As the Vikings navigated free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, bringing in players from the pro and college ranks, we’ve taken a deeper look at newcomers’ games — the ways they’ve stood out; why their fit with Minnesota makes sense; and what was said about them in early evaluations, and more recently. We previously studied free-agent signings Kyler Murray, James Pierre and Jauan Jennings. Now, the club’s Top 5 draft picks: Caleb Banks, Jake Golday, Domonique Orange, Caleb Tiernan and Jakobe Thomas. These features are intended to present the skills and backgrounds of players new to the Vikings fan base.
After re-sizing its defensive line with Caleb Banks in the first round two months ago, Minnesota selected in Round 3 (82nd overall) a double-team-defiant defensive lineman out of Iowa State named Domonique Orange, who is beloved, already, by the football community because of his purple-licious — er, pulp-a-licious — nickname. “Big Citrus” is a wide body (6-foot-2 3/8 and 322 pounds) sculpted in the image of football gods to fulfill a three-fold purpose at minimum: set the line of scrimmage, hinder inside runs and stall blockers from climbing to the second level so that linebackers can reap rewards from his works.
Although Orange’s production on the Cyclones peaked two years ago — 24 tackles, including 4.5 for losses and a sack — his role was largest in 2025 when he averaged 45.6 snaps per game on defense and was an All-Big 12 Third-Team honoree. In his final college hurrah, Orange lined up as a nose tackle on 412 of 547 snaps (75.3 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. He wasn’t as one-dimensional, if you will, in 2024 when he put his finger in the dirt directly across the center on 47.7% of his snaps. His usage last season, however, mirrored his sophomore year and first in the starting mix when he played 81% of his snaps over the nose. For what it’s worth, Orange’s top season statistically (2024) featured an average tackle depth of 1.3 yards, per PFF, which tied for 44th nationally among interior d-linemen (min. 150 run defense snaps) and was equivalent to 2025 first-rounder Walter Nolen and edged out 2025 first-rounder Derrick Harmon (1.4). While that stat contains variables, it’s a snapshot indicator of Orange’s knockback.
Trivial as it may be, Orange is the first player drafted 82nd overall by the Vikings. He’s also just the fifth player added through the annual event out of the 134-year-old program in not-so-far-away Ames, Iowa. The most notable of course is Vikings Ring of Honor linebacker Matt Blair, who was the 51st pick in 1974.