The Minnesota Vikings were among the NFL’s overall leaders in sacks last season, finishing in a tie for fourth with the Houston Texans with 49.
So why was GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah so aggressive this offseason when it came to restocking his defensive front?
The short answer: Sack numbers aren’t always the best indicator for a team’s pass-rush prowess in the NFL.
Pro Football Focus gave the Pittsburgh Steelers its No. 1 pass-rush grade for the 2024 season, but the Steelers finished middle-of-the-pack in total sacks. Ditto for the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, whose sack numbers were among the lowest in the NFL over the first half of the regular season. We all saw how that turned out in Super Bowl LIX. Just ask Patrick Mahomes and his Chiefs about Philly’s defensive front.
Minnesota’s overall pass rush finished in the bottom half of the NFL, per PFF. Interior pressure was a noticeable weakness, one the Vikings addressed prominently in free agency by signing both Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.
Those proactive moves will move the needle in the eyes of football analytics expert Warren Sharp, who projects the Vikings to feature the NFL’s best front seven in 2025. Here’s a full breakdown of Minnesota’s depth chart, with Sharp’s analysis.
Minnesota Vikings depth chart: projected front seven
- DE Jonathan Allen
- NT Harrison Phillips
- DE Javon Hargrave
- EDGE Jonathan Greenard
- LB Blake Cashman
- LB Ivan Pace Jr.
- EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel
Projected key reserves/rotational players
- DE Jalen Redmond
- EDGE Dallas Turner
- LB Eric Wilson
Sharp Football Analysis on Vikings
"The biggest mover across our entire rankings was the Minnesota front seven, which jumped 24 spots to No. 1 this year," Sharp noted. "The Vikings added both Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to a defensive front that finished sixth in pressure rate and fourth in sacks last season."
Sharp’s projected top 10 NFL front sevens
- Minnesota Vikings (score: 86)
- Denver Broncos (score: 85)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (score: 84)
- New York Giants (score: 82)
- Houston Texans (score: 78)
- Cleveland Browns (score: 77)
- New York Jets (score: 76)
- Buffalo Bills (score: 74)
- Philadelphia Eagles (score: 74)
- Detroit Lions (score: 69)
MORE: 2025 NFL Front Seven Rankings, All 32 Teams
Rankings metrics: “With a combination of numbers, film, and projections," Sharp wrote, "the rankings were averaged for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends, offensive line, defensive front seven, defensive secondary, and head coach.”
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