A Pair of Vikings Make PFF’s All-Undrafted Team
This week, Pro Football Focus filled some column space during the lull in league activity with an All-Undrafted team that included a couple of undrafted Vikings.
The task was to build a full team from the best undrafted players, and two undrafted Vikings made the cut. Both were on the defensive side of the ball, where Brian Flores makes a habit of getting the best out of players that maybe weren’t fancied so much elsewhere.
Vikings Find Real Value from the UDFA Pile
The men in question are defensive lineman Jalen Redmond and cornerback James Pierre. The Vikings picked up neither as a rookie, but came to Minnesota after stops elsewhere. Of course, Pierre is a new signing and has yet to pull on the Vikings purple.
The Vikings duo is in good company alongside Jaylen Warren, Jakobi Meyers, Alex Singleton, and Keisean Nixon, all of whom made the team. At one time, this was the sort of thing that undrafted Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr would have gotten recognition for, but his star has fallen over the last couple of seasons.
Jalen Redmond
It was a longer-than-usual road for Redmond to reach the NFL. Undrafted in 2023, he was picked up by the Carolina Panthers but never made the final roster. After a good season in what was then the XFL, the Arlington Renegades caught the attention of the Vikings, and he was brought in for the 2024 offseason program. He again didn’t make the roster but was signed to the practice squad.
Redmond’s big chance came in Week 3 of that season, when he was called up to the active roster and recorded his first career sack. He has barely looked back and has not only become a regular starter in 2025 but arguably the best and certainly the most reliable player on Flores’s defense. His ability to move along the line is also valuable and highlighted by PFF as a key reason they picked him.
One of the NFL’s most versatile defensive linemen. Redmond has experience across the defensive front, with snaps everywhere from nose tackle to edge defender. Although he did not establish himself until age 25, he has quickly become a dependable contributor. Consecutive seasons with PFF grades in the 70.0s highlight both his consistency and positional value.
Although he’s 27, he is relatively young in his career, and I am personally excited to see more growth from Redmond as he enters his third season.
James Pierre
James Pierre is an intriguing new addition to the Vikings team for 2026. It’s not a flashy signing but potentially a very shrewd one. PFF’s paragraph explaining his inclusion in the team sums it up well.
Pierre has shown the quality when on the field, but there hasn’t been enough quantity to get a true read on him as a player.
Pierre saw limited action during his sixth NFL season in Pittsburgh but appears poised for a larger role with Minnesota in 2026. Despite his modest workload, he delivered elite results. Pierre earned the highest PFF coverage grade among NFL cornerbacks (88.9) and allowed just 16 receptions across 255 coverage snaps.
The 2026 season brings a big opportunity for Pierre, who has been in the league since 2020, has always stayed healthy, but has never had a big role on a defense unless Minnesota makes a significant signing (or two) to the secondary between now and the start of the season.
There should be plenty of opportunities for Pierre. If he can keep his stats anywhere near last season through triple the workload, then the Vikings will have made an excellent signing.
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