During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings not only made headlines with the prospects they selected, but also when they completed a trade that sent veteran pass rusher Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles.
With this year's draft now behind us, NFL.com's Eric Edholm shared an updated version of his NFL Power Rankings on Monday, and for the Vikings, he has them all the way down at the No. 28 spot.
That seems incredibly low for a franchise that has won 68 percent of its games in the last two seasons, and Edholm's explanation for Minnesota's placement doesn't do a whole lot to help understand why he has them ranked so low either.
"After the surprise of the Caleb Banks pick wore off, the Vikings settled into a little groove with a few of their selections.
Among the value picks I liked: LB Jake Golday, OT Caleb Tiernan, S Jakobe Thomas and CB Charles Demmings. Even a fullback in Round 5 didn't offend me; if anything, it made me nostalgic.
I certainly understand Vikings fans could feel differently about it, given their personal investment in the team, but if Max Bredeson becomes the next C.J. Ham, it's a good pick. This was not a year where fifth-round picks needed to be treated like military codes.
Most of the same questions about Minnesota that existed last week still remain, although trading Jonathan Greenard both adds a worry and clears up cap space.
I wouldn't be shocked to see the Vikes make a veteran addition or two in the coming months. They could use a center, a safety and maybe another receiver.
Minnesota Vikings land in the No. 28 spot in post-draft NFL Power Rankings
Given that the Vikings are so low in these specific power rankings, some of the teams that were given higher spots make Minnesota's placement even more baffling.
Ranked right ahead of the Vikings in the No. 27 spot is the Cleveland Browns. Yes, the same Browns with 17 different quarterbacks and a head coach who was essentially hired because he was the only candidate willing to be okay with possibly having Deshaun Watson start under center for the team in 2027.
Don't worry, the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons also landed in higher spots than Minnesota on Edholm's latest power rankings. The only teams that were given a worse ranking than the Vikings were the Las Vegas Raiders (29th), Miami Dolphins (30th), New York Jets (31st), and Arizona Cardinals (32nd).
Yes, this article is written by a fan of the Vikings for a Vikings-centric website, but even a Green Bay Packers fan would agree that Minnesota is not even close to being one of the five worst teams in the NFL at this point in time.
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