Minnesota Vikings have emerging superstar on its defense, and he’s making a major impact for Brian Flores
The Vikings found their next star defender in the most unique of places.
The Minnesota Vikings’ defense has struggled the last few weeks. Whether it’s due to injuries, poor scheme against some talented quarterbacks, or just not making plays, there have been multiple issues across the board.
Over the course of the season, we’ve seen players take a step back from our expectations and even get benched for poor play.
Inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. didn’t play a snap on defense against the Philadelphia Eagles, and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave has been moved from a starter and DT2 back to getting the fourth-most snaps on the defensive line. One of the biggest reasons why the Vikings have been comfortable cycling Hargrave down has been the emergence of the new superstar defender.
Jalen Redmond is the latest superstar find on defense
The No. 1 player on the Vikings’ defense is edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. However, you can argue that the second-best is defensive tackle Jalen Redmond. He’s been a dominant force on the interior, and people are starting to take notice.
During his Tuesday press conference, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell made Redmond’s ability known.
“I’m glad you mentioned Redmond. I think Redmond is an outstanding player. I really do,” said Campbell. “I think that guy is disruptive. I think he plays the run. I think he gets the edge in the pass game.”
Campbell is right. Redmond has been incredibly disruptive across the board. Redmond grades incredibly favorably by Pro Football Focus. Here’s where he ranks among defensive tackles:
- Seventh in pass rush grade: 79.6
- T-14th in pressures with 21, despite having 48 fewer pass rush reps than the next lowest above him
- 11 pressures in 49 true pass sets, with everyone having at least 13 more attempts than him
- Highest pressure rate at 17.6%
Make no mistake, Redmond is dominating.
You can look at the stats and see how good he’s been, but the tape has even better evidence. Remember the Josh Metellus interception? That was mainly due to the pass rush and Redmond’s relentless motor.
Redmond didn’t just dominate the Chargers’ offensive line; he was the biggest factor for any defensive success. He earned nine pressures and impacted Justin Herbert in multiple ways.
One of those plays was the touchdown to Ladd McConkey, when Redmond got into the face of Herbert, but he just overcame it with ease.
No matter what you asked of Redmond, whether it be responsibility or alignment, he’s been great.
You can see a great combination of burst, power, and hand usage across all of these reps. He can beat you in a variety of ways, which is exactly what you want to see from a star defensive tackle.
Redmond has been a really good player for the Vikings, but he’s also one of the best finds for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The defensive tackle spent the 2024 spring season with the Arlington Renegades and was signed after mandatory minicamp on June 18, 2024.
He was so good in training camp as the 90th man on the roster that they kept him. He ended up earning a starting role at the end of the season over Jerry Tillery and thrived.
He also has two more years of team control left, since this is his second NFL season. He will be due a contract of just over $1 million as an exclusive rights free agent, but it would behoove the Vikings to consider an extension with his play skyrocketing this year.
Redmond isn’t just a good player; he’s the Vikings’ biggest emerging star.
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