As part of last offseason's free agency spending spree to fortify the trenches, the Minnesota Vikings doubled up on defensive tackles by signing Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. One game in the moves looked great, but the returns were greatly diminished over the rest of the season.
Couple the underachievement of the big-name veterans with the emergence of Jalen Redmond, and the Vikings are in line to alter their pecking order at defensive tackle again this offseason. While Allen's contract is difficult to move on from, Hargrave is easy to offer as a potential cut or trade candidate.
The Vikings have a fair amount of young interior defensive line talent in place already, with Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Elijah Williams joining Redmond. But that should not cross the position off their 2026 draft board if a player is deemed a fit.
Hidden draft gem could fortify Minnesota Vikings' interior DL youth movement
NFL Draft On SI's Justin Melo recently identified one hidden draft gem to watch for each NFL team during the NFL Combine. For the Vikings, he went with Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan.
"Defensive tackle is a mid-round need for Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings. Missouri's Chris McClellan has massive measurements (6-3, 315, 34-inch arms, 11-inch hands) and feels like a player Flores will appreciate. The Vikings would be an outstanding fit, and that sentiment should grow stronger after the combine."
McClellan started his college career at Florida before transferring to Missouri and getting the opportunity to start. Over those two seasons at Missouri, he had 13.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks (eight and six, respectively, in 2025).
Common positive threads in evaluations of McClellan, including Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, note his size, play strength, and hand power.
On the negative side, there are questions about consistently maintaining his pad level and the broadness of his skills as a pass rusher. Those flaws feel like things that can be coached up at the next level, with the kind of God-given measurables that cannot be taught.
Entering the Scouting Combine, McClellan is lined up to be a Day 2 or an early Day 3 draft pick, and CBS Sports notably has him at No. 72 in their overall prospect rankings.
If the Vikings want him, with no fourth-round pick right now, they may have to take him if he's there in the third round at No. 82 overall, wait to see if he's still on the board when they're on the clock in the fifth round (No. 161) or, more likely, trade up from one of those two spots.
There's no such thing as having too much talent along a defensive front. McClellan could be someone who lands on the Vikings' radar with that idea in mind, but a lot of stars may have to align for them to get him.