October feels early to be doing mock drafts, but with both the college and NFL seasons somewhere around the midpoint, the picture for what might happen next April is beginning to take shape.
Minnesota Vikings fans like to lament general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's draft record, which has only marginally improved from the disaster class that was his first draft class in 2022.
But if some players in the last couple of drafts develop as hoped, that track record will start looking better quickly.
The best NFL teams aren't married to drafting for need, and in a broad sense, the Vikings should be in that position in the first round of the 2026 draft.