https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi/3-former-draft-busts-the-vikings-will-finally-give-up-on-this-offseason-01kxkhjy2s29

3 Former Draft Busts the Vikings Will Finally Give Up On This Offseason

The Vikings could throw in the towel on several former draft picks during training camp

With training camp approaching, there may not be a worse time to be a former draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired last January in part due to his poor performance in the draft and with Nolan Teasley taking over as his replacement, he has no connections to any Vikings draft class after being hired in June.

While some of Adofo-Mensah’s picks such as Jordan Addison, Will Reichard and Dallas Turner are clearly on the right side of the roster bubble, others will face an important camp that could determine their future in Minnesota. The fate of some of those players may already be sealed, however, and it could leave the Vikings finally throwing in the towel as the competition heats up this summer.

OT Walter Rouse

A sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft, Rouse was appealing coming out of Oklahoma thanks to his 6-foot-6, 313-pound frame and 52 career starts for the Sooners. The Vikings also saw him as a player who could play multiple positions across the offensive line. But after his first two seasons, there hasn’t been much of a return on that investment.

Rouse did not play at all during his rookie season and managed just 88 offensive snaps during the 2025 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus. The most action he saw came in a Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but that didn’t go well as he posted a respectable 59.0 overall grade but allowed four pressures and a sack on 30 pass-blocking snaps.

After watching Justin Skule flounder in a depth role one year ago, the Vikings couldn’t risk having Rouse fill in if Christian Darrisaw or Brian O’Neill go down this season. It led Minnesota to sign Ryan Van Demark in free agency and use a third-round pick on Caleb Tiernan in last April’s draft and unless Rouse suddenly takes a step forward, it’s likely that his days with the Vikings are numbered.

TE Gavin Bartholomew

Bartholomew was an intriguing addition as a sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft, and there’s a chance he could fight his way onto the roster during training camp. But he also enters this season as a relative unknown thanks to a lower back injury that kept him out his entire rookie season.

The case for Bartholomew is that he had several traits that enticed the Vikings going into last year. He caught 105 passes for 1,257 yards and 11 touchdowns during his four years at Pitt and his draft profile which included a 1.59-second 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine showed the explosiveness that could make him a threat in the receiving game.

Unfortunately, last year’s injury opened the door for Ben Yurosek. Yurosek didn’t see a ton of action last year, catching two passes for 14 yards, but he was a solid player when called upon, posting a 60.5 overall grade and not allowing a single pressure on 13 pass-blocking snaps per PFF.

While Bartholomew has upside, he’ll need to show it quickly to earn the TE3 job behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver.

WR Tai Felton

The Vikings needed depth at receiver entering last offseason, and they believed taking Tai Felton in the third round of the 2025 draft was part of the solution. A strong athletic profile that includes a 4.37-second time in the 40-yard dash and a 39.5-inch vertical caught Minnesota’s attention coming into the draft and wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell became an immediate fan, pounding the table for the Vikings to make the selection.

In this case, the Vikings' culture of collaboration produced a big miss. Felton appeared in all 17 games, but he was largely a special teams player that caught three passes for 25 yards during his rookie season. 

It can be argued that Felton could be following the path of K.J. Osborn, who became a productive receiver for the Vikings after failing to record a catch in his rookie season as a third-rounder in the 2020 draft. But Felton’s case is particularly alarming as Jordan Addison missed the first three games due to suspension and the front office felt it was necessary to trade for Adam Thielen right before the start of the season.

With Dillon Bell performing well during minicamp and the Vikings adding Jauan Jennings in free agency, Felton’s roster spot could already be in jeopardy, leading to a potential early exit this summer.