.
Instead of drafting a wide receiver this offseason to fill the WR3 void left by Jalen Nailor's departure in free agency, it now seems safe to expect that Minnesota will be adding a veteran pass-catcher at some point before training camp this summer.
If we want to put a specific name on who it might be, at this point, signs point to three-time All-Pro, and former teammate of new Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins.
Signing veteran WR DeAndre Hopkins feels like the next notable move the Minnesota Vikings will make this offseason
The steam connecting Hopkins to Minnesota began back in March after the veteran receiver spoke to TMZ about how much he loved playing with Murray.
It even led to Hopkins saying that if the Vikings want to sign him, he's open to it.
After his comments spread, most assumed it was just a matter of time until Hopkins signed a deal with Minnesota. But nothing ever realistic came from it, and the Pro Bowl wide receiver is still a free agent.
Now that the NFL Draft is over, though, perhaps Murray will attempt to convince the Vikings to give Hopkins a call. Sure, he's on the tail end of his pro career, but to add a guy of his talent level and experience to a group of Minnesota receivers that already includes Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison seems like an easy decision to make.
The Vikings just cleared a good chunk of cap space by trading Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles, so Minnesota currently has a little more than $16 million in spending money. That's more than plenty to afford signing Hopkins, who played on 1-year deal worth $5 million with the Baltimore Ravens last season.
Monday after 3 p.m. CST is when free-agent signings no longer impact the compensatory pick formula for teams around the NFL.
So if the Vikings have just been waiting for that deadline to pass before signing anyone new this offseason, then it's possible that we could see them sign Hopkins or any other new free agents within the next few days.
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