Another stop on the way to the 2026 NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror as the Scouting Combine wrapped up over the weekend. 319 prospective NFL players went through medical testing, interviewed with teams, and took part in on-field drills in not much more than their underpants.
Some players perform better in this environment than others, and the media is quick to label risers and fallers as soon as each day wraps up. The Combine is an important tool in evaluating talent, but it's just one piece of the evaluation process. Teams have learned over the years not to move a player too far up their board because he ran 40 yards in 4.3 seconds.
That being said, there are players who pretty much wowed in every facet of the process and will cause the Vikings to readjust their evaluations and move them up their draft boards. Here are three players who should be moving up the Vikings draft board after the Combine.
Which prospects should be moving up the Minnesota Vikings' draft board thanks to their performance at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine?
Dillon Thieneman - S, Oregon
Thieneman was already a player getting mocked to the Vikings with the 18th overall pick by the likes of Mel Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah, but after the Combine, the Vikings will have to wonder if he'll even still be on the board. Thieneman started his collegiate career at Purdue before transferring to Oregon in 2025. The 6''0", 201 lbs, safety was known for his insane range, ball skills, and ability to lay a big hit.
He totaled 306 tackles, 14 passes defensed, eight interceptions, and two sacks in his career.
All he did at the Combine was solidify that the first-round talk is valid, and that he is one of the 20 best players in this entire draft class.
Thieneman impressed in every facet of the Combine. He answered questions coolly and calmly at the podium and destroyed the on-field workouts. He put up 225 lbs. 18 times, broad jumped 10'5", and ran a blazing 4.35 forty-yard dash. He was extremely fluid in the drills, showing a smooth backpedal and the ability to change directions on a dime. He absolutely killed it, and if the Vikings thought they could get this guy by trading down, or maybe hoping that he'd slide into round two, they now know that won't happen. Theineman should be at the top of their draft board, and if he makes it to 18 after his insane Combine performance, the Vikings should waste little time making him the heir to Harrison Smith.
Eli Stowers - TE, Vanderbilt
Tight End has been a secondary need for the Vikings heading into the offseason. It sounds like the team will be restructuring TJ Hockenson's contract to keep him on the team, but a young pass-catching tight end is needed on the depth chart. One who worked his way up teams' draft boards after the Combine is Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers. Actually, to say Stowers worked his way up boards is an understatement; the big tight end had a historic performance that likely sealed his fate as the number two tight end in this class behind Kenyon Sadiq.
Stowers is an impressive physical specimen who measured in at 6'4" and 239 pounds. He then went on to log a tight end Combine record with a 45.5-inch vertical jump. That's an insane number. He also led all tight ends with an 11'3" broad jump and ran a blazing 4.51 forty-yard dash. Just how early Stowers will come off the board remains to be seen. The Vikings would probably have preferred using a third-round pick on a tight end at the earliest, but if they want to guarantee adding this physical freak to their roster, their second-rounder may have to be the price.
Caleb Banks - DT, Florida
The Combine is the great separator. If teams have similar grades on two players at the same position, the Combine numbers can swing the pendulum in favor of the prospect who performed the best. The Vikings have a need this year at defensive tackle, and there is a logjam of prospects who they could consider with the 18th pick. Kayden McDonald, Peter Woods, and Lee Hunter have all been names thrown out there who all have similar grades. The one player who may have separated himself from that pack is Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
Banks is a massive human. He measured 6'6" and 327 pounds, with 35" arms, 10 7/8" hands, and an 85 3/4" wingspan. To translate those numbers: his height is in the 98th percentile, his weight is in the 89th percentile, his hand in the 94th percentile, and his armlength is in the 94th percentile. His wingspan was the longest recorded at the Combine for a defensive tackle since 1999. The dude is a sasquatch. He also moved pretty well for a big man, logging a 5.04 forty-yard dash with a 1.76 10-yard split. He showed nice lower-body explosion with a 32" vertical jump and a 9'6" broad jump. There's no doubt Banks is a specimen and a guy who would fit in nicely on the Vikings' defensive front, being the creator of ruckus and disruption.
Banks definitely helped his stock at the Combine, but he's still a risky prospect. There are some staminda concerns, and he missed almost all of last season with a foot injury, and many believed he lacked the explosion he showed the season before. With those risks come immense rewards if Banks is able to develop into the dominating presence his physical traits indicate.