Vikings Links: Which defensive tackles do you like for the Vikings in 2025?

Vikings Links: Which defensive tackles do you like for the Vikings in 2025?

I am going to continue to “write” about and think about the defensive tackle position this season and next season too. I am able to multi-task and since college football is coming up and I love to watch as many games as possible (to avoid that never ending honey-do list), I will focus a lot on the defensive tackles.

You have to also look at the salaries and you will see that Harrison Phillips, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bullard, and Jonah Williams will all be free agents next season. That leaves Jaquelin Roy, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyler Manoa, and Taki Taimani as the only players under contract in 2025. Not ideal for sure.

Then, you look at the possible free agent defensive tackles next year and you see Kenny Clark, Alim McNeil, Osa Odighizuwa, Maliek Collins, Davon Godchaux, D.J. Jones, Javon Kinlaw, and a few others.

After that, you look at the contracts free agent defensive tackles signed this past offseason and you see Chris Jones getting a 5 yr 158.75M deal, Christian Wilkins getting a 4 yr 110M deal, Justin Madubuike getting a 4 yr 98M deal, Derrick Brown getting a 4 yr 96M deal, Christian Barmore getting a 4 yr 83M deal, and Deforest Buckner getting a 2 yr 46M deal.

This will likely mean that Clark, McNeil, and Odighizuwa will get north of 20M per year and probably from their own teams. The pickings are slim and teams simply must invest higher draft picks on the position despite the perceived low value.

https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2024/04/25/first-round-draft-hit-rates-tracking-rates-from-the-best-centers-to-the-worst-wrs/

https://firstroundmock.com/2023/01/the-5-most-important-nfl-draft-first-round-positions/

Looking to potential draft eligible defensive tackles and where the Vikings might be picking, BETMGM thinks 6.5 wins is the number right now, the team could be picking in the top 10.

Some players to watch this year are ...

Mason Graham DT Michigan 6’3” 318

Deone Walker DT Kentucky 6’6” 348

Kenneth Grant DT Michigan 6’3” 339

Tyliek Williams DT Ohio State 6’3” 327

Shemar Turner DT Texas A&M 6’4” 290

Dontay Corleone DT Cincinnati 6’1” 320

Nazir Stackhouse DT Georgia 6’3” 320

Rylie Mills DT Notre Dame 6’5” 297

Walter Nolen DT Mississippi 6’4” 290

Alfred Collins DT Texas 6’5” 321

Bear Alexander DT USC 6’3” 313

Jamaree Caldwell DT Oregon 6’1” 320

Howard Cross DT Notre Dame

Thor Griffith DT Louisville 6’2” 305

TJ Sanders DT South Carolina 6’5” 298

Tim Smith DT Alabama 6’4” 302

Tonka Hemingway DT South Carolina 6’3” 295

Jaheim Oatis DT Alabama 6’5” 320

Jordan Burch DT Oregon 6’6” 290

Tyliek Williams could be the guy if the Vikings trade down some in the first round to recoup some picks.

Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams lives up to the first round hype

Tyleik Williams is one of the best run defenders in the nation

According to PFF, Williams was fifth in the entire nation in stop tackles (tackles that resulted in a negative play for the offense) for the Buckeyes’ interior a year ago. It shows up all over his film.

Let’s put a bow on it

Williams, if the 2025 NFL Draft were today, has the chance to be a first rounder. And a good chance. In a deep defensive tackle class with Michigan’s Mason Graham and Kentucky’s Deone Walker, however, Williams needs to prove he belongs in that tier.

And that starts with being a consistent threat on third downs and obvious passing situations. Williams’ floor is extraordinarily high, but exclusively run stopping defensive tackles tend to be Day 2 picks. And at this point, I have a second round grade on the Ohio State Football brute.

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J.J. McCarthy will be ‘long term starter,’ but Vikings will get ‘money’s worth’ with Sam Darnold

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Darnold, who signed a one-year deal with the team for $10 million, is in line to get all of the opportunity to lead the Vikings this year. Essentially, the Vikings will make due on their investment.

So while that’s going on, McCarthy will be developed behind the veteran.

“Now you got the Vikings, a little bit of a different situation because they got Sam Donald, they believe there’s untapped potential there that he can let it rip in 2024,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “Never had a supporting cast quite like this, the talent is still there.

“So they can develop JJ McCarthy behind the scenes, incrementally give him more and more in a high volume passing attack. Will be the long term starter, but Darnold, I mean they paid him $10 million a year, they believe they’re gonna get their money’s worth.”

This lines up with Fowler’s previous report of the Vikings preparing to give McCarthy a “redshirt year” while he’s a rookie. The concept of McCarthy developing and learning as a rookie is not a foreign concept to the national champion quarterback.

Vikings mailbag: J.J. McCarthy’s timeline to start, expectations for Sam Darnold and more

What is the plan to create an interior pass rush given the lack of pass-rush juice from the defensive tackles? — Sam S.

Last year, 187 defenders rushed the passer at least 200 times. Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard ranked 176th and 185th, respectively, out of those 187.

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Do you see Adofo-Mensah trying to trade for a high-end defensive tackle? — Christopher S.

Reading this question, I thought about a comment Adofo-Mensah made the day the Vikings announced Justin Jefferson’s extension. He shared his hierarchy of preferred player acquisition routes, and his least favorite was trading for (and extending) a player.

But which defensive tackles could be traded at this point? Would the Commanders move off Daron Payne or Jonathan Allen? Would the Packers part with Kenny Clark? And how willing would Adofo-Mensah be to part with additional draft capital before paying a player creeping toward age 30?

There are not a ton of premium defensive tackles, which is why the Raiders paid Christian Wilkins what they did in free agency.

10 potential free agents the Vikings could target next offseason

Kenny Clark, DT, Packers

The Vikings’ current biggest weakness is the defensive tackle spot. Clark, 28, could absolutely fix that glaring weakness. The 6-foot-3, 314-pound defensive tackle has caused the Vikings’ offensive line nightmares for the past eight seasons. Clark has registered 34 sacks since being selected in the first round in 2016. His 66 total pressures were sixth most among interior defensive linemen last season.

Osa Odighizuwa, DT, Cowboys

Labeled as one of the Cowboys’ “most underrated players,” Odighizuwa has steadily improved each season since being drafted in the third round in 2021. His 44 pressures were 24th most among defensive tackles last season, according to Pro Football Focus. At just 25 years old, he could prove to be a long-term solution for the Vikings at the position.

Samuel Cosmi, G, Commanders

If the Blake Brandel, Ed Ingram, Dalton Risner experiment doesn’t work this season, the Vikings could be backing up the brinks truck to one of the few big-name offensive linemen to hit the market next offseason. Cosmi, 25, would be an ideal fit to help overhaul the interior offensive line in front of quarterback of the future J.J. McCarthy. The 6-foot-7 guard posted a 74.0 pass-block grade and 80.9 run-block grade in 2023, both top 15 among all guards.

Quinn Meinerz, G, Broncos

Trey Smith, G, Chiefs

Creed Humphrey, C, Chiefs

...

Notice that interior offensive linemen and defensive tackles (aka BEEF) is what the team needs most of all according to quite a few.

3 bold predictions that aren’t all that crazy for 2024-25 Vikings

1. Justin Jefferson wins the MVP award

2. Dallas Turner leads the league in sacks

3. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison make history

Which NFC North team is best poised for success over the next several years?

Yore Mock

Minnesota Receives: 2025: Round 1, Pick 16; 2025: Round 2, Pick 48

Jacksonville Receives: 2025: Round 1, Pick 9

...

Minnesota Receives: 2025: Round 1, Pick 21; 2025: Round 3, Pick 85

Atlanta Receives: 2025: Round 1, Pick 16

...

Minnesota Receives: 2025: Round 3, Pick 96; 2025: Round 4, Pick 128

Kansas City Receives: 2025: Round 3, Pick 85

...

21 Tyleik Williams DL Ohio State 6’3” 327

48 Omarion Hampton RB North Carolina 6’0” 220

96 Elic Ayomanor WR Stanford 6’2” 210

128 Sebastian Castro CB Iowa 5’1i” 205

137 Armand Membou IOL Missouri 6’3” 314

145 Aubrey Burks S West Virginia 5’11” 209

169 Thor Griffith DL Louisville 6’2” 305

195 Jaishawn Barham LB Michigan 6’3” 248

201 Oronde Gadsden II TE Syracuse 6’5” 223

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