The Minnesota Vikings’ rookie class has taken a backseat to the drama unfolding at the quarterback position, but a lot is riding on this group’s success.
After years of poor drafts, the Vikings are hoping to buck that trend in 2026 — and they’ll need to. It’s expected that first-round pick Caleb Banks will carve out a starting role. The same could be said for nose tackle Domonique Orange or H-back Max Bredeson. Second-round pick Jake Golday might not have the same immediate expectations, but Minnesota would be much better off if he can contribute immediately.
Some see Golday as the heir apparent to Andrew Van Ginkel. But with Gink still in full control of the starting edge role, Golday has begun his career in Minnesota working at inside linebacker with the expectation that he’ll eventually learn both positions. And with Blake Cashman sidelined during his contract negotiations, Golday has even been getting some runs with the first-team defense at Vikings minicamp.
At 6’4″, Golday has great size for the position and possesses the skills to be a hybrid linebacker who can drop back into coverage and also rush the passer. Sound familiar? But his role with the Vikings in Year 1 is uncertain at best, and it’s not clear how big of a presence he’ll have.
Injuries aside, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious way for Golday to play much outside of special teams. Despite his ability to line up at edge, inside linebacker, or even in the slot, there will be very few instances that Minnesota takes Cashman, Eric Wilson, or the edge rushing duo out of the game. Wilson and Van Ginkel will be 31 at the start of the season, so Golday likely won’t have to wait too long until his time comes. Still, do the Vikings have a plan in mind to speed up that timeline?
Ivan Pace appears to have fallen out of favor in Minnesota, and it wouldn’t take much for Golday to leapfrog him on the depth chart. It’s not a starting role, but it would be a nice ramp-up to that job in 2027, when one of Wilson, Cashman, or Van Ginkel would yield that job to him. And with the depth at edge rusher razor thin, Golday could be the first man off the bench for multiple positions, giving him a starter-esque workload splitting the time between off-ball and edge.
The Vikings are bringing him along slowly. Still, Golday has already had a chance to learn from most everyone he might replace someday.
“I talk to Andrew a lot,” Golday said about his relationship with the linebackers. “We’re actually really close in the locker room. We’re not in the same position group, but when I’m out here I’m picking his brain all the time. There’s a lot of times — different packages — where I get thrown into the position that he plays, so being able to learn from him has been amazing.”
Day 2 picks haven’t exactly taken off for the Vikings in the past few years. From Andrew Booth to Mekhi Blackmon to Tai Felton, Minnesota has yet to see much in the way of production from their second- and third-rounders lately. But Golday may be the player to break the troubling trend, and Brian Flores is giving the rookie all he can handle, which certainly feels like a compliment from the stoic defensive coordinator.
“Jake, and really the entire group of rookies, they’re all really doing a great job as far as taking any information we throw at them,” said Flores. “Specific to Jake, just being able to play different roles and really learn and grow and improve.”
The Vikings may not need Golday this season like a Banks or an Orange, but there’s no question that his skills would elevate the defense in multiple ways. Flores loves “Joker” players who can line up all over the field, and Golday fits that bill. But being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none can also have its drawbacks. It all depends on how quickly Golday can pick things up.
Minnesota drafted Golday to address a future need, but he may be too good to keep in the garage for a year. There’s a world where, despite the recent extension, Golday surpasses Wilson on the depth chart at some point this season.
It may be a bit nebulous what his actual role will be for much of training camp and maybe even into the preseason. But Flores might find a way to get the rookie on the field in any way he can — whether it be edge, off-ball, or maybe even the designated diver on Tush Push calls. Golday could certainly handle all of it.
