Vikings Must Overhaul Their Crippling Secondary Deficiency Before It Triggers A Franchise-Defining Implosion

The Minnesota Vikings had a strong season last year, and they’re trying to build on that heading into the 2025-26 run. Now that the team has their new quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, back and healthy, and he’ll be playing his first game in the NFL this season, which is exciting. But, they’ll need more than McCarthy, who is still an unknown, if they want to top the NFC North for the 2025-26 season.

While most postseason tallies have the Vikings as one of the contenders in the NFC and league, there are some areas of weakness. Looking ahead to the future of the franchise, there’s a big one that the team should address.

So, where does Minnesota need to improve? One of the most important pieces of any team is how many young players they have in the squad. The younger the team, the better that team is suited for the future. With that in mind, ESPN has a new tally out of the best NFL rosters under the age of 25. Let’s get into where the Vikings stand.

Minnesota Vikings Lacking in 1 Area for the Future

GettyJalen Nailor #83 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates a second quarter touchdown with teammates against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29.

Aaron Schatz of ESPN has a fresh article out, published on Tuesday, July 29, discussing the top teams in the NFL with players under the age of 25. Young talent, of course, is a positive thing on any team.

Schatz notes in the article that “NFL teams don’t need young talent to be serious contenders, but having it helps indicate their potential for long-term success. Blue-chip players are cornerstone assets from whom teams will likely derive their biggest future value.”

As for where the Vikings land, it’s not great. They’re No. 21 on the tally. They could be worse but certainly could be better.

“The top young talents for the Vikings are impressive, but it’s notable that they don’t have a huge number of recently drafted players,” Schatz states in the piece. “There are only four players on their roster who are under 25 and played more than five games in 2024, plus the Vikings did not have a selection in the second or fourth rounds of this April’s draft.”

He adds that the “other three young players with experience are linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (24), kicker Will Reichard (24) and last year’s first-round pick, edge rusher Dallas Turner (22). The Vikings also have their 2025 rookies, led by 22-year-old guard Donovan Jackson.”

The Youngest Team in the League

So, which NFL team is No. 1 as far as being the youngest? It’s the Houston Texans. “For the third straight year, the Houston Texans are No. 1 on this list of teams with the most under-25 talent, which is what happens when they trade up to get the top two picks in the draft and take two players who are very young,” he states.

But, looking at more of the immediate future, with power rankings, PFF’s power rankings have the Vikings at No. 7, which is great. “Kevin O’Connell has a proven track record of maximizing quarterback play, as evidenced by Sam Darnold’s career-best 82.0 PFF grade in 2024,” they state. “Expectations will be the same for McCarthy’s development as he steps into the starting role.”