Ranking Every Minnesota Vikings Player: Top NFL Draft pick highlights Nos. 30-26 with a surprising defender ranking high

30. OL Blake Brandel

Last season, the Vikings made a bold choice by having Brandel enter the season as the starting left guard. It was bold because Brandel had never played guard at the NFL level before. 

Through seven games, it looked like a good decision. Brandel was thriving in the role, but Christian Darrisaw got hurt and missed the rest of the season. He struggled massively down the stretch, which ended up convincing the Vikings to select Donovan Jackson in round one. He's a fantastic sixth offensive lineman who can step in to at least four of the five different positions.

29. S Theo Jackson

After the Vikings added Jackson off waivers in 2022, he's been a solid backup and special teams player. What he's grown into is a starter without having been given that role. 

In the last two training camps, Jackson has shown out in a major way and looked like a player who should be getting playing time. Unfortunately for Jackson, he was behind three starters at the position already and played less than 100 snaps on defense in 2024. He is set to take over for Camryn Bynum this year and will be in a position to make a serious impact to match the extension he just got. 

28. K Will Reichard

Over the last seemingly 30 years, the Vikings haven't had the best luck when it comes to the kicker position.You name it, they've had it happen to them. The selection of Reichard brough back some of those demons, but he was good in his rookie season. He hit 80% of his field goals going 24-30 and more importantly, didn't miss a single extra point. The one thing that will separante Reichard from those other kickers will be stringing consecutive good seasons together.

27. DT Jalen Redmond

Redmond was the biggest surprise of the 2024 season for the Vikings. He was signed after the UFL season last summer and him making the roster felt like a pipe dream. That all changed when he dominated throughout the preseason. He's high on this list for one main reason: consistency in the run game. He took over for Jerry Tillery last season and thrived in the role. He's much more likely to be in a rotational role this year, but he's a very solid player.

26. LG Donovan Jackson

Seeing a rookie this high on the list makes sense when they are a first-round pick. However, putting them much higher isn't necessarily fair since Jackson hasn't played in an NFL game. He projects very well to the National Football League