5 Players Vikings Should Avoid at Pick 18

EUGENE, OREGON - SEPTEMBER 6: Dillon Thieneman #31 of the Oregon Ducks looks on in action during a game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images

In the latest must-listen episode of The Real Forno Show, Tyler Forness tells Minnesota Vikings fans to “Just Say No” to five first-round traps at pick 18 in the 2026 NFL Draft, reveals Day 3 sleepers, and drops a full 7-round mock draft that earned a B+ grade. With only seven days until the draft, this Vikings 1st & SKOL production delivers scheme-specific truth bombs every SKOL fan needs.

Forness and producer Dave Stefano break down exactly why process beats need at 18th overall. On safety Dillon Thieneman (Oregon), Forness is blunt: “I don’t see him as this versatile chess piece… I don’t want him playing in a Brian Flores defense because I don’t think that role exists.” He adds that Thieneman’s best fit is a Vic Fangio-style box role, not Flores’ multi-coverage demands. Guard Vega Ioane (Penn State) is a no-go because the Vikings already invested first-round capital in Donovan Jackson and big money in Will Fries: “He’s a mauling left guard… there’s just nowhere for him to play.” Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald (Ohio State) fails the value test: “A nose tackle that does not have pass-rush upside… is not a good value selection on day one.” Right tackle/center prospect Spencer Fano (Utah) is called poor process: “You’re basically just recreating the Blake Brandel problem… I don’t want to draft a guy in the first round to then kick inside to a position he’s never played.” Corner Mansoor Delane (LSU) is the final avoid: “Drafting him to Minnesota would be asking him to do something that’s not his best… they simply don’t do that [man coverage].”