NFL Draft buzz surrounding Minnesota Vikings is very peculiar, and the strong consensus raises major questions

Intel about the Minnesota Vikings has been scarce heading into the NFL Draft, and it’s very curious how certain consensus seems to be.

Tyler Forness NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell looks on in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

We are five days away from the start of the NFL Draft, and the consensus feels pretty confident about what the Minnesota Vikings will do at 18th overall.

Through the first 428 mock drafts collected in our annual mock draft tracker, consensus is steadfast on Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman. He’s been sent to the Vikings 141 times, all have come since the week prior to the NFL Scouting Combine.

It’s very peculiar that there is so much confidence coming from the consensus about what the Vikings will do, especially if you widen it to taking a secondary player at 18th overall.

Consensus is eerily confident Minnesota Vikings will select Dillon Thieneman in NFL Draft

It’s not out of the question that consensus is correct about what the Vikings will do in the first round. Our mock draft tracker has wide receiver Jordan Addison (2nd most), quarterback J.J. McCarthy (1st), and edge rusher Dallas Turner (7th) ranked highly. Thieneman being No. 1 certainly has him as the favorite to be a Minnesota Vikings.

Now, here’s where the curiosity comes into play. We have heard little to no buzz from insiders about what’s going on inside the building. Whether it’s by design or just circumstantial with Rob Brzezinski as the interim general manager, this is the least we’ve heard about the organization’s draft plans in some time.

Are the Vikings doing that good of a job at keeping leaks from happening? It certainly could be that way, but there is a more likely scenario: they don’t have a strategy mapped out yet.

The Vikings have major needs in the NFL Draft, and nine selections to fill them. With how few top prospects there are, the Vikings could be sitting at a turning point in the first round. They could end up trading down because a certain offensive tackle slid down the board. On the other hand, they could trade up slightly with a Caleb Downs fall.

Overall, it’s an open-ended spot for the Vikings to be in. Even though consensus is certain about what they will do, the lack of intel in itself is a strong signal that we don’t know what’s going to happen.

Buckle up for the next few days, it’s bound to get wild.