After the 2026 NFL Draft, NFL.com released a new batch of power rankings, placing the Minnesota Vikings at No. 28, also known as the fifth-worst squad in the business. Now, ESPN has followed suit, keeping the purple team in the toilet but with a bit more respect at No. 24.
Minnesota’s roster looks stronger than the national rankings suggest.
To put it plainly, the NFL media machine just doesn’t think Minnesota will be very good in 2026.
Kyler Murray Gives Minnesota the Obvious Rebuttal
Where would you toss the Vikings in your personal power rankings?
ESPN Power Rankings: Vikings at 9th-Worst
ESPN situated Minnesota and No. 24, and Kevin Seifert explained the most improved roster position: “Most improved position: Quarterback. The Vikings did some good work at defensive tackle in the draft, but they had long ago accomplished the most important task of the offseason by building a more competitive QB room.”
“Kyler Murray was the best quarterback available this offseason, and he will cost the Vikings only $1.3 million while the Cardinals pay the remainder of his $37.6 million salary. Instead of simply hoping J.J. McCarthy will take the necessary steps forward, the Vikings have a proven veteran with arguably higher upside in Murray.”
Murray will battle McCarthy this summer for the QB1 job at training camp, though most expect Murray to prevail — somewhat easily.
“And if it doesn’t work out, the Vikings brought back Carson Wentz to ensure the position will have a higher floor than it did last season,” Seifert concluded.
Just a Bit Mind-Boggling
Such power rankings continue to be confusing for a handful of reasons.
- Minnesota finished 9-8 last season; they are not starting from a position of tremendous weakness. Concurrently, power rankings treat the franchise as if it finished 5-12 or 6-11 last year.
- The Vikings’ defense ranked third in the NFL last year per EPA/Play and DVOA. Teams with great defenses don’t usually struggle or end up low in power rankings.
- Minnesota signed Murray for the QB1 job in March; he’s a two-time Pro Bowler and an immediate upgrade over McCarthy.
- Rarely does Minnesota have back-to-back underwhelming seasons.
- The Vikings still have weapons on offense like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Mason.
Those components do not have the makings of the NFL’s 24th-best team.
Thankfully, Power Rankings Are Not Important
The Vikings have one simple goal in 2026 regarding power rankings: to defy their 24th-place NFL standing.
Last season, Minnesota finished 9-8, despite quarterback play that ranked fifth-worst in the league by Dropback EPA. The big bet here is that Murray will immediately boost their floor and blow off the ceiling.
However, this is just a May power ranking, released four months before the season begins. No one will remember ESPN’s thoughts next fall if the Vikings start racking up wins and make the playoffs. Power rankings are simply a snapshot of current opinion.
A Twist from SI.com
To an extent, a different website gave Minnesota its flowers, at least compared to ESPN. SI.com ranked Minnesota as the NFL’s 19th-best team, sandwiched between the Detroit Lions at No. 18 and the Green Bay Packers at No. 20.
Conor Orr from that site opined, “I think we forget that the Vikings won nine games last season with a ridiculous carousel of quarterbacks, including a version of Carson Wentz so injured that a police report should have been filed. While we can all pile on the Caleb Banks pick, this was a draft of wild swings.”
“Banks may be a team’s only crack at a defensive tackle that can wreck games. And without a GM at the wheel, why not let DC Brian Flores have a voice?”
Last month, CBS Sports‘ Jordan Dajani dropped Minnesota at No. 24 like ESPN and noted, “The Vikings missed the playoffs last year for the second time in four seasons under Kevin O’Connell, despite winning their final five games after a 4-8 start. Former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy didn’t do enough to secure the starting job, prompting Minnesota to bring in Kyler Murray to compete.”
“With an aggressive Brian Flores defense and one of the best wide receivers in Justin Jefferson, there’s urgency to build a roster that complements the team’s strengths.”
Sportsbooks predict the Vikings to finish around 8-9 or 9-8. The next stop in the offseason is the schedule release, which should be about one week away. The Vikings will have nine home games this go-round and are expected to face a middle-of-the-road opponent docket per strength of schedule. The NFC North, of course, will probably be quite the murderer’s row once again.
