Tag: harrison phillips

Matt Miller’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft has Vikings getting DL help

In his latest mock draft for ESPN, Matt Miller gave the Vikings more help on the defensive line alongside Harrison Phillips. 

The 2025 NFL Draft will be critical for the sustained success of this Minnesota Vikings team. They will be getting back J.J. McCarthy, and Dallas Turner is expected to have a larger role, so a first-round pick could come in with two others.

In his latest mock draft for ESPN, Matt Miller gave the Vikings more help on the defensive line alongside Harrison Phillips.

Miller has the Vikings drafting Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen with the 28th overall pick. He writes, “The Vikings should address the trenches with their first-round pick; the debate will just be whether they would focus on the offensive or defensive side. . . He’s built in the mold of a versatile 3-technique but also has 5-technique ability at 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, sporting active hands, length, quickness and strength. His All-Pro potential would be welcomed in Brian Flores’ complex defensive scheme.”

Nolen is the type of interior presence that works well with Phillips. Where Phillips is a run defender, Nolen can take advantage of his attention and become a reliable interior pass rusher. Creating pressure up the middle frees up the edges to get on-on-ones, and from their, chaos ensues.

There is a lot to like with this pick for the Vikings.

Vikings get defensive line help in ESPN’s latest 2025 NFL mock draft

The Minnesota Vikings get help along the defensive line in the latest 2025 NFL mock draft from ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid.

The Minnesota Vikings are still riding high as one of only two unbeaten teams left in the NFL. They’re sitting atop the toughest division in the NFL right now, the NFC North, and have their sights set on doing some big things this season. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start looking ahead towards the future of this team. That future starts with the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Vikings laid a good foundation with the 2024 NFL Draft, especially in the first round, grabbing who they believe to be the future of their franchise with quarterback J.J. McCarthy. They also make an effort to shore up their pass rush by taking edge rusher Dallas Turner with their second first-round pick. Turner has struggled some in his rookie campaign, but he still has a bright future ahead of him in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme.

While the Vikings have several high-quality pieces on both sides of the ball, several areas can be improved. According to ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid, the Vikings’ biggest areas of need heading into the 2025 NFL Draft are along the offensive line—particularly at guard, the defensive tackle spot, and cornerback.

So, where should the Vikings look next April?

Reid has the Vikings getting some defensive line help with the last pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, taking Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. Here’s Reid’s breakdown of the selection:

The Michigan State transfer has quickly become arguably Oregon’s best defensive player. With a quick first step, Harmon has been able to consistently penetrate the first level, picking up three sacks this season. His strong hands help him stack and shed blocks in the middle as a run defender, but he must do a better job of finishing plays. The Vikings’ defense has been excellent this season, but it probably still needs long-term depth at defensive tackle. Harmon’s explosion would work well in Brian Flores’ attacking unit.

It’s a little surprising to see Reid projecting the Viking to land help on the defensive side when guard has been such a glaring need for the team. However, that situation may improve with the return of Dalton Risner, and the Vikings could certainly use the depth at the position. Harrison Phillips isn’t going to play forever, and Minnesota would do well to think about the next man up despite his recent extension.

He’ll have some mighty big shoes to fill.

Defense has Vikings in top 5 of NFL analyst’s latest power rankings

Thanks to a sweltering defense led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings have entered the top 5 of new power rankings

It’s not a stretch to say not many — maybe no one — saw a 3-0 start to the season coming for the Minnesota Vikings. Many could have predicted an opening-week victory over the New York Giants. But if you had told someone that the Vikings would go on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans back-to-back, they likely would have laughed at you.

The Vikings’ hot start to the season has a lot to do with another unexpected aspect of the season: high-quality play from quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold has come in and taken to head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense quickly and, in turn, has experienced some of the most success he’s seen in his career.

How well the defense is performing shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has worked wonders with this team’s defense and has them becoming the bane of offensive coordinator’s existence. While their performance may not be surprising, just how good they’re playing shouldn’t be taken for granted.

That defensive performance has the Vikings breaking into the top 5 of the latest power rankings from Sports Illustrated’s NFL analyst Conor Orr. Orr has a glowing review of Flores and what he’s doing with the 2024 Minnesota Vikings defense, saying:

What has been masterful about Brian Flores’s defensive performances to me is that, like some of the other Bill Belichick disciples who have left New England only to commit the same sins—loading up on former Patriots, paying them big money and trying to run the same defense—Flores has loaded up on former Dolphins and Patriots. However, he has taken those players and plugged them into a whirlwind defensively that is zigging while the rest of the NFL is sitting in Cover 2 and praying for no big plays (sorry gang, Andy Dalton is back and that’s not gonna happen). While it’s harder to maintain a great offense than a great defense, and at some point the referees and the league will step in to goose scoring, we need to take note of how wonderful and maddening this defense has been over the course of three games.

Two former Dolphins — edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill — were instrumental in the Vikings’ upset victory over the Texans on Saturday. Van Ginkel, the Vikings’ leading tackler on the day, was all over the field for the Vikings’ defense, making tackles at every level, including getting one sack on Texans’ quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Grugier-Hill stepped in on short notice to fill in for an injured Ivan Pace, Jr. and made several key plays for the defense. In the first quarter, Grugier-Hill came down with a huge interception after defensive tackle Harrison Phillips tipped the Stroud pass, ending Stroud’s NFL-leading consecutive passes without an interception streak.

It was a dominating performance all around, and that has been the case all season long for the Vikings, as it was to close out the season in 2023. The Vikings defense kept Minnesota in a number of games that they probably had no right being in, and kept the team in the playoff race for far longer than they should have been given the injuries and offensive struggles they experienced.

Now that the offense has at least somewhat caught up to the defense, the Vikings could be a dangerous team from now on.

Vikings DL Harrison Phillips always had faith in Sam Darnold

The Minnesota Vikings have not had to rebuild this roster completely, but rather, they have established leaders like Harrison Phillips.

The Minnesota Vikings have not had to rebuild this roster completely; rather, they have established leaders like Harrison Phillips, who, in turn, lift the whole roster. They really have embraced the idea that a rising tide lifts all ships, and for two weeks, it has worked.

One of the best examples of this practice being effective is Sam Darnold’s play at quarterback.

During an appearance on NFL Network on Wednesday, Phillips was asked if he saw Darnold’s career resurgence coming. He said sternly, “I’m going to be honest with you… I really did.”

Darnold has the Vikings 2-0 to start the season and has accumulated 476 passing yards, four touchdowns, and just two interceptions.

Phillips and this whole Vikings team have rallied around Darnold. It has been great to see coach Kevin O’Connell and coordinator Wes Phillips doing some of their best work with him. The team will look to keep that run going against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Vikings extend DL Harrison Phillips with a two-year deal

Phillips is being rewarded in the form of job and financial security as the team has signed him to a two-year extension.

The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2024 season with some questions about their defensive line, and on Sunday, Harrison Phillips reminded everyone he had things covered.

As a result of what he did, plus his work last year with the team, Phillips is being rewarded. That reward is coming in the form of job and financial security as the team has signed him to a two-year extension worth up to $19 million.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported that the deal includes a guaranteed amount of $13 million.

Phillips came to the Vikings in 2022, signing a three-year deal after playing for the Buffalo Bills. This deal now extends his tenure with the team through the 2026 season.

He has emerged as a leader on defense, both on and off the field. His teammates have voted him captain and honored him as the team’s representative as their Walter Payton Man of the Year.

His captaincy should continue to thrive while he mans the middle of Brian Flores’ defense. Both Flores and Phillips have proven to be a dream pairing, and they hope it is a relationship that will continue to be two-way for years to come.

CBS Sports recognizes Vikings biggest question mark in 2024

Everyone knows about the Minnesota Vikings’ questions at quarterback heading into the 2024 season, but could there be an even bigger one?

The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback questions heading into the 2024 season garner all the headlines, and it’s a battle that folks will be watching all year long. But that’s not the only question mark the Vikings have heading into the season—and it may not even be the biggest, according to CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin.

Dubin recently took a look at each team’s biggest question mark heading into the season, and for the Vikings, he has his eyes on the situation at defensive tackle as the biggest area of concern, saying:

Harrison Phillips is a solid player, but the Vikes are counting on guys like Jerry Tillery, 2023 fifth-rounder Jaquelin Roy and 2024 seventh-rounder Levi (Drake) Rodriguez next to him. That is highly concerning, even with Brian Flores magicking things up for them. And we still don’t yet know whether they will have to start Sam Darnold for a while, or if J.J. McCarthy will hit the ground running.

Dubin does mention the quarterback situation at the end of his analysis, but it’s interesting to note that he’s more worried about the situation at defensive tackle. Minnesota was poor last season when it came to putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks up the middle, and that’s not likely to improve this season.

However, given Phillips’s potentially increased role and Brian Flores’s creative schemes, it may be less of an issue than Dubin believes it to be.

Vikings DL Harrison Phillips offers high praise for Jordan Love

The Vikings defensive lineman compared the difference between playing Love the first time to the second.

There is no doubt the NFC North is loaded with offensive talent. Now that the Chicago Bears have drafted Caleb Williams and the Vikings have selected J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback position has a chance of being a real problem in the NFC North. Pairing those two young phenoms up with Jared Goff and Packers’ Jordan Love could make for a tough time for any opposing defense.

Goff has been around the league for a while, but Love is fairly new in the spotlight. 2023 was his first full season starting for Green Bay, and it appears that the Packers, once again, have another face of the franchise.

Vikings defensive lineman Harrison Phillips spoke at length about Love and the huge difference between facing him the first time last season compared to the second.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen a player within a season progress that much,” said Phillips. “We went to Lambeau earlier in the year and won pretty comfortably. We pressured him quite a bit. We made him struggle a lot. I always wanted to play Aaron Rodgers the first couple of weeks in the year because he’s not able to see our defense, and he’s not able to pick up the tells of our new calls. And I think he put off some of that knowledge into Jordan Love. When we saw him at the end of the year, I just saw him comfortable. He’s buying time, he’s letting his receivers get open. He’s knowing what’s the weak part of our defense. He’s got the arm strength, he’s got the talent, his football IQ is what grew the most for me from playing him the first to the second time.”

Brian Flores will have to have solid game plans going forward on the defensive side of the football when his Vikings’ defense faces Love and the Packers. Relentless pressure will be a big key for Minnesota in 2024.

Vikings may have a plan to increase interior pass rush success in 2024

The Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles ranked at or near the bottom in pass rush in 2023. What’s the plan to improve that next season?

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has certainly improved the Minnesota Vikings’ defense during his tenure with the team. But one aspect the team can still improve upon is its ability to get a pass rush up the middle. Last season, defensive tackles Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard finished 176th and 185th out of 185 defenders who rushed the passer at least 200 times.

So how does Flores improve upon that performance? According to The Athletic’s Minnesota Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis, the team may have two solutions to the problem. The first could come in the form of free agent acquisition Jerry Tillery. Tillery, a former first-round pick, was the 88th-ranked pass rusher last season. Not on the level of Quinnen Williams, Chris Jones, or Aaron Donald (as Lewis points out), but certainly an improvement.

The other potential solution Lewis suggests is to increase the frequency with which the defensive line uses stunts. Last season, the Vikings were 27th in the league in defensive stunts, using them on just 23 percent of snaps per PFF. Contrast that with Flores’ 2021 Miami Dolphins team, who used stunts on more than 30 percent of defensive snaps, good for third that season.

Bringing in former Miami Dolphins EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel should help the Vikings improve that number if that’s the route the defense goes. Van Ginkel has shown good speed and agility during his years with the Dolphins, and he’s familiar with Flores’ scheme and what he wants out of his pass rushers.

Vikings first-round pick Dallas Turner should also be able to help on that front, as he “can be a menace as bender between the tackles,” as Lewis puts it. Those two additions to the Vikings front should allow Flores to increase their creativity, something he excelled at last season despite the poor pass-rushing performance up front.

Vikings may have interesting decisions to make at defensive tackle

Cut-down day in the NFL isn’t for another couple of months, but the Minnesota Vikings may have some interesting choices to make at DT.

We’re still in the early portions of the off-season programs, but if early indications are to be believed, the Minnesota Vikings may have some interesting decisions to make regarding roster cut-down day. Particularly when it comes to the defensive tackle position.

The Vikings are likely to keep only four, maybe five, defensive tackles on the roster, but they have a wealth of talent at the position, which could make the decision difficult for the coaching staff.

Harrison Phillips is one of the unquestioned leaders of the Vikings’ defense heading into his third season with the team. With Danielle Hunter gone in free agency, the Vikings will lean even more heavily on Phillips to provide the defense with veteran leadership. Phillips is a lock to make the roster and will likely see an increased role on the defense in 2024.

It’s beyond Phillips where things get interesting for the Vikings at defensive tackle. They have a number of potential players on the roster, but only a limited number of spots available. Upwards of six guys are fighting for, likely, three roster spots.

Jaquelin Roy was a rotational defensive tackle as a rookie in 2023 and played admirably in the limited action he saw. Roy, the rookie out of LSU, saw only one start in 2023, and the stat sheet wasn’t terribly impressive – just eight tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and one quarterback hit. But he was a solid contributor on defense and made more plays for the team than the box score would indicate. According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Roy will have “premium chances in training camp”.

Jalen Redmond, an undrafted free agent in 2023, was recently signed to a contract after being a standout in spring football. During his stint in the UFL, Redmond was one of the league’s best defenders while he was healthy.

That caveat, however, is the biggest concern about Redmond. He failed to catch on with the Carolina Panthers as a UDFA due largely to his inability to stay healthy. If he can stay on the field, there is a lot of untapped potential there.

Speaking of injury, the Vikings also have James Lynch who figures to be in the mix for a roster spot. Lynch has been with the Vikings for the past four seasons and has served them well in a rotational role.

Lynch saw action in several games two seasons ago, notching 20 tackles and one tackle for loss. Unfortunately, Lynch tore his ACL last season and missed the year and, according to Lewis, is “likely battling for a back-end roster spot”.

Then comes the youngster Levi Drake Rodriguez. The Vikings took Rodriguez in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft and have reportedly already begun turning heads.

According to Lewis, “the team loves him already”, which would seem to indicate that he’ll likely figure heavily into the mix for one of the DT spots. Rodriguez struggles against the run, and improving that has been a focus in the early portions of the off-season – and likely will continue to be all season.

Rounding out the position are two players the Vikings signed in the offseason to help bolster their depth and provide versatility: Jonah Williams and Jerry Tillery. Williams is a name that should be familiar to Vikings fans, as this will technically be his second stint with the team.

Williams was originally claimed off waivers by the Vikings in 2021 after being released by the Los Angeles Rams, but he was waived the next day. Now, Williams is back with the team after spending the past three seasons with the Rams. Williams may have a leg up, as he could also stick on the roster as a defensive end—his more natural position.

Jerry Tillery comes to the Vikings after two seasons with the Raiders. Tillery, a former first-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers, has yet to reach the potential he showed coming out of Notre Dame, but according to Lewis he “is imposing, and you can understand why he was a first-rounder”. Tillery could also find a spot on the roster at defensive end.

We’ll have to wait a couple of months to see how everything shakes out at the position, but early returns suggest that the Vikings have a ton of talent at the position. Some good players will be left on the outside looking in – a good problem for the Vikings to have at this juncture.

Vikings DT Harrison Phillips prepping for increased workload in 2024

Entering a contract year, Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips is changing his routine to prepare for a higher workload.

Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense saw somewhat of a resurgence in 2023. The 2024 squad will look a lot different from the 2023 team, particularly up front. A big hole was left when Danielle Hunter left in free agency, one that the Vikings hope can be filled by first-round pick Dallas Turner. One thing that remains the same, though, is the presence of defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.

Phillips has been a fixture on the inside of the Vikings defensive line and has earned his place as one of the leaders on the defense — and the team as a whole. As Phillips prepares to enter his seventh NFL season and his third with the Vikings, he’s reportedly changing his off-season regimen.

According to The Athletic’s Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis, Phillips has changed up his preparation to be “more pliable” this season in anticipation of an increased workload.

Phillips saw his most work last season, being on the field for a career-high 839 defensive snaps, which amounted to 74% of the team’s defensive plays — also a career-high for Phillips.

Phillips’ usage cannot go much higher, but if his playtime does increase even further, it sounds like he’s doing everything he can to be up for the challenge.