Forum The Longship Best guess for what Minnesota does in round 1?

Best guess for what Minnesota does in round 1?

StickierBuns
Joined May 2013
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Can be a trade up, trade down or player. Last year, I made a bit of a wild guess and that was for offensive guard in round 1. I had the wrong player, but right idea.....thought Booker (but he went way higher) and we nabbed Jackson of course. Love the pick. I'm feeling a similar vibe: if its not S Dillon Thieneman, who I feel if he's there, that's the pick outside of a BPA slider....its going to be DT Kayden McDonald. Might be a bit of a surprise for some, but I think the dude is coveted by NFL GMs on the down low. We'll see...

Kayden McDonald Ohio State Highlights

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#1 · Apr 19, 9:16 AM
purplefaithful
Joined May 2013
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Woods is my guess...I have a feeling Thieneman goes b4 18

Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger! 

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#2 · Apr 19, 9:19 AM
JR44
Joined Aug 2017
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Tough one this year to predict as there are so many ways we could go, barring someone dropping, I think we trade down and then pick one of the DTs or the Toledo S if he is still there.

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#3 · Apr 19, 9:37 AM
MaroonBells
Joined Jan 2014
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I got last year's right. And I feel pretty confident I was close to getting the next pick right too. The player I predicted we'd take with our 3rd rounder, Sai'vion Jones, was taken by the Broncos when they traded up to 101, one pick before ours in the 3rd round. Teams trade up for a reason and their intel is usually pretty good. I think that move surprised us and we panic-picked Tai Felton there. What's more, our next pick was another 5T in TID.

Don't know what the team thinks of TID, but there's another 5T prototype in the 1st round named Keldric Faulk. Not sure if we'd take him before Thieneman, but I think it's a solid bet that our 1st pick is one of the two, or a trade down for one of the IDLs.

“A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." - Tom Waits

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#4 · Apr 19, 10:03 AM
DA
Joined Feb 2014
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I just don't see the attraction to Faulk. I see lots of folks love that guy but I don't get it. He is big and young. Very good vs. the run. OK. But that is not an 18th overall pick. I would not take him in the first round.

If Thieneman is there then he is likely the pick. If it's a DT, I think Woods over McDonald.

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#5 · Apr 19, 10:31 AM
MaroonBells
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dadevike wrote:

I just don't see the attraction to Faulk. I see lots of folks love that guy but I don't get it. He is big and young. Very good vs. the run. OK. But that is not an 18th overall pick. I would not take him in the first round.
If Thieneman is there then he is likely the pick. If it's a DT, I think Woods over McDonald.

What does Flores love more than anything? Versatility. And players who are long & fast enough to play outside and strong & stout enough to hold up inside are rare. There are typically only about three or four of them in a draft. I think Faulk is one of them. He's also only 20 years old and said to have impeccable character.

edited Apr 19, 2026 10:48 AM

“A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." - Tom Waits

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#6 · Apr 19, 10:47 AM
StickierBuns
Joined May 2013
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MaroonBells wrote:

What does Flores love more than anything? Versatility. And players who are long & fast enough to play outside and strong & stout enough to hold up inside are rare. There are typically only about three or four of them in a draft. I think Faulk is one of them.

JMO, but Faulk seems just like the kind of guy that never lives up to billing. IMO, he's the dreaded 'tweener' that the scouts used to talk about.

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#7 · Apr 19, 10:49 AM
MaroonBells
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StickierBuns wrote:

JMO, but Faulk seems just like the kind of guy that never lives up to billing. IMO, he's the dreaded 'tweener' that the scouts used to talk about.

He's definitely a tweener. But another word for "tweener" is "versatile." And because of that he's hard to get excited about, especially for Viking fans who've spent the bulk of the last 50 years focused on 4-3 players. But Faulk is very much in the middle 1st round conversation and you can bet your bottom dollar that Flores is at least intrigued by what he offers.

“A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." - Tom Waits

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#8 · Apr 19, 11:01 AM
purplefaithful
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StickierBuns wrote:

JMO, but Faulk seems just like the kind of guy that never lives up to billing. IMO, he's the dreaded 'tweener' that the scouts used to talk about.

Thx for triggering my Derrick Alexander PTSD...

Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger! 

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#9 · Apr 19, 11:04 AM
StickierBuns
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I'm waiting on @JustInTime and @supafreak84 to get in here.....and the other Draft aficionados chime in please.

edited Apr 19, 2026 11:37 AM
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#10 · Apr 19, 11:18 AM
StickierBuns
Joined May 2013
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MaroonBells wrote:

He's definitely a tweener. But another word for "tweener" is "versatile." And because of that he's hard to get excited about, especially for Viking fans who've spent the bulk of the last 50 years focused on 4-3 players. But Faulk is very much in the middle 1st round conversation and you can bet your bottom dollar that Flores is at least intrigued by what he offers.

Yeah, solid response....I like that insight.

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#11 · Apr 19, 11:38 AM
MaroonBells
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How about a dark horse: Jadarian Price.

“A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." - Tom Waits

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#12 · Apr 19, 1:13 PM
purplefaithful
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MaroonBells wrote:

How about a dark horse: Jadarian Price.

Oh my...Maybe in a massive trade-down.

Word is Sea is considering him strongly with last pick Rd1

I dont think he'll be available at 47.

Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger! 

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#13 · Apr 19, 1:17 PM
Canthony
Joined Oct 2013
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Faulk is a guy I keep going back to at 18. Much like Jackson last year when I kept going back to Jackson and mocked him quite a bit. MB nailed the pick and I wasn't at all surprised he was our pick, and I even had conversations about him on here, may even had them with MB. Now he is a staple at LG for us.

Faulk is that player that you can line up at multiple spots on the line. It allows Flores to be able to have multiple packages for different situations on his defense. I think Faulk could be a big contributor. If you watch him play, he has a motor that just wont stop. He plays his first play the same as his last play. Faulk is a player that dictates the play, not the offensive lineman. He is said to be a good kid too. He is really an unselfish player, meaning he doesn't go rogue for his personal gain, he does his job. He is a real talented player and one I think Flores would be able to do a lot with on his defense. Call him a tweener, versatile, or whatever you would like. I call him a player that offenses will have to game plan for.

If we go the DT route, I like Peter Woods.

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#14 · Apr 19, 1:22 PM
Canthony
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MaroonBells wrote:

How about a dark horse: Jadarian Price.

He is a player I have us targeting in round 2. However, I don't see him being there at all anymore. He won't get passed the top 5 picks in round 2 IMO.

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#15 · Apr 19, 1:23 PM
comet52
Joined Sep 2013
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MaroonBells wrote:

I got last year's right. And I feel pretty confident I was close to getting the next pick right too. The player I predicted we'd take with our 3rd rounder, Sai'vion Jones, was taken by the Broncos when they traded up to 101, one pick before ours in the 3rd round. Teams trade up for a reason and their intel is usually pretty good. I think that move surprised us and we panic-picked Tai Felton there. What's more, our next pick was another 5T in TID.
Don't know what the team thinks of TID, but there's another 5T prototype in the 1st round named Keldric Faulk. Not sure if we'd take him before Thieneman, but I think it's a solid bet that our 1st pick is one of the two, or a trade down for one of the IDLs.

If we're going lesser known DT I'd like Kayden McDonald. If we're going wideout Carnell Tate if he's there. I don't see them taking Thieneman regardless.

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#16 · Apr 19, 2:32 PM
purplefaithful
Joined May 2013
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I could live with a trade down and Cooper jr :)

Imagine getting Cooper Jr, Rodriguez and one of the better IDL's all in the first 1-3 rounds???

edited Apr 19, 2026 3:57 PM

Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger! 

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#17 · Apr 19, 3:21 PM
Canthony
Joined Oct 2013
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purplefaithful wrote:

I could live with a trade down and Cooper jr :)
Imagine getting Cooper Jr, Rodriguez and one of the better IDL's all in the first 1-3 rounds???

THIS ALL DAY LONG!!!!! Who doesn't want a young Deebo 😀 and that would be an amazing turnout.

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#18 · Apr 19, 4:11 PM
supafreak84
Joined Jan 2014
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StickierBuns wrote:

I'm waiting on @JustInTime and @supafreak84 to get in here.....and the other Draft aficionados chime in please.

It's a really tough call because of the amount of needs we have and projected players at positions of need not really matching up with our draft slot. If we stick and pick, I think its going to be a playmaker on offense, probably Sadiq or one of the receivers. If we trade down, then almost anything is in play with defensive line being a high probability. For shits and giggles, I'll say;

  1. Jordyn Tyson (if he slips) or Denzel Boston

  2. Christian Miller, DT Georgia

  3. Jalen Kilgore, S South Carolina and Nic Singleton, RB Penn State

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#19 · Apr 19, 7:26 PM
IceRatz16
Joined Dec 2016
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Now that the Giants sent Sexy Dexy away to Cincy, I fully expect them to take Kayden McDonald at #5 or #10. If he slides, I'd be thrilled if the Vikings found a way to get him. He's a monster.

As so many have said, it's really hard to nail down the specific player or moves the Vikings make in round 1 this Thursday, because we have so many options at #18 and it will depend a lot on who slides, IMO.

Here are a few scenarios we all could see happening 😜:

1). They’ll sit at 18, watch their guy go a pick or two before, then either reach for a versatile, high-character defender or trade back and take the same guy anyway.

2). They pass on a flashy skill player everyone wants…
Take a defensive tone-setter the staff falls in love with…
And spend the next 12 months hearing “we could’ve had ___”

3). While Dillon Thieneman is the clearest favorite in pre-draft analysis right now, the Vikings could surprise with a corner, a trade, or BPA if the board falls differently.

IMO, the Vikings will go after a S, CB, or DT first. Unless Love falls, whomever is the BPA of those three groups will be the pick.

edited Apr 19, 2026 10:45 PM
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#20 · Apr 19, 10:44 PM
Kentis
Joined Oct 2013
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I think they may just blow @MaroonBells mind & draft the TE…🤔

edited Apr 19, 2026 10:48 PM
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#21 · Apr 19, 10:47 PM
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Forum The Longship Best guess for what Minnesota does in round 1?
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