On Tuesday, coaches and general managers will meet with media and continue working through player meetings, before kickers kick off position workouts on Wednesday. Most positions will work out between Thursday and Saturday.

Minnesota Vikings schedule formal meeting with iDL Cam’Ron Jackson

But as is to be expected from the Kwesi + O’Connell regime, they aren’t wasting any time getting their homework done in the first day of the NFL Combine. According to NFL Draft analyst Ryan Fowler (The Draft Network), the Minnesota Vikings have an official meeting set with Florida interior defensive lineman Cam’Ron Jackson.

Source: The Minnesota Vikings have a formal meeting scheduled with Florida iDL Cam Jackson in Indy.

Athletic & powerful DT had an excellent week at the Senior Bowl and is another name to become familiar with in a loaded DL class.

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) February 24, 2025

Florida iDL Cam Jackson is an absolute force in the middle.

Get someone like him to collapse the pocket with Byron Young and Jared Verse on the outside? Good luck opposing QBs. pic.twitter.com/VnKZJNdboH

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) January 28, 2025

Cam Jackson is a 5-year collegiate defensive lineman who played the first three seasons with the Memphis Tigers, before transferring to the Florida Gators for his final two seasons. In total, Jackson piled up 120 tackles, 11 TFL, 4.0 sacks 5 passes defended.

As a super senior at with the Gators, he posted a 77.4 PFF grade, where he stands out in the run (80.9 run defense grade). Cam even played on special teams for the Gators last season, including 49 snaps Florida’s field goal block unit, a role he could fill with the MN Vikings immediately.

Related: Vikings Concerned About JJ McCarthy’s Weight…?

With two months remaining until the draft, most currently project Cam’Ron Jackson to be a mid or late round pick, but he was labeled as one of the strongest players in the 2025 draft class, while at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he outperformed expectations all week. He’ll look to do the same in Indianapolis, including in an individual meeting with the Minnesota Vikings

It’s hard to miss Florida’s Cam Jackson.

He’s 6’7, 340-pounds…and he can MOVE. pic.twitter.com/fuONTgR1v6

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) January 28, 2025

Strongest man here Cam Jackson IDL from Florida heading off the practice field. Would presume his Senior Bowl is done. He absolutely crushed this week. pic.twitter.com/D1J7sZmkf4

— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) January 30, 2025

The Vikings couldn’t get a Justin Jefferson contract extension done before the 2023 regular season started so it got shelved until this offseason. But now, he’s on the fourth year of his rookie deal and JJ has been openly frustrated with the lack of movement on contract talks the past couple of weeks.

Those frustrations, along with some insider reports based on whispers behind the scenes at TCO Performance Center, have spun up trade rumors surrounding Jefferson. But when Kwesi met with reporters at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, he wanted to put the JJ trade rumors to bed.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah puts Justin Jefferson trade rumors to bed

When asked about whether or not the Minnesota Vikings may make Justin Jefferson available on the trade block or if they already have, the GM scoffed and said trading JJ has never crossed his mind, since he has taken the job as Minnesota’s final decision maker on player personnel.

"That is not something that's once crossed my mind. You got a blue player, a blue person, you try to keep as many as those as you can." pic.twitter.com/zjfaThoF9d

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) February 27, 2024

“That is not something that’s once crossed my mind. You got a blue [chip] player, a blue [chip] person, you try and keep as many of those as you can.”

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Now, I’m going to assume Kwesi meant to put “chip” at the end of “blue” each time he said it, which is reflected in the quote I put right below the video, since I don’t usually see Jefferson acting “blue” very often. And if my assumption is correct, the Vikings GM is exactly right.

Related: 10 Fastest Minnesota Vikings 40-Yard Dash Times at NFL Scouting Combine

Who cares what JJ could bring back in a trade. Unless you hit on the perfect QB, there is a zero percent chance that you land a player in any trade package who makes an impact franchise-wide, like Justin Jefferson does for the Minnesota Vikings. He’s a superstar personality where we do not get those very often.

Not only do you keep him from a football standpoint, but you keep him on your team from a brand standpoint. I’m glad Kwesi came out so strong against these rumors because trading JJ would have been the most ridiculous thing a GM has ever done for this franchise and history would not have remembered him fondly for a mistake of that magnitude.

And heading into combine week (Mar. 1-7), Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) updated his 2022 big board, where he ranked two of those Gophers in his top-50 overall.

#33: Boye Mafe – Minnesota · Edge · Senior (RS)

Mafe is an ascending edge rusher with an enticing blend of speed and power. He steadily improved throughout the season, culminating with an outstanding performance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. As a pass rusher, he has an explosive first step and his hand usage has started to come together. Early in the year, he was thinking too much and segmented in his movement. But as the season went on, he played much faster and connected his feet and hands. He can generate speed to power, and he is an excellent finisher once he gets to the top of his rush. He can stack blocks and hold the point of attack in the run game. Overall, Mafe is still a raw prospect, but he’s trending in the right direction and provides double-digit sack upside.

#49: Daniel Faalele – Minnesota · OT · Senior

Faalele is a massive right tackle (6-9, 380) with surprisingly nimble feet and athleticism. In pass protection, he is quick out of his stance, does a nice job of staying square and has good vision/awareness. He doesn’t bend very well, but he’s still able to absorb power rushers because of his sheer bulk/strength. He does have issues redirecting to inside counter moves. In the run game, he flashes some power to wash defenders down the line, and I was shocked by his ability to reach/cut off on the back side. He also has good timing and feel on combo blocks, working up to the second level. There are some times when he falls off smaller defenders after initial contact. On the whole, Faalele reminds me a little bit of Orlando Brown coming out of Oklahoma.

The Rising Star

Boye Mafe is one of the rising stars in the early draft process and he’s jumped from outside of Jeremiah’s top-50 all the way up to #33. He was one of the biggest standouts at the Senior Bowl where he grabbed eyes of coaches and executives from around the NFL.

Boye’s rise will continue this week at the combine. Mafe might be the best athlete in a pass rushing class full of QB nightmares. He will run faster, jump higher and pump more than most of the EDGE rushers slotted to be picked ahead of him. Defensive ends and linebackers will run drills on Saturday (March 5) so that’s when you’ll see both Mafe and Esezi Otomewo will hit the field.

Can Faalele Gain Footing?

Daniel Faalele has the size and athleticism to be a first round draft pick and that’s why the scouting combine will be very important for him. He didn’t disappoint at the Senior Bowl but he didn’t raise his stock either. As with much of his career at Minnesota, he was somewhat inconsistent.

There are still scouts out there who would draft Faalele on day one so if he can impress during interviews and measure up to his HUGE 6’9″, 380 pound billing during the on-field drills, he could still convince a front office to take him early. Minnesota’s pro day, which will be held on March 16, will be crucial as well. Blaise Andries was the other offensive line invitee. You can watch Daniel and Blaise on Friday (March 4) on NFL Network.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan