The Vikings are trying to build something different under general manager Nolan Teasley, and that means the rookie class has to matter. Training camp opens Sunday in Eagan, and for Minnesota, this is where the first real test begins for the 2026 draft group.
Caleb Banks is the obvious headliner. The first-round pick will jump off the field immediately at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds, and the Vikings are counting on that kind of presence after getting little from Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave last season. Banks has the tools to be a disruptive force in the middle, but his health is the story that hangs over everything.
His foot problems have been a long road. Banks first suffered a foot injury that ended his 2024 season at Florida.
He had surgery the following offseason, then re-injured the foot during training camp and needed another procedure last September. Just when it seemed like he had turned the corner, he fractured the fourth metatarsal in his left foot the night before athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He was kept out of the offseason program, but he should be available for camp. The bigger question is how much the Vikings will ask of him as they try to keep him healthy for the regular season.
He also missed valuable time learning Brian Flores’s defense, so he’ll be playing catch-up from the start.
Jake Golday brings a different kind of intrigue. The Vikings liked his versatility coming out of Cincinnati, where he showed he could work as both a traditional linebacker and an edge rusher.
That flexibility helped him stand out in the offseason program, and it could get him on the field early. The issue is simple: where exactly does he fit?
Some see him as a long-term answer for Andrew Van Ginkel, but that’s a heavy lift for a rookie unless the veteran is hurt. Golday could also work at linebacker, though Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson are currently in starting roles.
For now, “as duties apply” may be the best way to think about his rookie year, with special teams work and spot duty at linebacker and edge likely in the mix.
Demond Claiborne is the kind of rookie who will have fantasy football people buzzing, but Vikings fans have plenty of reason to pay attention too. The sixth-round pick from Wake Forest ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, and his burst stood out during the offseason program.
Aaron Jones even compared that explosiveness to Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs. Still, Claiborne has real issues to clean up.
Pro Football Focus says he allowed four pressures and posted a 29.9 grade on 42 pass-blocking snaps last season, and he also coughed up the ball five times after going without a fumble in his first three college seasons. The upside is obvious if he fixes those problems.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler called him a “diet De’Von Achane,” and with new assistant head coach Frank Smith coming over from the Dolphins, there’s at least a path to creative usage in the run game. If not, Claiborne risks becoming just another Ty Chandler.
Domonique Orange may not get the same attention as Banks, but he could matter just as much. The Iowa State lineman, known as “Big Citrus,” put together 66 total tackles and seven tackles for loss over three seasons, and while he had only one sack in four seasons, his value is more likely to show up against the run.
That fits a Vikings defense that ranked seventh against the run last season at four yards per carry, but also gave up 124.1 rushing yards per game, which ranked 21st. Minnesota’s offense is built to create leads and force opponents away from the run, but the interior still has to hold up when teams keep pounding the ball.
At 6-foot-2 and 322 pounds, Orange has the frame to help right away, even if he’s never a three-down player.
Then there’s Jakobe Thomas, who could wind up being one of the more interesting rookies in camp if the Vikings’ safety picture keeps shifting. Fans may hope Harrison Smith shows up for one more run, but that doesn’t look likely in training camp.
Thomas, a third-round pick, offers instincts and versatility, and Flores’s aggressive scheme should suit him. He was a key part of Corey Hetherman’s “Havoc” defense at Miami, and that background could help him adjust quickly.
Still, he’ll have to earn every snap. Jay Ward finished last season strong, and Theo Jackson already has experience, even if his play was uneven at times.
If neither Ward nor Jackson locks down the job, Thomas could have a real opening thanks to his intelligence and ability to do a little bit of everything.
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