As I watched the Super Bowl this past weekend, I couldn’t help but feel the winds of change blowing through the football world. Two Super Bowl-caliber defenses clashed, and while the New England Patriots faltered down the stretch as the Seattle Seahawks continued to land body blows, both defensive units played excellent football for most of the night. Seattle especially so, with a defense that may go down in NFL history as one of the best ever.
When I compared the dominance of those two units with the Minnesota Vikings’ stout defense, one difference stood out. While the Seahawks may lack a top-end outside edge rusher like Jonathan Greenard, they more than made up for it with an unstoppable defensive interior. Byron Murphy II (not to be confused with Minnesota’s Byron Murphy Jr.), Jarran Reed, and Leonard Williams played with a space-eating ferocity for which New England had no answer.
Drake Maye had nowhere to step up in the pocket, the running game was smothered, and the sheer amount of space eaten up front made every blitz Mike Macdonald cooked up even more potent. New England’s defensive interior also wasn’t anything to scoff at, either, led by prized free-agent signing Milton Williams.
Seattle got this done with a rotation on the edges that was far less impressive. It’s a serviceable unit, with guys like Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, and Demarcus Lawrence proving to be successful role players. Still, the big guys in the middle are the real difference-makers on defense. That’s been a shift in the NFL over recent seasons, and it seems defensive coordinators are beginning to prioritize interior pressure differently than years past.
Looking at Minnesota’s defense, the interior defensive line is a major opportunity for improvement. Jalen Redmond‘s emergence breathed new life into that unit in 2025, but their premier free agents in that room were major disappointments.
Health issues and decreased production hampered Jonathan Allen all season. Javon Hargrave regressed and became a third-down sub-package player due to being such a glaring liability in the running game. With both players boasting steep price tags next year, Allen and Hargrave feel like prime candidates for release or a salary-dump trade.
Redmond found his stride as an interior slasher this past season, but he alone isn’t enough for that unit to thrive next season. As Brian Flores figures out the next evolution of his defense, an upgrade at defensive tackle feels essential. Minnesota needs to add multiple bodies through either the draft or free agency. I’d argue that its need warrants at least one major investment in the position.
If interim general manager Rob Brzezinski goes shopping in free agency, there are a few notable options. If the Vikings want to invest in a more traditional nose tackle, their options include D.J. Reader or DaQuan Jones. Both are 320-plus lb. body types who can eat up blocks in the running game and remain stout at the point of attack. Jones has a bit more upside as a pass rusher than Reader, but isn’t quite as dominant against the run as Reader.
If they prefer a more pass-rush-focused skillset, then players like Sheldon Rankins or John Franklin-Myers provide the type of third-down prowess that the Vikings expected to get out of Javon Hargrave this past season. Franklin-Myers has been routinely underrated in his time in Denver. He’s still in his prime at only 29 years old, and could be due a significant payday.
The Vikings could be intrigued by familiar face Khyiris Tonga, who could hit free agency after playing a solid rotational role in New England this past season. He may not come with as hefty a price tag, and there’s familiarity built in with the organization and coaching staff. Tonga wouldn’t be a game-changer, but could be a stabilizing presence in that room. I’m particularly a fan of bringing Tonga back in tandem with prioritizing the position early on draft night.
If they do dedicate their first round pick to the defensive interior, then there’s some interesting prospects. Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter has elite hands and movement for a man his size, and can still leverage his 6’4″, 330 lb. frame to eat up blocks.
Hunter’s superpower is his ability to shed defenders in the running game, where he’s elite at using his length and hands to slash past defenders. He needs to get better at using more than just his size to win double teams, but he’ll routinely make you pay for trying to move him one-on-one. Hunter isn’t a perfectly polished nose tackle yet, but his profile is that of a player who will play on Sundays for a long time.
Then there’s a guy like Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, who NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared to D.J. Reader. McDonald doesn’t offer the same type of lateral chase that Lee Hunter offers. Still, his size and strength are enough to make him a productive space-eating nose tackle early on in his career.
Lastly, I’d highlight Clemson’s Peter Woods, a tweener who isn’t a pure fit for one or two gaps but has the versatility to play both competently. He’s got violent hands, but they’re unfortunately attached to shorter arms. If Woods can hand-fight foes away, then he’s got impressive ability to shed and take over reps. However, he occasionally gets swarmed by double teams. He and the rest of the Clemson team had a disappointing 2025, but his 2024 tape shows the type of impressive upside that’ll likely get him picked on Day 1 or 2.
Whether it’s shelling out dollars in free agency or spending valuable capital on draft night, the Vikings’ need for youth and depth on the defensive interior is undeniable. For all the Flores’ creativity, bringing a pocket-pushing presence in the middle could be the catalyst for the next iteration.