After addressing virtually all of their weaknesses in free agency via a $300 million spending spree, the Vikings used the 2025 NFL Draft to add depth across the roster.

Though they didn’t have many picks at their disposal, the Vikings still managed to add talented players on both sides of the ball. It will be interesting to see them up close and personal next month during rookie minicamp

Here’s a look at the full 2025 draft class:

Donovan Jackson (Round 1, Pick 24)

Position: Left Guard

College: Ohio State

Analysis: It’s safe to assume that Jackson is already the favorite to take over at left guard. He has has the power needed to anchor in the pass game and pave the way in the run game. He also has a good combination of speed and quickness that should help him excel in the trenches at the next level. The biggest competition for Jackson as of right now is Blake Brandel. He was the incumbent at left guard from last season and will still try to prove himself as a viable option.

Tai Felton (Round 3, Pick 102)

Position: Receiver

College: Maryland

Analysis: The speed that Felton brings to table stands out above everything else. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds, which, in turn, should help him be able to take the top of the defense whenever he’s on the field. After working on the outside for most of his career, Felton has recently started to develop his craft on the inside. He also has the ability to contribute on special teams if that’s what he’s asked to do.

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (Round 5, Pick 139)

Position: Defensive Tackle

College: Georgia

Analysis: The fact that Ingram-Dawkins can play multiple positions on the defensive line could help him carve out a niche for himself sooner rather than later. Think kind of like what Jihad Ward did last season in his limited snaps. The athleticism that Ingram Dawkins possesses should allow him to make an impact as a rotational pass rusher right off the bat.

Kobe King (Round 6, Pick 201)

Position: Linebacker

College: Penn State

Analysis: There’s a violence to the way that King tackles that fits the way Brian Flores like to play defense. It’s not hard to imagine King being able to stop the run should translate from the onset. He will need to show improvement in coverage in order to garner more playing time. If he wants to see the field early in his career, King would be wise to make himself useful on special teams.

Gavin Bartholomew (Round 6, Pick 202)

Position: Tight End

College: Pittsburgh

Analysis: Looking at Bartholomew, he’s certainly more T.J. Hockenson than he is Josh Oliver. He has showcased some natural skills catching the ball. He will needs to continue to prove himself as a blocker. Luckily for Bartholomew, he won’t be asked to do too much right away with Hockenson and Oliver in front of him.

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There comes a point when Timberwolves guard Mike Conley believes his team simply stops thinking and shifts into a gear with a sole purpose: “We just do what is necessary at that moment.”

Minnesota entered that mode in the third quarter of its critical Game 3 victory.

The Lakers buried four triples over the final five and a half minutes of the frame, and yet Minnesota’s lead didn’t shift an inch in the aggregate. Because everything Los Angeles did via its shotmaking was offset by what the Wolves produced via hustle and grit.

Minnesota produced four buckets over a three-minute span near the end of the third quarter in a stretch that defined who this team is when it’s at its best.

Three minutes of Timberwolves, described in four plays:

No. 1: DiVincenzo’s tip in

Minnesota led 72-70 with just north of five minutes to play in the third quarter when Jaden McDaniels missed a turnaround, mid-range jumper. But Donte DiVincenzo, who struggled from the field Friday, soared in for a tip-in bucket.

Luka Doncic, who defended McDaniels well on the play, threw his hands in the air at the play’s conclusion.

No. 2: Ant’s steal and dunk

With the Wolves up 74-72, Anthony Edwards and McDaniels both missed 3-point tries on a Wolves possession, which seemingly ended with a Luka Doncic defensive rebound.

But rather than retreating on defense, Edwards snuck around the backside to poke the ball away from Doncic. It ricocheted back to the Wolves’ star guard, who first retreated to the corner before identifying an open path to the bucket.

He went at Doncic with a head of steam and finished a flush.

No. 3: Gobert’s steal to McDaniels’ finish

Doncic’s game-winning triple in last year’s West Finals lives forever in two places: social media and the nightmares of Wolves’ fans.

But Gobert exacted a smidge of revenge with Minnesota leading 77-75. He was again isolated against Doncic on the perimeter, and when Doncic went to gather the ball for a jumper, Gobert poked the ball away.

McDaniels scooped up the loose ball and raced down the floor, scoring a bucket while being fouled in transition.

No. 4: Alexander-Walker’s poke-away

Leading 80-78, Julius Randle’s 3-point attempt misfired and Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt scooped up the board.

But Nickeil Alexander-Walker pinned Vanderbilt to the baseline and poked the ball away and collected possession.

He delivered a shovel pass to Randle, who tallied the and-1 finish.

DiVincenzo said it was that stretch of plays that “changed the game” for Minnesota.

“Loose balls, just getting our hands on deflections, getting blocked shots, getting out in transition,” he said. “All those little plays that we’ve made throughout the course of the year for stints. It’s key for us in the playoffs. That’s what wins games, and that’s what won it for us (Friday). … Those hustle plays, those energy plays give us that edge and get us six, eight points. That’s the difference-maker.”

Conley described the plays as a combination of high IQ and effort. When they’re making those efforts and producing something from them, “I think that’s when we’re at our best.”

They’re plays of desperation, in all the best ways. The mere thought of losing drives the Wolves to a place of urgency that can often not be matched by the opponent over the course of a contest.

Then they play that way, they eventually will wear you down.

“Our team is built that way. It’s a 12-round fight with us every time. It’s not going to be easy,” Conley said. “We’re going to be physical. We’re going to throw a bunch of different lineups and a bunch of different bodies at you. That’s been an advantage for us all season long. Especially now in the playoffs, we want to try to just be the team that wants it just a little bit more on every possession. If we can do that, we can find ways to win.”

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In the middle of a session this week, tattoo artist JC Stroebel stopped for a second to reflect on how he unknowingly started a movement among Timberwolves fans.

“All I did was tweet, and then over 500 people made it a big deal,” Stroebel said. “There were so many people that showed up, and I feel like that’s the story, right?”

That’s certainly where the story started roughly a year ago, when Stroebel fired off a tweet saying he would tattoo the words Naz Reid on anybody that wanted it. It almost immediately took on a life of its own among Timberwolves fans, and essentially overnight Stroebel and fellow local tattoo artist Jesse George found themselves booked solid.

Not that the lifelong Timberwolves fans were complaining. They were thrilled to play a small part in helping memorialize a deep playoff run that ended with the Timberwolves falling to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.

Now, with the Timberwolves hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, Stroebel and George are back at it again. They recently hosted an event at Beloved Studios in Roseville where they are both finishing up an apprenticeship.

Together, Stroebel and George came up with a variety of options for the occasion, from a legitimate portrait of Jaden McDaniels to a small illustration of an ant in honor of Anthony Edwards.

“We sat down and had a meeting like, ‘What would we want as fans ourselves?’ ” Stroebel said. “We’re going to have a new flash sheet every year with new tattoos, so it’ll be cool for people to be able to collect them.”

Though neither Stroebel nor George were sure how many people were going to show up at Beloved Studios, they were blown away by the response as Timberwolves fans packed the parking lot and lined up outside before the doors even opened.

“It was such a whirlwind for us last year, and we were kind of just going with it,” George said. “We actually had expectations this year, so we were a little bit nervous to see how it was all going to turn out.”

The first customer for Stroebel was Neesha Moore. She’s been a Timberwolves fan pretty much since she was born and takes a lot of pride in the collage on her upper thigh that includes the “Naz Reid” tattoo from last year.

“Just to be able to look down and know it’s a part of me is really cool,” Moore said. “Even if I’ve always known it’s a part of me, now everybody can see it.”

The first customer for George was Nolan Peterson. He has been a Timberwolves fan for as long as he can remember and has slowly been working on a leg sleeve ever since getting his “Naz Reid” tattoo last year.

“It’s a piece of art that brings me back to a memory,” Peterson said. “I’ll still be able to look back in like 10 years or 15 years and be like, ‘That was a fun time in my life.’ ”

That might be the coolest part about these tattoos. They basically freeze this moment in time for Timberwolves fans who have been waiting so long for their favorite team to rise to this level.

That helps explain why so many people have gravitated to Stroebel and George and their shared mission.

As the waiting room continued to fill up during the event at Beloved Studios, it was all hands on deck with a number of other artists helping Stroebel and George get the job done. They ended up doing 58 tattoos on Friday, and were on pace to do similar numbers on Saturday.

“I’m so freaking thankful that people showed up,” Stroebel said. “We had no clue what to expect. The most predominant feeling for me is gratitude. It’s an honor to be a part of.”

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The mystery of the backup quarterback appears to have finally been solved.

After carefully parsing through all of their options over the past month or so, the Vikings acquired Sam Howell on Saturday afternoon in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

Though no official announcement will be made at any point in the near future, it’s likely that the Vikings will move forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback and Howell as their backup quarterback.

It was a small price to pay for Howell as the Vikings only had to move back from No. 142 (fifth round) to No. 172 (fifth round) to get the deal done.

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