The Minnesota Vikings made changes to their defensive line this offseason, cutting ties with Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Moreover, the Vikings drafted Caleb Banks at No. 18 and Domonique Orange in the third round.
Nonetheless, Banks and Orange are rookies and will have to adjust from the college game to the NFL. As a result, the one player on the Vikings’ interior defensive line who could be primed for a big 2026 NFL season is Jalen Redmond.
Moreover, Yahoo! Sports’ Nate Tice is predicting that Redmond will indeed have a breakout year for Minnesota as he takes over for Allen and Hargrave.
“This defense added some beef, got some cool players: Dominique Orange, Caleb Banks, and Jalen Redmond,” Tice said on the May 5 edition of “Football 301 with Nate Tice.“ “[Redmond] fits perfectly because he can kick out to defensive end, whether in those three-down fronts as well. Jalen Redmond is a good football player with a cool history, playing in the minor leagues of football basically as an undrafted player.
“He wears No. 61, which is a center number, but still, this is a kick-a– player. He had the same amount of stops last year, which is a tackle that ends up being a successful play for the defense. That’s usually a better stat for a linebacker, but it’s still pretty indicative for a defensive tackle as well. You’re not getting cheapies.”
Former Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t have many positives during his tenure, which led to his firing in January. Nonetheless, one of the bright spots was signing Redmond in 2024, who was playing in the XFL for the Arlington Renegades.
Vikings’ Jalen Redmond Among Best Players at His Position
Moreover, the reason Tice is buying high on Redmond having a breakout season is that the stat line that the Vikings defensive tackle put up last campaign puts him among the best players at his position.
“Redmond was tied for fifth in the NFL among defensive tackles with 51 stops,“ Tice added. “The only players above him were Cam Heyward, Jordan Davis, Derrick Brown, Harrison Phillips, and Jalen Redmond, tied with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II of the Seahawks.
“He had a 9 percent pressure rate. The league average for defensive tackles is 7 percent. He had six sacks and was second in stuffs among defensive tackles, which are tackles for zero yards or tackles for loss, trailing only Quinnen Williams.”
Last season for Minnesota, Redmond posted a 72.7 overall PFF defensive grade, generating 35 total pressures, six sacks, 26 hurries, and three hits. Meanwhile, he was effective against the run, recording 42 solo tackles and one forced fumble.
National Media Will Know About Jalen Redmond
Moreover, Tice adds that just having a more prominent role now that Allen and Hargrave are gone will allow the 27-year-old to garner more name recognition as one of the best players at his position.
“This guy is just a good football player, and Brian Flores, of course, is going to scheme up some of those sacks and pressure opportunities, but he also wins when he has to play 1-on-1,” Tice said. “He has defensive versatility and can move across the defensive line. He is just a good football player.
“I just want to keep highlighting him because they added some talented young players, but Redmond is kind of the stalwart now of that defense, in the weirdest way, or that defensive front, I should say. So I think this is going to be a really good defense, and I think Redmond may pop off a little bit more nationally.”
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