Assurances are far and few between in the NFL, but the Minnesota Vikings may have an opportunity to come damn close to getting one. The recent addition of Kyler Murray, who in all likelihood will be Minnesota’s starting quarterback in 2026, presents a scenario where the Vikings can go for broke and create one of the most unstoppable offenses in football. And all this evil plan will take is a little bit of outside-the-box thinking and a pinch of insanity.
As it stands, Minnesota’s offense will feature a top receiving duo in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, a hopefully healthy and impactful offensive line, and, of course, a new quarterback who happens to be the fifth-most accurate passer in NFL history. The only thing missing from this formula is a homerun-hitting running back.
The Vikings still have Jordan Mason, and brought back Aaron Jones after the world’s shortest breakup, but they still lack that true No. 1 back. There are still some needs left to fill on the safety, defensive line, and center positions, all of which are big question marks heading into draft season.
At this point, it’s widely expected that the Vikings will address running back on Day 2 or 3 of the draft. But what if Kevin O’Connell walks down the hall to Rob Brzezinski’s office, kicks down the door, shoves the unnecessarily high stacks of draft notes onto the floor, and whispers, “I’m trading up for Jeremiyah Love.”
Love rushed for 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry in 2025 at Notre Dame, and is probably the best overall player in the draft. His 37 explosive runs in just 12 games were more than the Vikings had as an entire team last season, and would immediately give Minnesota one of the most formidable offenses in the league.
Jeremiyah Love’s burst is something serious … 94-yard TD run for the Notre Dame star. The future first-round pick came into today top 10 in the country in 15+-yard runs pic.twitter.com/4YhsQaKjI9
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) November 1, 2025
Could the Vikings use a safety at No. 18? Yeah. A defensive tackle? Sure. But why not put all the chips on the table and take the best player in the entire draft to add to an already talented offense?
If KOC actually did this, Brian Flores might walk off into the Minnesota wilderness, never to be heard from again. Still, adding Love makes sense on a few levels.
First, though, let’s get all those pesky things like logic and common sense out of the way. Love has been climbing draft boards as of late, and he will almost certainly be a top-10 pick, possibly even going as high as fourth to the Tennessee Titans. Trading up into the top-10 for a running back definitely poses some problems, with the main one being that it’s not for a quarterback, edge rusher, or offensive tackle.
With most draft trade-value models, moving up eight or more spots would cost the Vikings at minimum No. 18 and No. 49, or a future first-rounder. To get into the top five would cost even more. So, where Love might fall is a big factor here, but assuming he falls into the 6-10 range, Minnesota could reasonably go up to get him with their first- and second-round picks, plus some Day 3 picks.
Is it wise to spend all your hard-earned top-100 picks on a running back when the draft could fall just perfectly to stick and pick a safety? Maybe not, but we’re asking the wrong question. The question should be: Is it worth it to build the top offense in the NFL?
While trading up to take a running back would invite much judgment, the stigma of drafting running backs in the first round is starting to fade. Ask the Detroit Lions if they’d like a do-over with Jahmyr Gibbs, or the Atlanta Falcons with Bijan Robinson.
Harrison Smith will retire this summer, or if not this summer, next year, so obviously, safety will be a big need sooner rather than later. But the same could be said at running back. Jones may not retire after this season, but it’s doubtful he’ll return to the Vikings in any meaningful capacity at age 33. Mason is a solid option, but his longest rush this past season was just 24 yards, and he’s much better suited as a situational power back. So while Murray will inject some life into Minnesota’s passing game, there still isn’t anybody in the backfield to take the pressure off of him.
Drafting Love would not only create an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball, but it would also give the Vikings a cornerstone piece. For too long, the Vikings have played it safe in the draft, going solely by need and taking the safe bet. It’s time Minnesota swings for the fences and goes for a franchise-altering player, positional value, and trade value — any other values be damned.
Ultimately, Minnesota will probably do the prudent thing and take Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman or Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at No. 18. It would be hard to hate the pick, but I’d rather Love it instead.