{"id":836933,"date":"2026-03-27T13:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/836933\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T13:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:40:17","slug":"nfl-com-calls-out-main-roster-need-for-vikings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/836933\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL.com Calls Out Main Roster Need for Vikings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings did not add newcomers at the defensive tackle spot in free agency, and in fact, let two starters go at the position, thrusting the DT spot<\/a> to the top of the team\u2019s list of roster needs, according to NFL.com.<\/p>\n

The Vikings still look light at defensive tackle.<\/p>\n

Dan Parr from that site outlined all of Minnesota\u2019s roster concerns<\/a> this week, and defensive tackle took the cake.<\/p>\n

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DT Stands Out on Minnesota\u2019s To-Do List<\/p>\n

The Vikings have more roster needs than usual because of former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u2019s abnormally poor drafting habits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Peter<\/p>\n

Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) battles in the trenches during second-quarter action, with the moment unfolding on September 6, 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, as Woods engages blockers and tracks the play while anchoring the defensive front in a physical early-season matchup at home. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

NFL.com: DT Foremost Roster Need for Vikings<\/p>\n

The Vikings have nine picks next month to address roster holes, with four in the Top 100. Per Parr, a new defensive tackle should be a priority.<\/p>\n

He wrote Tuesday<\/a>, \u201cBiggest needs: DL, OL, S, WR, CB. Minnesota heads into the draft looking to replace starting defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, who were both released after one year with the team. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores might be relying on a rookie at safety, with six-time Pro Bowler Harrison Smith potentially headed for retirement after 14 years with the franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cRyan Kelly already announced he\u2019s retiring, so head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell needs a new center. The Vikings\u2019 receiver depth also took a hit when the Raiders signed Jalen Nailor, who tied for the team lead in touchdown catches with four last season.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that assessment pretty much nails it, though some consider cornerback a more urgent need.<\/p>\n

The Current DT Corps<\/p>\n

With Allen and Hargrave subtracted from 2026 festivities \u2014 Allen now works for the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>, and Hargrave decided the Green Bay Packers were the right choice \u2014 the Vikings have youth in the DT pipeline, although the talent is mainly late-round picks and undrafted dudes.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s the DT group without Allen and Hargrave:<\/p>\n

The Vikings could also pound the free-agent pavement, as interior defensive linemen like Christian Wilkins and DJ Reader remain available on the open market. Wilkins, especially, makes sense because Flores selected him as his very first draft pick in Miami seven years ago, when Flores served as the Dolphins\u2019 head coach.<\/p>\n

Which Rookie DTs from the Draft<\/p>\n

Now, to the fun part. Let\u2019s pretend that the Vikings spend one of their four Top 100 draft picks on a defensive tackle, with the caveat that DTs often take longer to develop<\/a> than EDGE rushers and cornerbacks.<\/p>\n

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The list would look like this on April 23rd and 24th:<\/p>\n

Kayden McDonald (Ohio State)<\/p>\n

Christen Miller (Georgia)<\/p>\n

Domonique Orange (Iowa State)<\/p>\n

Darrell Jackson Jr. (Florida State)<\/p>\n

Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati)<\/p>\n

\"Caleb<\/p>\n

Florida Gators defensive lineman Caleb Banks (88) pressures Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) during third-quarter action, with the play occurring on Oct. 28, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, as Banks closes in from the interior and disrupts the pocket in a rivalry matchup won by Georgia. Mandatory Credit: Corey Perrine-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

Woods, McDonald, Banks, Hunter, and Miller will likely be picked before the end of Round 2. The rest are options from Round 3 to 4.<\/p>\n

Pro Football Focus\u2018s Gordon McGuinness recently mock-drafted<\/a> McDonald from Ohio State to Minnesota: \u201cThe Vikings released interior defenders Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, so they could do with some additional support on the inside. McDonald is a monster against the run, having earned a 91.2 PFF run-defense grade this past season to rank first among all interior defenders in college football.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Playing Time for Others?<\/p>\n

Finally, pretend that Minnesota does not sign Wilkins from free agency and prefers a late-round DT solution. Well, it will mean the Vikings have big plans for their unsung contributors like Rodriguez or Ingram-Dawkins. Both have shown flashes of promise, but prolonged auditions have eluded them.<\/p>\n

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Our Adam New noted on the DT spot last week<\/a>, \u201cThe rise of Jalen Redmond has given the Vikings a starter in the middle of their defensive line. He should be in line for a lengthy contract extension soon, but the situation outside of Redmond is unclear. Just a year removed from signing both to big-money contracts, Minnesota opted to release Jonathan Allen<\/a> and Javon Hargrave after disappointing seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt leaves a young trio of Levi Drake-Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Elijah Williams making up the depth chart. Adding to that group with a rookie would require an exceptional draft prospect. I thought Caleb Banks was that guy, but yet another foot injury leaves the doubts lingering. The brain trust in Minnesota will have to weigh up the risk\/reward of drafting Banks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tyrion<\/p>\n

Georgia defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (DL19) runs through positional drills at the NFL Combine, with the scene taking place on Feb 27, 2025 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, as evaluators watch his movement, strength, and technique during on-field testing ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft process. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that Minnesota\u2019s defense ranks second in the NFL per all major efficiency metrics since Flores arrived in town three years ago. Whatever he lands on as a solution for replacing Allen and Hargrave will probably work.<\/p>\n

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The draft is 27 days away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Vikings did not add newcomers at the defensive tackle spot in free agency, and in fact,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":836934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[6696,30253,2037,1521,256,48922,1156,3126,2793,22841,1301,7,345,21433,2004,3973,38851,1824,9085,23284,216,233,259,2529,6,15,7722,8316,1732,1998,234],"class_list":["post-836933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-minnesota-vikings","tag-brian-flores","tag-caleb-banks","tag-carson-beck","tag-christian-wilkins","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-darrell-jackson-jr","tag-defensive-line","tag-defensive-lineman","tag-defensive-tackle","tag-dontay-corleone","tag-florida-gators","tag-football","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-harrison-smith","tag-indianapolis","tag-jalen-nailor","tag-jalen-redmond","tag-javon-hargrave","tag-jonathan-allen","tag-levi-drake-rodriguez","tag-miami","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-minnesotavikings","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-peter-woods","tag-ryan-kelly","tag-taki-taimani","tag-tyrion-ingram-dawkins","tag-vikings"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=836933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/836934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=836933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=836933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=836933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}