PFF Names the “Secret Superstar” for Vikings
The 2025 season is done for 28 NFL teams, and Pro Football Focus has decided it’s time to identify “secret superstars” for each club, men who generally flew under the radar. For Minnesota, that’s defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, says PFF.
Redmond’s name still flies under the radar, but his 2025 tape and production put him in the league’s impact interior tier.
Ask any Vikings fan to conduct the same assignment, finding the club’s undercover stud, and nearly all would arrive at the same conclusion: it’s Redmond.
PFF Elevates Redmond’s Stock
PFF fired off a list of the NFL’s secret superstars, and Minnesota’s is a defensive lineman formerly of the UFL.
Secret Superstar for Vikings? PFF Chooses Redmond
A no-brainer selection, PFF’s Zach Tanillo named Redmond the 2025 secret superstar, explaining, “Redmond emerged as one of the Vikings’ most reliable interior defenders in 2025. He earned a 73.5 PFF overall grade, ranking third among Minnesota defenders.”
“He was especially dominant against the run, where his 30 run stops, 1.46-yard average depth of tackle, and 19.4% positively graded play rate all ranked second-best on the defense.”
While the Vikings had plenty of unsung performers in 2025, the only other player who might’ve fit “secret superstar” status was linebacker Eric Wilson. But Tanillo rolled with Redmond, a wonderful choice.
Captain Obvious — and Deserved
Only one player fully fits the billing as a secret superstar from the Vikings’ 2025 roster, and that’s Redmond. In March of 2025, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a big splash in free agency by handing megabucks to veteran defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Most hardcore purple fans wondered where Redmond might fit within that group. By the end of September, the answer became glaringly obvious.
Allen and Hargrave didn’t quite deliver as promised, while Redmond, as always, totally outperformed his miniature deal. And then that trend just continued through the regular season, even if Allen and Hargrave improved along the way. Neither did enough to send Redmond to the back of the line.
In fact, Hargrave is a popular roster cut theory for the 2026 offseason.
Redmond’s Production in 2025
Redmond wasn’t just Minnesota’s best defensive player in 2025 — he set the tone. Outside of Justin Jefferson, no Viking tilted games more consistently. Week after week, the tape looked the same, and that tape was as glorious as it was consistent.
That matters because Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t have many toutable wins to point at from the draft pipeline. The 2022 class cratered. The 2023 class produced Jordan Addison and little else. So when a former UFL castoff like Redmond walked into the building and immediately validated the eval, Adofo-Mensah had a win.
The production backs it up. Redmond finished 2025 with a 72.7 PFF grade, six sacks from the interior, 11th among all defensive tackles, and elite batted-ball numbers that routinely killed drives.
The mandate entering 2025 was simple: show that 2024 wasn’t a mirage. Redmond had no problem with the task. Vikings fans already know what this is. Redmond is the kind of player teams and fans brag about finding years later, once everyone else finally learns the name.
Our Steven Hoikkala noted on Redmond last week, “He represents the team’s ability to identify and develop talent outside of the draft. Those strides don’t happen overnight; he worked hard to get here. There’s a chance Redmond has not reached his full potential yet. He is just now coming into his prime at age 26.”
“For Minnesota, Redmond isn’t just a feel-good story anymore. Other teams have taken notice and have spoken openly to the media about being a player who stands out on tape for the Vikings. He even received a vote for the All-Pro teams and potentially should’ve been in Pro Bowl conversations.”
A Fat Contract Incoming
Redmond is an exclusive restricted free agent this offseason, meaning it will be incredibly easy and straightforward to keep him around for the long haul.
The NFL describes exclusive restricted free agency like this: “Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.”
There aren’t too many certainties about the Vikings’ incoming personnel decisions in the next few months, but Redmond back in the saddle is one.
The guy has earned it; hell, he’s a secret superstar.
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