Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings surprised a lot of draft pundits by waiting until the third round to grab a safety. But the team selected Miami safety Jakobe Thomas, who could eventually develop into a starter, late on Day 2.
Then in undrafted free agency, the Vikings also added another safety with a similar name — Jacob Thomas. On Monday, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport billed Jacob Thomas as the most exciting undrafted free agent for Minnesota this offseason.
“A small-school standout at James Madison, being an undrafted free agent shouldn’t shake Thomas—he was also a walk-on in college,” wrote Davenport.
“Thomas has good size. He can play multiple spots in the secondary. And he makes up for what he lacks in elite athleticism with excellent instincts and hard-nosed play.
“He’s unlikely to start as a rookie, but he has a real shot to make the roster.”
Vikings Should Be Excited About Safety Jacob Thomas
Thanks to some uncertainty at starting safety, Jakobe Thomas could have an opportunity to earn significant playing time this season. But Davenport made it clear Jakobe isn’t the only “Thomas” Vikings fans should be keeping an eye on this summer.
Davenport used analysis from The Athletic’s Alec Lewis to support his claim that he is the team’s most exciting 2026 undrafted free agent.
“Thomas fits the exact prototype of what defensive coordinator Brian Flores looks for in his safeties: experience, ball skills and a thumper,” wrote Lewis on April 27. “He makes plays in the box. He lines up in the deep parts of the field and follows the quarterback’s eyes; he darts in from the edge as a blitzer.
“Don’t be surprised if he finds some snaps with some of the top defenders on the depth chart come camp.”
The undrafted Thomas served as a captain for James Madison last season. He was also a standout on one of the top FCS defenses.
“Thomas was a two-time Second Team All-Sun Belt defensive back and a three-year starter in the secondary. He started 39 of his 50 career games at safety, finishing his career with 199 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five interceptions, 16 pass breakups and a forced fumble,” wrote jmusports.com.
“As a senior in 2025, the Ashburn, Va., native tallied 71 tackles with 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, seven breakups and a forced fumble. He recorded five or more stops in 10 games and as honored on watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.”
Kevin O’Connell’s Safety Depth for 2026
The Vikings didn’t add a safety in NFL free agency. Instead, they lost longtime starter Harrison Smith.
Over the past several weeks, pundits have regularly called veteran safety Theo Jackson a cut candidate. The Vikings still have Joshua Metellus and Jay Ward as potential starters. But the thin group is part of why analysts are high on the two Thomas’s contributing as rookies.
If the Vikings really do cut Jackson, the unit will get very thin. Tavierre Thomas and Kahlef Hailassie are the only other safeties on the team’s offseason roster.
The Vikings will begin to see what the James Madison product might be able to provide at safety when offseason workouts start. Minnesota OTAs will commence Tuesday. The Vikings will have three days of practices this week and three more next week.
The team’s mandatory minicamp is June 9-11.
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