Despite some of the solid picks the Minnesota Vikings made in the 2025 NFL Draft, the media and fans are forgetting this draft class.
The Vikings salvaged something out of the draft by selecting five players after entering it with just four picks. Many have praised their first-round selection of Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson, who is considered a Day 1 starter.
The team made other nice picks, but will the rest of the four players selected be able to make an impact right away?
Where does the Minnesota Vikings 2025 NFL Draft class rank against others?
CBS Sports writer Josh Edwards recently ranked the seven least impactful draft classes among the 32 NFL teams. The Vikings had the unfortunate honor of taking the top spot, with the Jackson selection being the only impactful pick for Minnesota.
"Minnesota only had five selections and Jackson may be the only starter to come out of the class. At best, Felton would be the third wide receiver. Ingram-Dawkins was not ranked highly on my personal board, but that could be a general struggle to separate individual production from the collective at Georgia. King is a great athlete, but how quickly will the processing catch up?"
Jackson is the only draft pick projected as a starter. He is lined up to play left guard. He would be one of three new starters on the line alongside center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries.
At wide receiver, Tai Felton will challenge Jalen Nailor for the number three spot on the depth chart with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in the starting lineup. Rondale Moore and Tim Jones could also challenge for places on the roster with Felton.
The rest of the picks will be up in the air, and they may be considered more depth players or impactful special teams members. Ingram-Dawkins and King could contribute on defense, but Gavin Bartholomew will have Josh Oliver ahead of him for the second-string tight end position, and it will become Bartholomew beating out Bryson Nesbit.
This draft may not be the most memorable in recent Vikings history, but there's no denying the impact Jackson will have on this offensive line.
They locked up quarterback J.J. McCarthy's blind side with Jackson and Christian Darrisaw for years, and gave their young franchise quarterback better protection. Plus, Jackson replaces Blake Brandel, one of the worst offenders in the NFL with false start penalties, as he had six last year.
In reality, Minnesota didn't have to do much to improve the roster during the draft after the work they did in free agency. If one player becomes impactful from this draft class, it should already be considered a success.