PFF Has Perfect Draft Prospect for Vikings
Eyes are already drifting towards the 2025 draft, with the early mock drafts and opinions starting to come out. A lot can change for draft prospects between now and draft day, but Pro Football Focus has given its early look at some of the best potential picks for each team in the first round. In the article, PFF offers an opinion on the perfect draft prospect for the Vikings. It’s not a huge surprise that they look to give Minnesota help in the trenches.
PFF Has Perfect Draft Prospect for Vikings
The Vikings have some key areas that need to be addressed this offseason, including the interior of both lines and cornerback, which should be a top priority. It’s the interior of the defensive line that PFF chose to address here with Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. The 6’3, 327 lbs tackle is known as a run stuffer and turns 22 in February.
Here is what they had to say about their choice;
The Vikings need youth and improved all-around play from the defensive interior this offseason, as the unit’s play consistently graded below average against the run in 2024, and no one in the position group achieves a pass rush win rate over 10%.
Tyleik Williams‘ lack of pass rush will likely push him down to Minnesota‘s range in the first round, but his elite play against the run would make him well worth the selection. He graded positively on an impressive 29.1% of all run plays in 2024 at Ohio State which ranked fifth among all defensive interiors in the country.
Williams has been a solid performer for the Buckeyes over the last three seasons, playing in 38 games. His overall grade from PFF has been around the 80 mark in each of those seasons. This year, he garnered an excellent run defense grade of 88.6. The Vikings have to get better everywhere on the interior of the defensive line, and adding some pass rush should also be a priority. If Williams is the best lineman available to them at 24, then he would be a solid option, and Minnesota can look for an interior pass rusher in free agency.
The Current State of the Vikings iDL
PFF Graded the Vikings IDL very poorly for the 2024 season, with the main three guys all graded below 60. Harrison Phillips (58.3), Jonathan Bullard (55.1), and Jerry Tillery (50.2) weren’t as completely terrible as those grades suggest. However, none were dominant against the run, and the pass rush was almost nonexistent, with only three sacks from the trio all season. That’s simply not good enough. Bullard (32) and Tillery (29) are pending free agents. The Vikings must decide if either is worth returning for another year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see both back for training camp but necessarily making it to the final 53-man roster.
One bright spark at the position in 2024 came in the shape of Jalen Redmond. Redmond, the highest-graded player on the Vikings IDL with a 75.6 overall grade, was picked up after a season with the Arlington Renegades in the XFL. A real surprise package who forced his way onto the main roster, he finished the season with 18 tackles, including six tackles for loss, one sack, one QB hit, and two passes defended. He worked his way into a starter role in Weeks 14 and 15 before a concussion caused him to miss the next game. He came back into the rotation for the final games of the season.
Redmond was scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent at the start of the 2025 League Year in March, but the Vikings moved swiftly to have him signed to a new contract, which shows that Redmond is rated highly. The Vikings also had a couple of rookies who showed potential in Levi Drake Rodriguez and Taki Taimani. Their development will be something to watch. Adding both a rookie and a veteran free agent to the mix would be the smart move for the Vikings. Williams is one of several options they could turn to early in the draft.
Vikings fans can watch Williams in action as Ohio State battle it out with Notre Dame for the college national championship on January 21.
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