The Minnesota Vikings had an applaudable regular season with a record of 14-3, but their late-season collapse has many questioning their future direction.
Quarterback Sam Darnold shocked everyone with his breakout campaign, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns. He did, however, crumble when it mattered most, and rookie QB J.J. McCarthy is waiting for his number to be called. Regardless of who their QB is at the start of next season, no one viewed their run game as the problem.
Aaron Jones and Cam Akers made for a respectable RB duo, but both are hitting free agency this summer. If they are unable to bring back the tandem, the Vikings could turn to the 2025 NFL Draft for assistance in the backfield.
Vikings Predicted To Land RB Ashton Jeanty in Shocking 2025 NFL Draft Move
Minnesota has the No. 24 pick in Round 1, and there’s no telling if the Boise State superstar is even available at that point. The Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos are organizations that select ahead of the Vikings and are all rumored to be fits for Jeanty.
Still, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli predicted the Vikings to land Jeanty in a surprising Round 1 move at No. 24.
“We saw running backs have a huge impact for a lot of the best teams in the NFL this year, but will that change how teams look at them in the draft?” Fornelli wrote. “As a player, Jeanty is a top-five prospect in the class, but that’s not how RBs are looked at when chosen. Aaron Jones isn’t getting younger, and Jeanty gives the Vikings yet another incredible weapon on offense.”
Darnold or McCarthy would have a weapon room of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Jeanty at their disposal. It’s hard to imagine yet another disappointing conclusion to the year with that many stars for head coach Kevin O’Connell to scheme plays for.
Where Does PFSN Analysts Predict Jeanty Will Land?
In PFSN’s February Round 1 2025 NFL Mock Draft, Marco Enriquez projects the Heisman Trophy runner-up to play alongside former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams with the Bears.
“It’s no secret that the Bears need to address their offensive line. With the current list of players available via free agency, I would not be surprised to see them add some key pieces like Trey Smith, Will Fries, or Kevin Zeitler before the draft,” Enriquez wrote. “This would give them flexibility in the first round and the ability to target a center in the second round.”
The Bears’ offense ranked No. 30 in PFN’s Offense+ metric, while the Vikings slotted at No. 13. It’s clear Chicago is in greater need of Jeanty’s generational tackle-breaking ability and explosiveness, but boosting Minnesota’s offense into the top 10 is also a solid idea.
Meanwhile, in Ian Cummings’ 7-Round February Mock Draft, Jeanty is mocked to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cummings said, “Running backs matter again. And a running back like Ashton Jeanty can be an offense’s most valuable player. Jeanty is a special RB talent, with a near-generational evasion fusion that combines elusiveness, contact balance, vision, and relentlessness.”
This jives with what new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said about his offensive philosophy during his introductory press conference in late January.
“I’ve had pretty good success with my quarterback in the past, going all the way back to college days and they’ve all turned out to be really extraordinary members of our club,” Caroll said.
“There’s a way to embrace the challenge that the quarterback has from the rest of the football team as well. We need to support our guy, and we need to do what we can to make that work. It’s really about making a great football team around the quarterback position.”
With current quarterback Aidan O’Connell unlikely to be the long-term answer, and with a shallow pool of first-round quarterbacks in this year’s draft, Jeanty makes a lot of sense to the Raiders to start building around whoever their QB will be this year and in the future.
