What the Vikings Should Copy From the Eagles

It’s always tempting to look at the Super Bowl champion as an exemplar for the Vikings to follow. Typically, this is a fruitless exercise: GOAT QBs like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are not easy to find. 

This year, however, the Super Bowl champion Eagles are not such a bad comparison for the Vikings. Philadelphia has achieved consistent contention—highlighted by two Super Bowl appearances in three years—with an above-average but not elite QB.

The Vikings have similarly benefitted from above-average yet not elite QB for the last six seasons. Both teams feature a pair of high-end wide receivers with the ability to separate, and both signed top-tier RBs last free agency, in a time when free agent RBs are more unpopular than ever before.

So, what’s preventing the Vikings from being the Eagles? Comparing the two rosters, there is one glaring difference: the construction of the defensive line. 

Here is the 2024 Eagles’ starting defensive line and how they were acquired:

• ED Nolan Smith—drafted 30th by the Eagles
• DT Jordan Davis—drafted 13th by the Eagles
• DT Jalen Carter—drafted 9th by the Eagles
• DT Milton Williams—drafted 73rd by the Eagles
• ED Josh Sweat—drafted 130th by the Eagles

Compare that to the 2024 Vikings’ defensive line:

• ED Jonathan Greenard, drafted 90th, signed with the Vikings as FA
• DT Jerry Tillery, drafted 28th, signed with the Vikings as FA
• DT Harrison Phillips, drafted 96th, signed with the Vikings as FA
• DT Jonathan Bullard, drafted 72nd, signed with the Vikings as FA
• ED Andrew Van Ginkel, drafted 151st, signed with the Vikings as FA

That’s about as stark of a difference as you could imagine. The Eagles have spent significant draft capital on their defensive line, including three first-round picks. The Vikings, on the other hand, have exclusively used free agency to build their defensive front.

In general, free agency is not the best way to build a Super Bowl champion: players who are allowed to hit free agency almost always have some defect, whether it be age, injury concerns, off-field issues, or a lack of skill. It’s actually quite a testament to the Vikings’ front office that they were able to bring in such talented edge rushers and cornerbacks during last year’s free agency. 

On the flip side, though, the Vikings’ reliance on free agency to build their defense is also a manifestation of their inability to accurately forecast talent in the NFL draft. Historically, defensive linemen have been easier to predict than defensive backs in the NFL draft, and so it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Eagles have repeatedly found success targeting linemen in the early rounds of the draft.

In contrast, the Vikings under Kwesi-Adofo Mensah have invested far more draft capital in the secondary…and have had very little success. So far, out of 5 defensive backs drafted in the first four rounds from 2022-2024, only 2023 3rd round pick Mekhi Blackmon has a chance to contribute for the Vikings in 2025.

So, perhaps the Vikings would be well-advised to take a page out of the Eagles’ playbook and target a defensive lineman in the early parts of this year’s draft. The good news is that the interior defensive line projects to be one of the strongest and deepest positions of the 2025 draft class.

Don’t be surprised if the Vikings trade back to the end of the first round or the beginning of the second and still manage to land a starter on the defensive front.