Having just four picks entering the 2025 NFL Draft, and five when it was all said, may have pushed it toward unlikely. But the Minnesota Vikings did draft a wide receiver, using a third-round pick (No. 102 overall) on Maryland's Tai Felton.
The selection of Felton automatically put the Vikings' incumbent WR3, Jalen Nailor, on a very warm seat. So much for head coach Kevin O'Connell's stated high expectations for Nailor in 2025, and free-agent signing Rondale Moore's path to a notable role is now a bigger question.
After a bit of a breakthrough in 2023 (48 receptions for 723 yards and six touchdowns; 15.1 yards per catch), Felton had 96 receptions (tied for fourth in FBS) for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns for the Terrapins last year. His 26 forced missed tackles last season were tied for eighth in the country. according to Pro Football Focus.
Felton did not did not return a lot kicks during his college career (six kickoff returns, two punt returns), but the Vikings could try him out there during OTAs as they consider every option for punt return duties in particular.
Tai Felton may make Vikings' WR3 competition no competition at all
There obviously weren't a lot of choices for the Vikings in that vein, but Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report named Felton their best value pick from the 2025 draft.
"On a Minnesota Vikings roster that already features a fantastic group of offensive weapons in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, it's easy to gloss over the draft selection of another wide receiver in Maryland's Tai Felton.
On a (Maryland) roster that featured another NFL wide receiver in Kaden Prather, whom the Buffalo Bills chose in the seventh round, Felton asserted himself as the top target. During the 2024 campaign, the first-team All-Big Ten selection led the squad by a significant margin with 96 receptions—which tied for second among FBS wide receivers—for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns."
Sobleski then got to the bottom line of Felton's rookie season outlook.
"Felton will battle Jalen Nailor to be the Vikings' third wide receiver."
As Nailor has taken on a bigger role in the Vikings' offense, he has played just 56 special teams snaps over the last two seasons. Despite being on the slim side (183 pounds), Felton played a noticeable amount of kickoff and punt coverage at Maryland according to PFF data.
The Vikings were lined up to have a competition for their WR3 job before drafting Felton, with Nailor as the easy favorite and Moore as a wild card candidate who would add a very specific skillset to the offense.
Now, Felton could render that competition completely moot, and he has a chance to do so pretty quickly as the on-field phases of OTAs loom.