Who will the Minnesota Vikings take in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft? Here's what the experts think.
The Minnesota Vikings are set to make their first draft pick of a new era Thursday night.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired in January, and longtime personnel executive Rob Brzezinski is set to captain the draft in the absence of a permanent replacement. It's an unusual situation, but Brzezinski has been with the team for more than a quarter-century and is highly regarded.
With plenty of roster needs, Minnesota could go a number of different ways with its first-round pick. They could seek a starter at multiple defensive spots, supplement their offense or even trade the pick away.
Here's what CBS Sports' experts think the Vikings will do, according to their latest mock drafts.
Safety Dillon Thieneman
Three of the six experts — Mike Renner, Garrett Podell and Josh Edwards — have the Vikings drafting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman as a Harrison Smith replacement.
"Thieneman is the type of versatile coverage player who can be a weapon in Brian Flores' defense," Renner wrote. "His range and ball skills are special on the back end."
The Vikings have been tied to the 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety for much of the draft process due to Smith's possible retirement and lack of impactful players at the position behind him.
CBS Sports ranks Thieneman as the draft's third-best safety and the Nov. 47 overall prospect.
Defensive tackle Peter Woods
Ryan Wilson and Pete Prisco peg the pick as Peter Woods, a 6-foot-3, 298-pound defensive lineman from Clemson.
Woods was a highly touted prospect before last college football season, but a down year for him and Clemson as a whole has dropped him down draft boards a bit. Still, he is CBS Sports' No. 1 DT prospect, and Prisco notes "he has the tools to be a big-time player inside."
Effort questions and the need for a true plugger in the middle could lead the Vikings to look at other tackles in the draft, but there's no denying Woods' raw talent.
Cornerback Jermod McCoy
Blake Brockermeyer is the lone expert to mock Tennessee's Jermod McCoy to Minnesota.
McCoy is actually CBS Sports' top-ranked corner and the No. 6 overall prospect. But an ACL injury that caused him to miss all of last season could scare teams off and cause him to slip. Before his injury, he was seen as one of the top corners in all of college football.
"Between his high-end athleticism and exceptional ball skills, McCoy has everything you could want to be a top-flight man corner in the NFL — except junior tape," CBS Sports' scouting profile reads.
McCoy is young (20 years old), fast and has the size to play outside at 6-foot-1. If he's fully recovered from injury, he would be an excellent addition to Brian Flores' defense.