I heard from one team during the draft that said the defensive tackle class was “trash” this year. The Vikings, apparently, disagreed, because they spent two picks in the first three rounds on defensive tackles. Both of these players were reaches, particularly Caleb Banks, who was flunked medically by some teams. I understand that defensive tackle was a need for the Vikings, but they should have recognized the lack of talent at the position this year.

Banks and Dominique Orange weren’t the only reaches. The Vikings spent a second-round pick on third-round linebacker Jake Golday. Another instance of reaching was when the Vikings used a late third-round selection on Jakobe Thomas, whom I had slotted in the middle of Day 3.

It wasn’t all bad for the Vikings. For instance, third-round tackle Caleb Tiernan provided solid value, while fifth-round cornerback Charles Demmings was a nice bargain. However, the Vikings didn’t really make much of an improvement to their roster. In fact, one could argue that they are now way worse than they were entering the 2026 NFL Draft because they traded Jonathan Greenard and didn’t replace him at all. It’d be one thing if they received a nice haul for Greenard, but that wasn’t the case, as two third-round picks was not enough for someone as talented as Greenard.