Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is getting set for his fourth draft with the team.
The Minnesota Vikings will be making the 24th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday.
GM Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah told Vikings.com on April 17 during an interview about draft strategy, “You have to earn the right to be the type of team, the type of organization that drafts for impact and not need,” Adofo-Mensah said. It will be his fourth draft at the helm of the Vikings.
He added, “Football is a sport with variance day-to-day, variance game-to-game, quarter-to-quarter, play-to-play, and so the thing that I think – and I don’t know that there’s a test for this – but I think the thing that will allow players to succeed is buy-in from myself, (head coach) Kevin (O’Connell), his staff, my staff, so when he has that bad day – ‘Hey guys!’ – we all look each other in the eye and remember why we wanted this person to be here, and all those skill sets we thought they had in him. So we’ll give him the time and patience to be able to achieve those things. So that’ll be the thing that swings me.”
Here are three players the Vikings could take with pick No. 24 the 2025 NFL draft (if they don’t trade down):
1. CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron is a popular pick for the Vikings in the latest mock drafts from experts across the media landscape. Barron played for four seasons at Texas and won the Jim Thorpe Award in his senior year as the nation’s top defensive back.
Barron is projected to go to the Vikings with the 24th pick in mock drafts from Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
Campbell wrote in his April 22 mock draft, “Barron is an instinctive corner who is a willing tackler and showed improved ball skills as a senior. In 2024, Barron had 67 tackles with five interceptions and 11 passes broken up. He had 59 tackles with an interception and five breakups the previous season. Barron (5-11, 200) could fit as a slot or outside corner in the NFL.”
Brugler wrote in his April 21 mock draft, “Interior offensive or defensive line very easily could be the pick here, but the Vikings might address the secondary if the right player is on the board. It’s fun imagining the ways Brian Flores could use a versatile and athletic weapon like Barron.”
2. S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Other experts are projecting Minnesota will turn to another defensive back with the 24th pick: South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. He played three seasons for the Gamecocks and was an All-SEC first teamer and Associated Press First-Team All-American during his junior year.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com, The Ringer’s Danny Kelly and Sharp Football Analysis’ Brendan Donahue are among the experts mocking Emmanwori to the Vikings.
Brooks wrote in his April 22 mock draft, “Emmanwori can learn from Harrison Smith, who has been in the Vikings’ backfield for 13 seasons, before sliding in as the next potential fixture at safety in Minnesota.”
Kelly wrote on April 23, “The Vikings grab their long-term successor to Harrison Smith. Emmanwori is a big, extraordinary athlete with excellent speed and explosiveness, allowing him to fly around the secondary. He brings strong instincts to break up passes and provides an intimidation factor in the run defense.”
According to Donahue, “The Vikings could be a candidate to trade back as they only hold four picks in this draft, but if they do stick and pick, Emmanwori would be a great addition to a Brian Flores defense that needs to add some athleticism to their secondary. Emmanwori is the favorite to be the first safety drafted at -145.”
3. G Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
While many experts are predicting the Vikings will pick a defensive back or trade down on Thursday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has them going in another direction. In his April 15 mock draft alongside Field Yates, Kiper has Minnesota selecting Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson with the 24th pick.
Jackson helped lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship victory during his senior season. He was a first-team All-American in 2024 and a 3-time First Team All-Big Ten.
Kiper wrote, “The Vikings knew they had to address the interior this offseason and went out and signed guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly. But Jackson would represent an upgrade over Blake Brandel at the other guard spot. Jackson has some really strong movement traits.”
