For everyone who gets to hear their name called during the event, the NFL Draft is an exciting time. But veteran players, like several members of the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL Draft is just another reminder that nothing is promised when it comes to this brutal sport.
Every year, teams around the NFL draft players who can either replace guys on their roster immediately or within a few years.
This was no different for the Vikings this year.
During and after this year's NFL Draft, Minnesota made multiple moves that could be interpreted as warning signs to several notable players on its roster that their time with the franchise could be ending sooner than expected.
Minnesota Vikings send loud message to 4 players with moves during and after 2026 NFL Draft
Andrew Van Ginkel - OLB
Most have assumed that since Jake Golday is billed as an off-ball linebacker, the Vikings drafted him in the second round this past Friday to be the eventual replacement for Minnesota linebacker Blake Cashman, whose contract expires in 2027.
However, Golday is an extremely versatile linebacker who lined up all over the place at Cincinnati in 2025 (117 D-line snaps, 248 slot snaps, 314 box snaps according to data from PFF). So, his skill-set is probably better suited to take over for someone like Andrew Van Ginkel, whose contract, like Cashman's, also expires in 2027.
Since Van Ginkel is considered more of an edge rusher, the price to re-sign him is likely going to be higher than it will be to re-sign Cashman. So, it wouldn't be surprising at all if Minnesota re-signed the cheaper of the two, Cashman, and had Golday replace Van Ginkel in 2027 on a much more inexpensive contract.
Christian Darrisaw - LT
Wait, why would Christian Darrisaw, the former first-round pick and franchise left tackle, be on this list? Well, I don't know, why did the Vikings use a third-round selection this past Friday on a massive offensive lineman who only played snaps at left tackle during his final three college seasons?
With one of their two third-round picks this year, Minnesota drafted former Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan, who measures in at a whopping 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds.
Most might assume Tiernan could be the guy the Vikings want to eventually replace Brian O'Neill as the team's starting right tackle. That might be true, or they could keep him at the position where he spent the majority of his career, left tackle.
Darrisaw has missed 17 games in the last two seasons due to a knee injury he suffered in the middle of the 2024 campaign. If he misses a notable amount of time due to an injury again next season, don't be shocked if Minnesota attempts to get out of his contract in 2027 and replace him with Tiernan.
Johnny Hekker - P
After losing Ryan Wright to the New Orleans Saints in free agency earlier this offseason, the Vikings wound up signing Johnny Hekker to be their new punter for the 2026 campaign.
That's at least what everyone assumed until Minnesota signed former Georgia punter Brett Thorson as an undrafted free agent on Saturday.
Thorson won the Ray Guy award last season as the nation's top punter, and he was projected to be selected in the fifth round of this year's NFL Draft by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.
Hekker has been a First-Team All-Pro during his time in the league, but the 36-year-old punter could be heading into a highly competitive battle for his job this summer.
Zavier Scott - RB
Last year, Zavier Scott was a nice story for the Vikings when he earned a spot on the team's final 53-man roster after spending the 2024 season on Minnesota's practice squad.
This year, Scott's spot on the Vikings' final 2026 roster is far from a guarantee, especially after the team selected former Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne with a sixth-round draft pick this past Saturday.
Claiborne offers a lot more upside for Minnesota as both an RB3 and a kick returner for the team next season than Scott does.
This doesn't mean that Scott won't be able to fight his way onto the Vikings' regular-season roster for the second year in a row, but that fight is just going to be a lot more difficult this time around.
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