In less than a week, the Minnesota Vikings return to training camp, and the competition for roster spots will begin. Even so, it’s never too early to make predictions about who might make the cut and who might be pursuing their NFL career elsewhere. I took a look at the entire roster and made my way-too-early predictions on which players will make the final 52-man roster.
QB: J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell, Brett Rypien
Starting with the leaders of the offense, we have the projected quarterbacks for this Vikings’ season. Max Brosmer has reportedly turned some heads in mini-camp, but I still can’t see Kevin O’Connell going away from a proven third-string quarterback in Brett Rypien. That said, I do see the Vikings bringing Max Brosmer back on their practice squad as they hope to turn him into a true future backup like they never got the opportunity to with former 5th-round pick Jaren Hall.
RB: Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Ty Chandler
Some speculate that Ty Chandler could be on his way out this season, but even though he was ineffective in 2024, he still doesn’t have much competition for the RB3 spot. Tre Stewart was brought in as a UDFA, and I expect that he will remain on the team in a practice squad spot. It’s possible that he beats out Chandler, but in training camps where running backs are rarely brought to the ground, it can be hard for a coach to put one over the other for certain. For that reason, I predict that Ty Chandler will stick around for at least one more season.
FB: C.J. Ham
C.J. Ham.
WR: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Lucky Jackson
This may be a bit bold, but I foresee Lucky Jackson finally making the Vikings roster this season. He’s been a camp body for several years, and with the departures of Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield, this is the year he can make his big leap and fit into the receiver room as a depth piece. Rondale Moore’s career has been marred by injuries, and while he still has the potential to be a great player, the fit just feels slightly off here. Kevin O’Connell has shown an appreciation for players with size who can play a similar role that Trent Sherfield did in the blocking game. If Lucky Jackson could slide into that role, then Kevin O’Connell can finally lock down that spot and solidify the receiver room. Silas Bolden is another interesting camp receiver that I could see making the practice squad and potentially the 52-man roster in a future season.
TE: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Gavin Bartholomew
It’s no secret that Kevin O’Connell values the tight end 3 position based on his words about Johnny Mundt in 2023, so drafting Gavin Bartholomew made perfect sense for the Vikings. Josh Oliver just got his big extension, and T.J. Hockenson is still T.J. Hockenson, so I don’t expect any surprises at the tight end position coming out of camp this year.
OT: Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill, Walter Rouse, Justin Skule
With Darrisaw’s status for early in the season still up in the air, it will be up to either Rouse or Skule to step up into that left tackle spot should he miss any time. Logan Brown, a UDFA tackle from Kansas, is a fascinating member of this room that might be worth looking at. I have him as a practice squad guy for now, but he could easily improve his position with a strong showing at camp.
IOL: Will Fries, Donovan Jackson, Blake Brandel, Ryan Kelly, Michael Jurgens
The Vikings have invested majorly in their interior offensive line this offseason, so there shouldn’t be too many surprises here. There’s always the possibility of another late off-season Dalton Risner signing, but with the current depth of the room, I wouldn’t count on it this time around.
CB: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Mekhi Blackmon, Dwight McGlothern, Jeff Okudah
Barring a surprise last-second cornerback trade, it feels like Flores’ secondary is pretty much set in stone. Jeff Okudah is a fringe roster player, and the rookie corner from Utah, Zemaiah Vaughn, has made a name for himself in mini-camp. However, with Okudah’s size and experience, I still see him working in as a depth piece with Vaughn being assigned to the practice squad.
S: Harrison Smith, Theo Jackson, Josh Metellus, Jay Ward
Although the Vikings have rostered more safeties in the past due to Flores’ scheme, I can’t see them doing the same this year. Fabian Moreau and Cam Bynum’s departures make this room seem a bit barren, but there’s still a ton of talent in the limited number of players left. Jay Ward is an important player to the special teams unit, and Josh Metellus’ impact on this defense has spoken for itself in the last two seasons.
MLB: Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., Eric Wilson, Kobe King
Even with his contributions to the special teams unit, I don’t think Brian Asomah will make the 52 in the 2025 season. He was drafted in 2022 and has yet to see major playing time in any of his three seasons. If cut, Asomoah could certainly find himself on another roster due to his athletic profile, but he never really found a role in Brian Flores’ defense. Rookie linebacker Kobe King probably won’t play much this season, but he’s a solid developmental piece that will be interesting to follow throughout the next few years.
Edge Rusher: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Gabriel Murphy, Bo Richter
Two UDFA edge rushers make the roster in this prediction, which, for those who know how Brian Flores evaluates talent, isn’t a huge surprise. Both Murphy and Richter were signed by the Vikings last year, with Murphy even getting a little bit of regular-season playing time. It seems like the Vikings expect both of these players to take a step forward based on the fact that they haven’t signed anybody else. Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Turner are still solidly locked into the first three spots, but Flores’ rotation could expand if they do take that expected step forward.
DT: Harrison Phillips, Levi Drake-Rodriguez
Levi Drake-Rodriguez made the roster last year, and I expect that he will again this season. He was inactive for most of the 2024 season, but with the departure of Jerry Tillery, I expect him to get some meaningful playing time this year.
DE: Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Jalen Redmond
Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave were two of the biggest offseason signings for the Vikings, but there’s still a lot of intrigue surrounding the depth players in Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Jalen Redmond. Redmond played a chunk of snaps last season and made his impact felt in his limited playing time. Ingram-Dawkins is a rookie 5th-rounder with a high motor, but a limited sample size during his time at Georgia. Both should be expected to play in some capacity if Flores continues his usual deep defensive line rotation this year.
