2. Who will emerge as a daunting middle-of-the-defense pass rusher?
In case you weren’t aware, veteran outside linebacker and first-year Viking Jihad Ward, who moved around in special packages, was the leader in quarterback pressures from the interior, generating 31 per PFF; Tillery was next in that area with 17, then Phillips with 16, and Bullard was responsible for six.
It makes us think Minnesota may be interested in beefing up its pass-rush productivity between the tackles.
Obviously, it’s simple to dream up but difficult to pull off, as there’s only a select few players sculpted in the mold of every-down difference-maker, able to antagonize passing attacks and deny rushing attempts.
Free agency and the NFL Draft are two places the Vikings could search for supplementation.
The list of defensive linemen eligible for free agency includes veterans such as (in order of highest 2024 salary to lowest) Javon Hargrave, B.J. Hill, Javon Kinlaw, Folorunso Fatukasi and Sebastian Joseph-Day.
There’s younger options, as well, who may qualify for increased pay based on performance: Osa Odighizuwa (27 years old) produced 60 pressures, fifth most among IDL; Levi Onwuzurike (27) logged 47, and Milton Williams (26) registered 46. They starred in strong systems – Dallas, Detroit and Philadelphia.
If the Vikings opt against bringing in a powerful punch in free agency, they’ll depend on the draft, which tends to be a crapshoot. A few highly regarded DL prospects are Michigan’s Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, and Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams. On PFF’s NFL Draft big board, they’re ranked Nos. 4, 19 and 26.
As a reminder, the Vikings presently hold the No. 24 selection plus two fifth-round choices.
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