The Minnesota Vikings possess the veteran leadership and talent to return to the playoffs in 2025. But how far they go in the playoffs will hinge on their young talent.

Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have seen lots of success in their three years with the Vikings despite not getting much production from their draft classes. The 2022 class was a flop. The 2023 class had Jordan Addison and little else. And the 2024 class remains to be seen.

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However, the 2025 season could see more contributions from the 2023 and 2024 classes, as well as this year’s rookies. If the Vikings can see the returns from those players and once again hit on their new free agents, Minnesota could be playing football into late January.

Here are the three best Vikings players under the age of 25 heading into the 2025 season.

Jordan Addison, Wide Receiver, 23 Years Old

This is the only player on the list who is established in the league. Addison has caught 133 passes for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns through two seasons. He could be a WR1 on many teams, but is an excellent complement to Justin Jefferson in Minnesota. His success in 2025 largely hinges on the maturation of his new quarterback, J.J. McCarthy.

J.J. McCarthy, Quarterback, 22 Years Old

This is a fairly bold spot for a guy who has yet to take a meaningful NFL snap. Like I said above, the Vikings haven’t had a ton of success from their draft classes thus far. But if McCarthy can perform like a league-average quarterback in O’Connell’s system, the Vikings may have their first long-term solution at quarterback since Tommy Kramer.

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Coaches and teammates raved about his demeanor during minicamp and OTAs, so it seems as if he has the maturity to be the answer. Let’s see if he can put it together when the games matter.

Dallas Turner, EDGE, 22 Years Old

Turner got a bad rap in 2024 after being buried on the Vikings’ depth chart behind Pro Bowlers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. However, Brian Flores implements a complex scheme, and asking veterans who are performing at such a high level to come off the field is a tall task. The training wheels will be off in 2025, though, and the Vikings will want to see Turner play more than 310 snaps and increase his production (three sacks as a rookie).

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Best Vikings players under the age of 25 heading into the 2025 season