4 Vikings Quietly Outperforming Expectations in 2025
A handful of Minnesota Vikings players have fallen short of 2025 expectations, especially the 22-year-old quarterback who has seven games to change his narrative. Meanwhile, several other performers have exceeded expectations, even if the club has a 4-6 record through 11 weeks.
Four Vikings players are outperforming expectations in 2025, giving the roster a boost as the team searches for steadier production.
The following list contains the four main Vikings players who have quietly stood off the page and achieved more than what was expected a few months ago. The men are listed in ascending order (No. 1 = top player who’s exceeded contractual price).
4 Vikings Playing Better Football Than You Think in 2025
The overachievers, shall we say.
4. Jay Ward | S
Ward owns a 71.1 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025, but nobody really cares because he’s seen the field on just 77 defensive snaps. The Vikings must play him more. He has more pop to his game than Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson and can lay the wood with the best of them.
It’s Year No. 3 for Ward, so it makes all the sense in the world that he’s figuring it out now.
Soon, Harrison Smith will retire. The Vikings’ front office will look around and formulate a plan at safety. Ward is under contract through the end of 2026. Here’s to hoping we see more of him before too long.
Our Kyle Joudry on Ward: “Listed as a safety, Jay Ward has been tasked with shuffling around the defense (as per tradition within Minnesota’s non-traditional defense). Within the 41 snaps at free safety, 15 snaps in the box, 8 snaps as a wide corner, 7 snaps as a slot corner, and 1 snap along the d-line, Ward has picked up a healthy 71.1 PFF grade.”
“The pass rush grade comes in at a dismal score of 42.3, but we’re talking about a very small sample size. And, to be sure, there was a pile to like in his blitzes in Week 11 since he came off the line explosively, cleanly getting into the backfield. Guaranteed, Green Bay is going to think twice about not having a protection plan in place when Ward lines up at corner. Failing to do so could plausibly lead to Ward walloping Jordan Love.”
3. Blake Brandel | OT, G, C
Brandel’s value is simple: he can line up anywhere in the trenches. Tackle, guard, center — it doesn’t matter. And when Minnesota needed someone to stabilize the middle of the line with Ryan Kelly dealing with multiple concussions, Brandel didn’t just hold the spot. He looked like he belonged there.
His work at center has been solid enough that Michael Jurgens, who opened the year as the backup, never got the job back. Brandel made the decision for the staff by playing clean, reliable football at a position he wasn’t supposed to own.
Now comes the twist. Kelly is on track to return soon and resume the role, just as Brandel finally settled into it. But the impression is lasting. If Kelly isn’t part of the 2026 plan — whether because of health or retirement — Brandel has already shown he can walk right into that job without Minnesota skipping a beat.
Brandel has notably posted pass-blocking grades from PFF of 84.6, 75.1, and 78.2 in the last three games.
2. Eric Wilson | LB
PFF isn’t sold on Eric Wilson — a 59.0 grade will tell you that — but anyone actually watching the games knows better. He grabbed the job from Ivan Pace Jr. weeks ago and hasn’t given it back, and in spots like Chicago and Detroit, he’s played like one of the best defenders on the field.
Long term, the Vikings probably need a young off-ball linebacker from the draft, but players at that spot usually take time to develop. That makes Wilson’s situation simple: he should be here beyond 2025.
He’s stacked 70 tackles, 19 pressures, nine tackles for loss, three and a half sacks, and three forced fumbles in ten games — heavy production from someone who was supposed to be a depth piece when the season opened.
1. Jalen Redmond | DT
Redmond burst onto the scene with sweet sack numbers, but the pace naturally settled as the season moved along. Even so, he’s still stacked up well: sixth in stops, eighth in total tackles, 12th in batted passes, 12th in hurries, 13th in sacks, and 19th in pressures. That’s a legitimate across-the-board profile for a defensive tackle who wasn’t even on most radars in September.
His 69.7 PFF grade entering Week 11 puts him inside the top third of all defensive tackles, and he keeps showing up every single week — steady, disruptive, and far more polished than anyone expected. For a player who arrived without fanfare, he’s quietly become one of the most stable pieces in the middle of Minnesota’s defense.
At this rate, Redmond is lining himself up for a real extension offer when the offseason hits.
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