Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: GRIFFIN QUINN/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan Selected in Third Round by Vikings
4/24/2026 10:26:00 PM | Football
PITTSBURGH – The Minnesota Vikings have selected Northwestern offensive lineman Caleb Tiernan in the third round with the No. 97 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The three-year starter becomes Northwestern's 188th player selected in the draft. Tiernan is the latest in a long line of standout Northwestern offensive linemen and becomes the third Wildcat offensive tackle to be drafted in the last 10 years.
A consistent force on the NU offensive line, the Livonia, Mich., native started 42 consecutive games to end his collegiate career. He broke into the Northwestern starting lineup at the end of his 2022 redshirt first-year season, and he started every game thereafter.
As a redshirt junior, he was awarded All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after recording an 82.3 PFF grade on the season, which ranked fifth among tackles in the Big Ten. He capped his time in Evanston with an All-Big Ten Second Team nod as a graduate student in 2025 when he posted an 84.3 PFF pass blocking grade, which ranked third in the Big Ten and ninth nationally among offensive tackles. In 2025, he was also named to the national PFF Team of the Week for games against Western Illinois and Oregon, and he allowed zero sacks in eight of nine conference games.
In his first season as a full-time starter in 2023, he allowed just one sack all season in the season-opener at Rutgers. He also did not allow a quarterback hit for eight consecutive games from Week 4 against Minnesota through Week 11 at Wisconsin.
The 6-foot-7-inch, 323-pound offensive tackle recently turned heads at the NFL Combine with a 35.5-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-3-inch broad jump.
The former four-star recruit committed to the Wildcats in the spring of 2020 and became the 14th-highest-rated recruit in Northwestern history, according to 247Sports at the time. He selected Northwestern over other offers from Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
The three-year starter becomes Northwestern's 188th player selected in the draft. Tiernan is the latest in a long line of standout Northwestern offensive linemen and becomes the third Wildcat offensive tackle to be drafted in the last 10 years.
Staying in Purple ??
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) April 25, 2026
Caleb Tiernan is going to the @Vikings!#ProCats | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/juSGmmJx4w
A consistent force on the NU offensive line, the Livonia, Mich., native started 42 consecutive games to end his collegiate career. He broke into the Northwestern starting lineup at the end of his 2022 redshirt first-year season, and he started every game thereafter.
As a redshirt junior, he was awarded All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after recording an 82.3 PFF grade on the season, which ranked fifth among tackles in the Big Ten. He capped his time in Evanston with an All-Big Ten Second Team nod as a graduate student in 2025 when he posted an 84.3 PFF pass blocking grade, which ranked third in the Big Ten and ninth nationally among offensive tackles. In 2025, he was also named to the national PFF Team of the Week for games against Western Illinois and Oregon, and he allowed zero sacks in eight of nine conference games.
In his first season as a full-time starter in 2023, he allowed just one sack all season in the season-opener at Rutgers. He also did not allow a quarterback hit for eight consecutive games from Week 4 against Minnesota through Week 11 at Wisconsin.
The 97th pick in the 2026 #NFLDraft...
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) April 25, 2026
CALEB TIERNAN ?? @Vikings ?? pic.twitter.com/JlzYtKqXlL
The 6-foot-7-inch, 323-pound offensive tackle recently turned heads at the NFL Combine with a 35.5-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-3-inch broad jump.
The former four-star recruit committed to the Wildcats in the spring of 2020 and became the 14th-highest-rated recruit in Northwestern history, according to 247Sports at the time. He selected Northwestern over other offers from Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
Players Mentioned
OL
/ FootballFootball - Caleb Tiernan Draft Night Press Conference (4/24/26)
Saturday, April 25
Jerry Neuheisel MIC'D UP | Northwestern Football
Friday, April 10
Football - Players Pro Day Media Availability (Beerntsen, Stone, Tiernan)
Tuesday, March 17
Football - David Braun Pro Day Media Availability (3/17/26)
Tuesday, March 17
