Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling during a the NFL Draft Combine.
The Minnesota Vikings may not be done looking for help at wide receiver.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on April 9 that Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling has pre-draft meetings with the Vikings, Buccaneers, Bears and Eagles. That immediately stands out for Minnesota because the Vikings still have star power at the top of the room, but their depth got thinner this offseason after Jalen Nailor left in free agency.
Stribling is an intriguing name for that exact kind of opening. The Ole Miss product measured 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, and NFL combine coverage lists him at an official 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash. For a Vikings offense that already revolves around Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, that kind of size-speed combination makes sense as a developmental outside option with upside.
Jeremy Fowler
Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling has pre-draft meetings with the Vikings, Bucs, Bears and Eagles, per source.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Stribling ran a 4.36-second 40.
Why De’Zhaun Stribling makes sense for Minnesota
This is where the report becomes more than routine draft chatter.
The Vikings are still in good shape at the top of the position. Minnesota recently said it intends to exercise Jordan Addison’s fifth-year option, reinforcing how committed the team remains to its Jefferson-Addison pairing. Addison has 175 receptions for 2,396 yards and 22 touchdowns through his first three seasons, according to the team.
But Minnesota’s own draft outlook at receiver also admitted the room is “a little thinner” after Nailor was scooped up in free agency by Las Vegas. The Vikings noted that beyond Jefferson, Addison, Tai Felton and Myles Price, the rest of the depth consists of developmental options such as Jeshaun Jones, Dontae Fleming and Joaquin Davis.
That is why a Stribling meeting matters.
He would not be arriving as a savior, and the Vikings are not desperate for a first-round receiver. But Minnesota does have reason to explore bigger, vertical depth pieces who could compete for snaps and eventually push into a more defined WR3 or WR4 role. The team’s own preview of the position framed it that way: strong at the top, thinner underneath, and open to adding variety.
The real Vikings angle is the room behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison
Fans usually look at Jefferson and Addison and assume wide receiver is settled. That is true only to a point.
The real question is what Minnesota wants the room to look like behind them in 2026 and beyond. Nailor’s departure matters because he had become a reliable third option who could line up in multiple spots. Minnesota’s own site highlighted that versatility and acknowledged the drop-off in proven depth behind the top names.
That makes Stribling a logical target to investigate.
At 6-foot-2 with verified speed, he offers a different profile than a pure underneath receiver. If the Vikings believe Jefferson and Addison already give them enough route-running polish and playmaking volume, then adding size and vertical explosiveness to the back end of the room becomes an understandable draft goal.
It also fits the timing of the offseason. Minnesota is weighing big-picture offensive decisions around its quarterback room after signing Kyler Murray and continuing J.J. McCarthy’s development, according to the team’s own offseason coverage. In that kind of environment, adding more speed and catch-radius help around the offense is the kind of quiet move that can matter by training camp.
What to watch next
A pre-draft meeting is not a promise. It does not mean the Vikings will draft Stribling, and Fowler’s report did not specify where Minnesota views him on its board. But it is a useful signal.
When a team with a clear depth question at receiver spends time on a prospect with Stribling’s traits, fans should pay attention. The Vikings have already told us the room lost proven depth. Now they are being linked to one of the faster receivers in this class.
That is why this report has real bite for Minnesota.
The headline here is not that the Vikings are hunting for the next Jefferson. It is that they may be trying to patch a quiet weakness before it becomes a louder one in the fall.