A sneaky position group to watch for the Minnesota Vikings in next month's NFL draft? Wide receiver.
Sure, the Vikings are basically set for 2025 at that position. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor are all back after combining for over 2,800 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns last season, while Tim Jones and Rondale Moore were signed as replacements for Trent Sherfield and Brandon Powell, respectively. It's more of a need for 2026, given that only Jefferson and Addison are under contract beyond this season. Addison getting a lucrative second contract from the team also isn't a sure thing, considering his off-the-field troubles early in his career.
You can never have too much depth or young talent at the receiver position. And as seems to be the case every single year, there are dozens of intriguing WR prospects available in this draft class from the early rounds through Day 3.
It might not be a position the Vikings look to address with their first pick or perhaps even on Day 2, though that'll depend on how they stack their big board and which players are out there when their selections come up. But if they don't take a receiver early, it's definitely something to keep in mind as a possibility in the later rounds.
"I would keep an eye on wide receiver depth," the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling said on a recent episode of the Vikings Happy Hour podcast. "They did the Rondale Moore pickup, I think that's a short-term thing, but they have sniffed around in that (WR) world a little bit in the pre-draft process. I think there's gonna be a look at how can they find another guy there, because one of the questions they have to answer in the next couple of years is what does that position look like behind Justin Jefferson?"
"Jordan Addison, heading into year three, you're gonna have to make a contract decision on him in the next couple of years, and wide receivers have been in abundant supply in these drafts. So if they can find somebody to either pair with that 1-2 punch that they have ... or possibly be a successor to Jordan Addison, I think that's a back-pocket need, but I think it's probably going to be in there."
The Vikings have reportedly met with a few different receivers so far. Maryland's Tai Felton (per Tony Pauline) is a 6'2" wideout who caught 96 passes for 1,124 yards and 9 touchdowns last season. He's a big-time athlete who could be a Day 2 pick. Utah's Dorian Singer (per Aaron Wilson) had 702 yards last year but had 1,105 as a sophomore at Arizona in 2022. Baylor's Monaray Baldwin (per Goessling) is a 5'9" speedster with at least 478 yards and 4 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.
There are undoubtedly all kinds of names that aren't out there, too. Between showcase events like the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl, the NFL combine, various Pro Days and top-30 visits, they've met with — and will meet with — hundreds of draft prospects across just about every position group. Wide receiver may not be at the very top of their list of draft needs, but it's certainly one to keep in mind.