The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh next April, a city that hosts a team, the Steelers, with whom the Vikings will play in Dublin this season. Before next April, though, there will be plenty of speculation and buildup for the team and who they may add to the roster through the draft.
Draft Network’s Jaime Eisner recently released the latest 2026 NFL mock draft of the cycle. After the Vikings’ victory on Monday Night over the Chicago Bears, some needs were made evident from the lone game. One of those needs is a cornerback, which coincides with the pick given to them in the mock draft being Colorado’s D.J. McKinney.
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Eisner explains the pick, saying, “Minnesota needs an upgrade in the secondary, and I’m a big fan of DJ McKinney. He plays the position with attitude and flashes high-level reps in both man and zone coverage. His struggles in press coverage might keep him from being a top-15 pick, but he could step in immediately as a starting outside corner to replace Jeff Okudah, whose contract is expiring.”
The Vikings’ secondary didn’t do awful in the second half, but in the first half, they did the team no favors. The Bears’ receivers were getting open time and again for Caleb Williams, and Ben Johnson’s offense took some time for Brian Flores to solve.
Byron Murphy Jr. can only do the heavy lifting for so long; adding someone like McKinney will do the unit wonders.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings get secondary help in latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft