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0:482026 NFL Draft Grades: Vikings Select Jake Golday No. 51
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Draft Scouting Report
Pro Comparison: Leighton Vander Esch
Summary
Jake Golday is a former defensive end turned off-ball linebacker who exhibits some of the best traits of both positions. He still has the physicality and size of an edge defender with the fluidity and range of a traditional linebacker. It’s a combination that’s all the more intriguing in today’s blitz-heavy NFL.
About
- 2025: First-team All-Big 12
- 2025: Led Cincinnati with 105 tackles -- program’s first 100-tackle season since Ivan Pace Jr. (2022)
Strengths
- Defensive end frame with the ability to still rush the passer effectively.
- Physical tackler in space who stops ball carriers in their tracks.
- Range to run with tight ends downfield.
Weaknesses
- Vision remains a work in progress in coverage; rarely matches routes well in zone.
- Limited experience playing between the tackles as an overhang defender.
- Slow to trigger downhill; can be patient to a fault against the run.
Combine Data
- 40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds
- Vertical jump: 39 inches
- 20-yard shuttle run: 4.34 seconds
- Broad jump: 10 feet, 5 inches
- 3-cone drill: 7.02 seconds
Top Jake Golday News
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Vikings' Jake Golday: Picked by Vikings
The Vikings selected Golday in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 51st overall.
Although he started his college career at FCS Central Arkansas, Golday (6-foot-5, 239 pounds) looked like a five-star recruit getting off the bus for Cincinnati, and he showed at the combine that he's also a standout athlete by NFL standards (4.62-second 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical jump). Ivan Pace fell off hard following his promising rookie year, so before the Golday selection the Vikings didn't know who would play in nickel formations alongside Blake Cashman. Although he still needs to earn it, Golday is expected to secure a three-down role at some point before his rookie year concludes.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-5, 240 lbs |
| Birthplace: Arlington, TN |
| Class: Senior |