Like the NFL Draft itself, post-draft grades are a crapshoot.

Of course, that doesn't prevent people from prematurely assessing teams' draft hauls. Fair or not, there's an abundance of report cards, with good and bad marks, essentially evaluating the evaluations – i.e. did the scouting departments pass or fail; what letter grade can be attached to their performance?

On Monday, we delved into the wide range of expert opinions on Minnesota's Draft Class of 2025.

While they weren't all glowing, there were many positive reviews. A couple selections in particular impressed the crowd: offensive lineman Donovan Jackson and defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins.

The 24^th and 139^th overall choices by the Vikings were included Tuesday in Field Yates' rundown of his favorite draft picks in every round. The ESPN analyst said he factored in "value, fit and what the player will bring to the team, among other things," when he formed his list, which features 36 players.

Yates shared he was "bullish" on Jackson going into the draft, ranking him the 20^th player on his board, notably higher than NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah had him (No. 41), as well as The Athletic's Dane Brugler (48).

Jackson's versatility (he starred at left guard and left tackle in Ohio State's National Championship run), toughness and physicality made him a worthy pick at that slot for Yates. His drafting provides Minnesota a possible starting five of Christian Darrisaw, Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries and Brian O'Neill.

Yates gushed over the big-picture offensive strategy.

The Vikings talked all offseason about being better in the trenches ahead of J.J. McCarthy's inaugural season at starting quarterback; they lived up to that promise in free agency and with this selection.

Along with Jackson, Fields' favorite first-rounders were WR/CB Travis Hunter (2nd; Jacksonville), TE Tyler Warren (14th; Indianapolis), OL Grey Zabel (18th; Seattle) and LB Jihaad Campbell (31st; Philadelphia).

Minnesota nailed its pick in Round 5, as well, according to Yates:

Few NFL coordinators use more creativity up front than Brian Flores, who probably believes in Ingram-Dawkins' multiplicity as a player.

Yates recognized that Ingram-Dawkins was seldom asked to "simply focus on the quarterback" because he was part of such a fiercely talented Georgia defensive front; his five sacks in the past three seasons leaves a lot to be desired. But his length, power and versatility make him a player with fantastic upside.

Additionally, Yates loved these Round 5 picks: CB Mac McWilliams (145th; Eagles), WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (158th; Chargers), CB Zah Frazier (169th; Bears) and TE Jackson Hawes (173rd; Bills).

Check out Yates' full article here.

Farewell for now to mock drafts

If NFL Draft grades seem overhasty, buckle up.

What better way to close out Draft Szn than with a way-way-too-early mock of the 2026 cycle?

We're in luck thanks to FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang, who on Tuesday unveiled a first look at who is coming up the pipeline, plus tried matching 32 highly regarded players to clubs a year in advance.

Let's cut to the chase!

At No. 21 in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select … Sonny Styles. Linebacker. Ohio State.

Rang wrote the following:

Scouts can check a lot of boxes with Styles, an NFL legacy who began his college career at safety before emerging at linebacker during the Buckeyes' championship run. As his experience in the secondary suggests, Styles is a top-notch athlete, but it's his disruptive play near the line of scrimmage against Texas in the Cotton Bowl (three tackles for loss, including a sack) that will have scouts most intrigued.

Styles, a native of Pickerington, Ohio, is the son of former NFL linebacker Lorenzo Styles, Sr., who was a third-round pick of the Falcons in 1995 and played six seasons, winning Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams.

In 2024, Styles recorded 100 tackles (48 solo), including 10.5 for a loss and six sacks. His older brother, Lorenzo, Jr., transferred from Notre Dame before the 2023 slate and is a cornerback on the Buckeyes.

Rang's projection is interesting because Styles has positional flexibility important to Flores' defense; he played 132 snaps on the line of scrimmage, 590 in the box and 163 over the slot in 2024.

That kind of workload resembles Vikings safety Joshua Metellus' usage – so, there's a precedent.

In case you're curious, Rang filed Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who has only two starts under his belt, as the top 2026 selection. The nephew of Peyton and Eli was accompanied in the Top 5 by Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, Ohio State S Caleb Downs, Clemson DE T.J. Parker and Texas LB Anthony Hill, Jr.

Rang's complete first-round mock draft for next year is available here.

View the Vikings 2025 Draft Picks.

View the Vikings 2025 Opponents.