After finishing the 2025 NFL regular season with a 9-8 record, the Minnesota Vikings are slated to have the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
One player that they’ve been linked to is Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst, who has been labeled as one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft.
Why the Minnesota Vikings Are Interested in Drafting Ted Hurst
On the “Ross Tucker Podcast,” NFL analyst and senior producer at NFL Films Greg Cosell shared who he believes is one of the hidden gems of the 2026 NFL Draft wide receiver class. That player was the aforementioned Hurst. On the podcast, Cosell said the following about the receiver:
“There is a receiver whose tape I really really like… that receiver is Ted Hurst from Georgia State, I really liked this kid on tape. Obviously, he played at Georgia State, it’s not a Power 4 school, they were terrible this season. I think he’s one of the most intriguing wide receiver prospects in this class. Size, speed, stride length; that’s his profile… he was a weapon at all three levels of the defense.
“If he showed the same traits profile with kind of production in a Power 4 conference, we’d be talking about him as a first-round pick without question.”
Hurst has spent two seasons with Georgia State and has combined for 127 receptions, 1,965 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns across only 24 games.
In PFSN’s College Football Wide Receiver Impact Metric, he ranked as the 100th-best wide receiver with an impact score of 77.6 and a letter grade of C+. He has incredible size as well for a receiver, measuring 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds.
One team that is interested in Hurst is the Vikings, who reportedly have a top-30 visit scheduled with him.
In 2025, the Vikings ranked 28th in PFSN’s NFL Offensive Impact Metric with an impact score of 66.0 and a letter grade of D. Additionally, in PFSN’s NFL Wide Receiver Impact Metric, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both ranked 32nd and 79th, respectively.
Jefferson’s talent is undeniable, and Addison is a quality WR2, so this poor performance says more about the quarterback play with J.J. McCarthy than it does the receivers.
But does their poor offensive performance last year necessarily mean that the team should use their first-round pick on Hurst? After all, they’re more than capable at wide receiver and added Kyler Murray to the quarterback room as competition.
Ultimately, it may make more sense for the team to fill another need with the 18th pick and then try to draft Hurst in a following round if they feel so inclined.
