Vikings selection of Donovan Jackson continues NFL Draft trends under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with a tendency breaker emerging

The Minnesota Vikings had their second first-round pick under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah where they didn't make a trade with their first-round pick when they selected Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson at 24th overall in the NFL Draft. The move was really interesting for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one is not trading down. […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings had their second first-round pick under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah where they didn't make a trade with their first-round pick when they selected Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson at 24th overall in the NFL Draft.

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The move was really interesting for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one is not trading down. The New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons gave up very appealing packages to move up to both 25 and 26. However, the Vikings believed in Jackson that strongly, especially with the Houston Texans seemingly likely to take him at the very next pick.

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As we continue to look forward for the Vikings, it's really interesting to look at how Adofo-Mensah has approached the NFL Draft. Now that he's picked in his fourth first round, we are starting to get some perceived trends confirmed. 

Vikings prioritize players from Power 4 schools

This has been something that's been evident from day one. In his first NFL Draft, all 10 players were from Power 4 schools. In fact, his first 15 picks and 20 of 22 picks across his first three NFL Drafts. The only two outliers were in the seventh round: 

  • 2023: UAB RB DeWayne McBride
  • 2024: Texas A&M Commerce DT Levi Drake Rodriguez

That trend has continued with the selection of Jackson, and it's not a surprise. The reported love of Grey Zabel in the building does raise questions about how the Vikings would have moved forward if he were there. This leads into the next trend…

Vikings draft from National Championship programs

Not only are the first-round picks from Power 4 programs, but they are from those with a National Championship pedigree.

If you extend that to picks in the first two rounds, all but one (Jordan Addison) played for a school that won a National Championship since 2017. That kind of pedigree matters when it comes to projections. It's not the only thing, but it eliminates a potential variable, which is important.

Age matters, but one thing changed

Age has been something that has been attributed to Adofo-Mensah's drafting over his first three years. That remained somewhat constant, as Jackson is 22.4 years old with a birthday of December 4th, 2002. The last three first-round picks were all approximately 21.25 years old, but the selection of Jackson is somewhat of a trend breaker.

He is the first player that Adofo-Mensah has taken in the top 50 who spent four years in college. Does that matter? I don't think it does that much, but it's noteworthy that it's a tendency breaker.

Top 30 visits matter a lot

The last trend that we had confirmed was the Vikings' usage of top 30 visits mattering. Jackson was the sixth player that the Vikings have selected who was among their top 30 visits under Adofo-Mensah. Jackson joins:

  • DT Esezi Otomewo-2022
  • WR Jordan Addison-2023
  • CB Mekhi Blackmon-2023
  • RB DeWayne McBride-2023
  • EDGE Dallas Turner-2024

They also have selected five players who had teammates visit and signed eight UDFAs who did as well. There should be at least one or two more players who join that list this year, and here are the schools to keep an eye on.

  • Arkansas State
  • Arizona
  • East Carolina
  • Elon
  • Georgia
  • Iowa State
  • Kentucky
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Northern Iowa
  • Ohio State
  • Oregon
  • Purdue
  • SMU
  • Syracuse
  • UTSA
  • Western Michigan

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