We have yet to get an official statement from Harrison Smith on his decision to return to the Minnesota Vikings for a 15th season in 2026. That has left some fans wondering if the team gave clues to his future with their draft picks.
After the Combine, most mock drafts had the Vikings drafting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 18th overall pick. He was seen as a perfect replacement for Smith because of his versatility, able to line up all over the field to impact the game.
Instead, Minnesota picked Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks at 18 while Thieneman was still on the board. Then, the Vikings took Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday in the second round when Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was surprisingly still on the board at pick 51.
Dreams of the Vikings getting LSU safety A.J. Haulcy died when the Colts drafted him at pick 78, four spots ahead of Minnesota. The Vikings ended up taking Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange.
It wasn't until pick 98, their fifth selection in the draft, that Minnesota finally addressed safety. The Vikings selected Miami safety Jakobe Thomas with the pick, acquired earlier in the night via the Jonathan Greenard trade.
Does this mean that Smith is coming back? Kevin O'Connell told reporters last week that Smith's future wouldn't impact the team's draft strategy.
But if he weren't to return, Minnesota's top safeties include Jackson, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, and Jay Ward. Last year, Theo Jackson started eight games, appearing in 14, before losing playing time near the end of the season to Ward.
Maybe Brian Flores believes Ward, a fourth-round pick in 2023, is ready to take on a larger role. His scheme has deployed three safeties before, with Metellus taking on a hybrid role in 2023 and 2024.
There's the possibility that Flores also has lots of faith in the front seven to compensate for the secondary as well. Adding Banks and Orange to the defensive line can hopefully change how offenses prepare for the Vikings, and Golday could bring a different level of athleticism and power to the linebacker room.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic went to Twitter/X on Friday to clarify that Smith has yet to reveal his intentions to the team. There was a misunderstanding that O'Connell might have accidentally shared Smith's pending retirement, but Lewis closed the door on that, and he is very plugged into the team.
Maybe Minnesota is preparing for life after Harrison Smith. But if they are, they aren't doing so because he has told them whether he's returning or not.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: NFL Draft: What did the Vikings tell us about a Harrison Smith return?