It's never too early to look ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft. Here, we take a look at the biggest needs for the Minnesota Vikings before the draft.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell is the only coach in the NFC North without a playoff win entering a pivotal year for his future in Minnesota.

The Vikings need to add some reinforcement this offseason after going 9-8 in 2025. They do just that in this early 3-round 2026 NFL mock draft

The Vikings ' season has come to a close following Week 18, and they have been ruled out of making the playoffs. So, compared to our usual game breakdown with PFF numbers, we are going to digest the worst defensive numbers from each category of numbers that they provide following the season as a whole.

The Minnesota Vikings end the 2025 season with nine wins. At 9-8, they pick No. 18 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Expectations were high for the Vikings coming off a 14-win season in 2024. However, the main goal of 2025 was to get as much information as possible on quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota disappointed and also did not get a clear evaluation of McCarthy as a quarterback.

The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a ton to walk away with from the 2025-2026 season. Not even a good draft pick after a 4-8 start to the year.Their 9-8 finish after five consecutive wins got them the 18th overall pick.

Kirk Cousins: It would be a storybook closing of the loop for Cousins. After getting the bag to sign with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins could attempt to finish what he started with the Vikings. Reports that Cousins recently restructured his contract made the possibility of him returning to Minnesota feel more realistic than ever.