Unsung Vikings Defender Has Shocked Everyone
During the 2025 offseason, the Minnesota Vikings spent mucho dinero to improve their defensive tackle situation, but one under-the-radar performer has taken the cake so far in 2025: Jalen Redmond.
The out-of-nowhere emergence began in 2024, and one Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman has taken the next step in 2025, with no signs of slowing down.
Redmond began his climb to prominence last season, and through four games of 2025, that momentum has continued this season. The former UFLer might just be the real deal.
Your Hot Takes about Vikings DT Jalen Redmond Were Correct
Redmond continues his hot streak, so much so that it feels like the norm.
Jalen Redmond Was Not a One-Hit Wonder
Last season, Redmond began to creep up Minnesota’s depth chart, recording tackles for loss at an unusually productive pace, prompting fans to ask, “Who is this guy?”
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed Redmond in June of 2024, a fascinating transaction because the defender excelled in the UFL. He played 4 games in 2024 with the UFL’s Arlington Renegades, banking 4.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, and 18 total tackles. That stat line was enough to earn the attention of the Vikings’ front office, and Redmond turned the summer trial into a 53-man roster arrangement.
Fast forward to 2025, and Redmond has proved that he has staying power — and then some.
The Numbers in 2025
In four games — starting all four — Redmond has tallied 13 total tackles, 3 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 3 QB hits, and he’s forced a fumble.
It’s important to note: Redmond isn’t performing at an impressive level for a mid-tier defensive tackle whom most of the NFL community has never heard of. He’s producing Pro Bowl numbers out of the gate in 2025, and that is not an exaggeration.
Here’s his pace through four weeks:
- 13 Sacks
- 9 QB Pressures
- 55 Tackles
- 13 QB Hits
- 17 Tackles for Loss
Those are outside linebacker numbers.
Redmond has also posted a 76.4 Pro Football Focus grade, which ranks him as the 13th-best interior defensive lineman in all of the land. He’s outperformed Leonard Williams (Seattle Seahawks), Jeffery Simmons (Tennessee Titans), Kenny Clark (Dallas Cowboys), DeForest Buckner (Indianapolis Colts), Jalen Carter (Philadelphia Eagles), and Milton Williams (New England Patriots), to name a handful.
Standing Out among Plentiful DT Crowd
What’s more, Redmond has shoved prominent Vikings defensive tackles like Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to the periphery of the DT room. Glancing at a depth chart, most will see the names of Allen and Hargrave and note their Pro Bowler presence, but it’s Redmond who is conducting the Pro Bowl-caliber damage on Sundays.
Allen and Hargrave joined Minnesota in March for megabucks, and while Hargrave has performed quite well, Allen has yet to explode.
One thing is clear: the Vikings’ DT situation, which past general managers and head coaches seemingly ignored since Kevin Williams’ departure in 2013, has been rectified with the help of players like Redmond.
Minnesota no longer has placeholder-style defensive tackles in the lineup. It got the memo.
The Real Deal of the Long Haul
Many NFL players can author a single good game or even a string before offensive coordinators sniff out their tricks and tendencies. After Redmond’s rise to power in 2024, folks wondered if he would have staying power — or turn into a Duke Shelley type who offered one good season and vanished.
The clues hint that Redmond is the real deal. The sample is now prolonged.
And at a price point of $877,500 per season, he is Minnesota’s top value player by leaps and bounds of all men not playing on rookie contracts. No debates.
Ryan O’Leary on Redmond
Over at The Viking Age, Ryan O’Leary opined on Redmond last week: “According to PFF’s true pass set metric (or true drop-backs without play action, rollouts, or quick passes like screens), Redmond ranks among the likes of Tennessee Titans superstar Jeffery Simmons.”
“In his 24 qualifying pass-rush situations this season, Redmond has a 30.4 percent win rate with six QB pressures and a sack. The Vikings aren’t deploying Redmond like a situational pass rusher. He’s played 104 defensive snaps — the same number as Hargrave — and currently holds a top-30 PFF grade at the position overall.”
Redmond is still just 26 years old.
“He’s also been impressive against the run, recording six solo tackles and eight run stuffs in starts against the Bears, Falcons, and Bengals. When you consider the value — Minnesota signed Redmond to a two-year, $1.75 million contract in 2024, per Spotrac — this is yet another win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his staff. At this rate, it would not be surprising to see Redmond land an extension at some point this year,” O’Leary continued.
“Minnesota boasts one of the most talent-rich rosters in football — but it’s also among the oldest. The team’s ability to develop young talent will be crucial over the next few years, and current Year 2 jumps for Redmond and Rodriguez are some massive strides in the right direction.”
The next step is to determine if Redmond is a star — not just a fringe former UFLer who clawed his way up a depth chart.
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