After a flying start to the season the Minnesota Vikings hit the bye week with an unbeaten 5-0 record. The bye gives us an opportune moment to sit back and look at how the 2026 Vikings rookies have fared in the early stages of the season.
Bye Week Vikings Rookies Review
It was a peculiar draft for Minnesota, a team that operated without a permanent general manager as Nolan Teasley wasn’t appointed until afterwards. The Vikings selected nine players in the 2026 draft and eight of them made the final roster, while a couple of undrafted Vikings rookies also made the team.
Caleb Banks (DT)
Caleb Banks was an interesting selection by the Vikings as their first-round pick. His injury issues over the last year made it unlikely he’d have an immediate major impact. However, he has physical traits you can’t teach and high-ceiling potential. So far he has got himself healthy enough to be available for the start of the season and play in every game.
Banks has played on 82 (28%) defensive snaps and has 10 tackles including a tackle for loss. He has shown flashes of his potential but patience will have to be exercised as he waits for chances on a defense that is performing incredibly well this season. Banks will have to keep working his way into the defensive line rotation. You only have to look at Dallas Turner to see the rewards that can be reaped with patience.
Jake Golday (LB)
It’s a similar story for second-round pick Jake Golday, who has only played in seven defensive snaps but has been a regular on special teams. Brian Flores likes to ease young players in gradually but a forced fumble on a kickoff return against the Saints is the type of play that gets you noticed. Consistent playing time as an inside linebacker will be difficult without an injury to Blake Cashman or Eric Wilson but Golday’s potential as a pass rusher should see opportunities come his way.
Domonique Orange (DT)
Domonique Orange brought some serious size to the Vikings defensive line with his 6’2, 322-pound frame. He figured in the defensive rotation from Week 1, although his snap count dropped over the last two games. Orange had four tackles including a tackle for loss in the first two games of the season, but hasn’t added to that in the last three. He should still figure plenty this season but Levi Drake-Rodriguez is doing enough to keep his place as the team’s top nose tackle for now.
Caleb Tiernan (OT)
I raised my eyebrows when the Vikings took an offensive tackle with a third-round pick. A running back or edge defender seemed like a bigger priority, but the Vikings selected Caleb Tiernan. Of course, the way Minnesota’s linemen have gotten injured in recent seasons, plenty of depth probably isn’t a bad thing – Christian Darrisaw and Donovan Jackson have already fallen foul of the injury bug. After being inactive for the first three weeks, Tiernan has suited up for two games and seems to have a role as a sixth lineman when the Vikings go into a jumbo package.
Jakobe Thomas (S)
Safety looked like a position that a young player could stake a claim for a major role this season and as a third-round pick eyes were on Jakobe Thomas. A back injury set him back in training camp and though he is now healthy has yet to recover from that setback. A healthy scratch in all five games so far, Thomas has had a disappointing start to life in the pro ranks. Nevertheless, he still has plenty of upside.
Max Bredeson (FB)
We are yet to see Max Bredeson with a rushing attempt or catch but the Vikings rookie is keeping the fullback position relevant in Minnesota. He has played in 26% of offensive snap so far this season. For reference, the now retired CJ Ham played in 28% last season, so Bredeson has stepped in seamlessly. He has already shown he can be effective as a blocker; now we wait to see him make a play with the football.
Chuck Demmings (CB)
Chuck Demmings was one of the Vikings rookies who garnered excitement in training camp and the preseason but that hasn’t resulted in early playing time. Active in only three of the five games so far, Demmings has only played in two defensive snaps and some special teams. With how well the Vikings’ cornerbacks are playing so far this season, Demmings will have to be patient and wait for his chances. He’s currently working on overcoming an injury that sidelined him in Week 4 and Week 5.
Demond Claiborne (RB)
An injury to Jordan Mason in Week 1 should have allowed Demond Claiborne to make a mark. That hasn’t happened. He has just 13 yards from six carries while catching two passes for eight yards. With Mason expected back from injured reserve following the bye week, opportunities for Claiborne are likely to become even more sparse.
Gavin Gerhardt (C)
The Vikings’ last selection in this year’s draft was center Gavin Gerhardt in the seventh round. Gerhardt failed to earn a place on the Vikings roster, and although he was initially signed to the practice squad, that lasted only one day. He was out of Minnesota before the season had even begun and now resides on the Houston Texans practice squad. Expectations should be low for a seventh-rounder, but failing to make the squad makes this a wasted pick.
Jacob Thomas (S)
Jacob Thomas was one of the stories of the Vikings preseason, making a push not only for the roster but serious consideration for playing time until an ankle sprain in the last preseason game set him back. Then the late return of Harrison Smith pushed him down the pecking order. Still, he has suited up for every game and played a total of 22 defensive snaps and been a valuable special teams contributor – putting him ahead of his safety counterpart who was drafted in the third round.
Brett Thorson (P)
There was a punter competition and it was undrafted rookie Brett Thorson who took the job over veteran punter Johnny Hekker. A sore hamstring meant Thorson had to step aside for two weeks with Hekker brought back to deputize but Thorson returned in Week 5 and should continue as the team’s punter barring any more setbacks.