The Minnesota Vikings are not where they expected to be, in the running to land a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
J.J. McCarthy has struggled in his first year as a starter. He entered Week 14 with the NFL’s third-lowest QBR (24.1) among 50 quarterbacks who have started at least one game. The Vikings offense has been grounded with McCarthy under center, and while he turned a corner, throwing for three touchdowns in a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders, Kevin O’Connell’s offense is still far from its glory days with Sam Darnold or Kirk Cousins at the helm.
That may lead the Vikings to invest more into the offense with their first-round pick in April.
In his latest mock draft, The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner predicted the Vikings to select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, the No. 1 running back draft prospect who is garnering comparisons to Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs.
“Maybe if you overwhelm J.J. McCarthy with enough skill talent to feed an actual group of Vikings, Kevin O’Connell’s paint will finally be able to dry here,” Baumgardner wrote on Dec. 9. “Love is a top-five player in this class, but we’ll see where he winds up — running back is a tough position to predict in terms of draft value. Regardless, he’s the type of offensive asset who can change a team immediately.”
Read more: Vikings RB Aaron Jones’ Awkward JJ McCarthy Comment Turns Heads
Pro Football Focus (PFF) has Love ranked sixth on its draft big board. He is the highest-graded running back in college football with a 92.9 overall grade. ESPN ranked Love as the No. 1 overall prospect of the 2026 draft.
Read more: Vikings Top Candidate to Reunite With 18,000-Yard QB Amid JJ McCarthy Concern
The Vikings would be wise to plan for the future at running back with Aaron Jones turning 31 this year. McCarthy’s struggles have also opened conversations about drafting another quarterback in the first round, but that would run counterintuitive to the patient approach the organization has taken with McCarthy, who is 22 years old, so far.
For more on the Minnesota Vikings and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.