Minnesota Vikings final 53-man roster prediction: Who gets to keep their playbook?

The Minnesota Vikings have finished the preseason with a big 26-3 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It gives the Vikings an undefeated preseason and head coach Kevin O'Connell now had a 3-6 record in his preseason career.

Now that the preseason has concluded, it's about putting together the 53-man roster and practice squad . O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have quite the task ahead of them to make 38 cuts before Tuesday.

Here is my final prediction on who makes the initial 53-man roster.

Quarterback

• Sam Darnold
• Nick Mullens
• Jaren Hall

With Hall having a great final two games, he keeps the roster spot. While he may never be a starter, Hall gives you enough to like as a long-term backup after the season.

Running back

• Aaron Jones
• Ty Chandler
• Kene Nwangwu
• C.J. Ham

Nothing crazy here. Nwangwu has done a great job showing development as a running back, allowing him to make the roster. The other three are chalk. Watch for DeWayne McBride and Myles Gaskin to potentially make the practice squad.

Wide receiver

• Justin Jefferson
• Jordan Addison
• Jalen Nailor
• Brandon Powell
• Trishton Jackson

Trent Sherfield is the only other player who could realistically make the roster here, but he didn't do enough to earn that roster spot. Watch for him to be added to the practice squad due to his special teams acumen.

Tight end

• T.J. Hockenson (PUP/IR)
• Josh Oliver
• Johnny Mundt
• Nick Muse

It will be tough to not have Robert Tonyan on the list, but he hasn't played at all during the preseason due to back spasms. The Vikings could keep four tight ends for that reason.

Offensive tackle

• Christian Darrisaw
• Brian O'Neill
• David Quessenberry
• Walter Rouse

Nothing to see here. This has been the room for the majority of training camp. Doug Nester has shown out a little bit and might have earned himself a spot on the practice squad.

Interior offensive line

• Garrett Bradbury
• Blake Brandel
• Ed Ingram
• Dan Feeney
• Michael Jurgens

Jurgens needed to have a good game and he was solid. I think his youth and potential gets him the job over Dalton Risner.

Edge rusher

• Jonathan Greenard
• Dallas Turner
• Andrew Van Ginkel
• Pat Jones II
• Jihad Ward

If Gabriel Murphy was able to play during the preseason, I think he would have made the roster. As it sits, unless Jones gets traded, watch the practice squad to be flush with edge rushers.

Defensive line

• Harrison Phillips
• Jerry Tillery
• Jonathan Bullard
• Jaquelin Roy
• Levi Drake Rodriguez

Rodriguez has been very impressive in a surprisingly good group of players. The one intriguing element that needs to be considered here is the status of Tillery. After not playing the entire preseason, could he be on the bubble?

Inside linebacker

• Blake Cashman
• Ivan Pace Jr.
• Brian Asamoah
• Kamu Grugier-Hill
• Dallas Gant

One of the few surprises here is that Gant makes the roster. With NaJee Thompson out for the season , they will need a special teams maven and Gant has the chops to be that player.

Cornerback

• Byron Murphy Jr.
• Shaquill Griffin
• Stephon Gilmore
• Akayleb Evans
• Fabian Moreau
• Dwight McGlothern

No real surprises here. The addition of Gilmore makes the room significantly better and the back end you feel good about. This wasn't the room we expected to have at cornerback, but it will work.

Safety

• Harrison Smith
• Camryn Bynum
• Josh Metellus
• Theo Jackson
• Lewis Cine

No Jay Ward here, who I believe could be a possible trade candidate. His brutal game against the Browns exposed him. Plus, Cine has shown out in a big way.

Specialists

• K Will Reichard
• P Ryan Wright
• LS Andrew DePaola

These have been set in stone since the Vikings waived Seth Vernon earlier this week.

Related: Why Cardinals WR Zay Jones' suspension matters for Vikings WR Jordan Addison