The Vikings’ Short-Term GM Said the Quiet Part Out Loud

[US, Mexico, & Canada customers only] Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, IRELAND; Football fans cheer before a NFL International Series game between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park. Mandatory Credit: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters via Imagn Images.

The NFL, above all else, is a business. Accordingly, the time allocated to each draft slot reflects the league’s desire to squeeze a strong return out of the event. But while that’s obvious, the frank comments from Monday still caused one to perk up.

Rob Brzezinski is functioning as the Vikings’ short-term GM, jumping into the vacant job after the decision to fire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in late January. The salary cap expert has been bumped up to the captain’s chair, tasked with making the final call on the team’s draft selections. He doesn’t foresee an issue acclimating to a shorter window for each pick.

The Vikings’ Short-Term GM Thinks the Decision Will Be Clear

The NFL used to allow for ten minutes for each opening-round selection. That has now shrunk down to eight minutes. Is that going to be a problem?

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Brzezinski doesn’t think so: “No, most of the time, Dave, you’re just killing time. It’s just like that’s for TV and all that. We could get these picks done pretty quick, yeah.” Essentially, Brzezinski foresees a scenario where the team is able to make a quick, decisive call.

Sep 23, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view outside U.S. Bank Stadium and ship. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports.

Now, the fine folks of Minnesota may not experience things in precisely the same manner.

Watching on television or from the Vikings Draft Part at U.S. Bank Stadium will probably involve some suspense. Those minutes will be tense and uncertain for some, but Rob Brzezinski doesn’t think the front office will experience things in the same way. With the work being done ahead of time, the Vikings can catch their breath and submit the card after the prognosticators and prophets have had a chance to speculate online and on television.

Again, it’s a business. Plus, the Vikings aren’t scrambling in the same way as a lot of fantasy football drafters. There has been a pile of work put into this. By no means does that guarantee perfect picks, but decisions should be quite easy.

A potential curveball could arrive if somebody calls with a lucrative trade offer. Already, GMs are chatting to get a sense of what other teams are thinking. What still needs to occur is the reality of the draft.

Consider, for instance, a scenario where WR Jordan Tyson falls to No. 18. Maybe there’s skittishness about the Carolina Panthers, the team sitting at No. 19, adding yet another highly-drafted receiver. A team looking for receiver help could call about a jump up, possibly leading to a scenario where the Vikings genuinely do need to take a few minutes to make a decision.

Were that scenario to occur, Rob Brzezinski would need to weigh the benefit of a pick haul versus sticking-and-picking a coveted talent at No. 18.

Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images.

What’s important to remember is that Minnesota is preparing for these possibilities, as well. NFL teams do mocks (Adofo-Mensah called them simulations). Some of those exercises factored possible trades into the mix. Not every scenario or possibility can be covered, but the prep offers clarity nonetheless.

The Vikings’ short-term GM is therefore going to be venturing into the 2026 NFL Draft with a fully assembled board. College prospects are ranked in hierarchical order, meaning it’s usually quite easy to discern who the pick ought to be. Some uncertainty could arrive if two or three excellent players drop unexpectedly or a frisky trade offer gets tossed into the mix, but that’s a good problem to have.

Rob Brzezinski has been with the Vikings for close to thirty years. He’s now working toward the end of his three months as the Vikings’ short-term GM. If the desire is to land the job on a full-time basis, then turning the decisive, clear 1st-Round selection into an impact player is a great way to make a bid for that job.

The 2026 NFL Draft begins tomorrow night at 7 p.m. CT.