The Minnesota Vikings selected Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday with the 51st pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 24.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Golday is a graduate of Arlington High School and just the second former Arlington player to be drafted following Kenneth Walker III in 2022. Golday earned All-Big 12 first team honors and started 12 games for the Bearcats last season. The fifth-year senior was third in the Big 12 with 105 tackles and also recorded six tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks.
Here are the pros and cons of selecting Golday in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Vikings are getting an incredibly productive player in Golday, who earned all-conference honors in both of his seasons at Cincinnati after transferring from Central Arkansas after three seasons.
Golday is an powerful, explosive athlete and tested well at the NFL combine, laying down a 4.62 40-yard dash and a vertical jump of 39 inches. He was a force at the line of scrimmage for Cincinnati and also had three pass breakups in coverage.
Golday is very effective as a downhill tackler, but could struggle in covering faster, smaller players and working in tight spaces according to experts. He hasn't proven to be an incredibly creative pass rusher outside of using his power and straight line speed. Golday never cracked five sacks in any college season.
Because of his size, straight-line speed and powerful tackling ability, Golday should be a strong special teams contributor right away, with the potential to grow into a strong NFL starter according to draft experts.
Golday's best production will likely come near the line of scrimmage as a run stopper and in advantageous pass rushing scenarios. Diversification in his pass rush moves and growth as a pass defender could make him a star in the NFL.
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at wendell.shepherd@commercialappeal.com or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Minnesota Vikings select former Cincinnati, Arlington LB Jake Golday in NFL draft