Kevin O’Connell has mentioned several times over the past several months that he views EDGE rushers Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner as “three starters.” However, that doesn’t mean the Minnesota Vikings won’t target another EDGE rusher in next year’s draft.
Some fans are already peeking ahead at next year’s mock drafts. And although it’s probably too early for most Vikings fans to do so, they haven’t gotten off to the strong start they hoped for after going 14-3 in 2024.
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Blake Brockermeyer of CBS Sports released a mock draft this week, and he has the Vikings picking 17th. From there, he has them land Texas Tech EDGE rusher David Bailey.
Bailey is a natural pass-rusher with the ability to win with speed off the edge, and he shows exceptional quickness in condensed spaces. He needs to continue to stack up good film against Big 12 competition.
Brockermeyer lists Bailey as his second-ranked EDGE prospect and 30th-ranked player overall. At first, the pick may not seem logical, as Greenard and Van Ginkel are savvy veterans, and the team is hoping that Turner continues to improve.
But Van Ginkel has missed two games this season and only played eight snaps in Week 3. He missed Wednesday’s practice with a neck injury, putting his status for Sunday’s game against the Browns in London in jeopardy. And he’s 30, the age where careers can begin to fall off in the NFL. Greenard is still 28, but Turner has yet to establish himself fully.
Bailey could be a good short-term insurance policy and a strong long-term solution. It still remains to be seen if the Vikings can ever find their footing in 2025. But if they do indeed finish with the 17th overall pick in the draft, all options could be on the table entering the offseason.
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This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings get edge help in latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft