The Minnesota Vikings approached free agency aggressively, a plan influenced by their lack of draft capital. The Vikings have a league-low four picks. To that end, targeting an interior defensive lineman like Derrick Harmon could prove faulty.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski pointed to the Vikings signing veterans Javon Hargrave (two years, $30 million) and Jonathan Allen (three years, $51 million) in free agency.
The Vikings gave the duo a combined $29.3 million in guaranteed money.
“Prior to free agency, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon should have been at the top of the Minnesota Vikings’ draft wish list. He’d now be a luxury pick after what the team added to its defensive interior,” Sobleski wrote on April 20.
“Allen and Hargrave are 30 or older, but both signed for longer than one year and can still perform at a relatively high level.
Phillips, 29, is starting a two-year, $15 million contract extension in 2025.
Per Over the Cap, the Vikings rank 14th in spending on their interior defensive line in 2025. They check in at $28.9 million. They project to climb to second in 2026 with $54.4 million due to their defensive front.
Vikings Urged to Avoid Potential Building Block for Need
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Harmon as IDL2 and the No. 16 overall prospect of the 2025 draft class. That could make him a steal for the Vikings with the No. 24 pick.
“A player who can win in different ways, Harmon forces blockers to attack air with his lateral explosiveness or uses strong, crafty hands to swat away the reach of blockers as he bursts through gaps to close on the ball carrier. Though he led FBS interior linemen in pressures, he also led the position in missed tackles (12) — even the smallest improvements in his backfield finishing ability would have resulted in double-digit sacks,” Brugler wrote on April 9.
“Harmon is a highly active and disruptive big man who consistently finds ways to gain freedom from blocks as a penetrating pass rusher and run stuffer. He projects as a scheme-diverse NFL starter, anywhere from one- to five-tech.”
