The Minnesota Vikings spent $265.7 million in free agency, the second most in the NFL, per Spotrac. $81 million went to new defensive linemen Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. Still, ESPN’s Matt Miller believes the Vikings could eye Tim Keenan III in 2026.
The Alabama nose guard is listed at 6-foot-2 and 325 pounds on the team’s website, making him a massive presence in the middle of the defensive line.
He would be the heaviest player along the Vikings’ current front.
“While the Vikings bolstered their offensive line in Round 1 in 2025 with guard Donovan Jackson, they were linked to many interior defenders during the predraft process and made a run at Milton Williams in free agency. So defensive tackle is a need,” Miller wrote on in his “early” 2026 mock draft on June 30.
“Keenan is a physical, tough-nosed anchor with the prototypical nose tackle build. He has some pass-rush ability (2.5 sacks last season), but Keenan’s strength against the run and on-field leadership have scouts discussing him as a potential first-rounder.”
Keenan has recorded 79 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks through three seasons with the Crimson Tide, logging double-digit games in 2023 and 2024.
Keenan would join the NFL’s No. 2-ranked run defense of 2024 if he lands with the Vikings.
Vikings Could Hedge Against Risky Investment With Tim Keenan III
The Vikings could be drawn to Keenan if Allen and Hargrave battle injuries again, as both are in their 30s. Both players logged at least 15 appearances for six straight seasons or more before their injury-shortened 2024 campaigns, though.
Keenan is a vastly different kind of player than any other on the Vikings’ roster.
That includes incumbent Harrison Phillips, who signed a two-year, $15 million extension in September 2024.
So, going after Keenan would not inherently signal that the team has lost faith in its youngsters.
The Vikings selected Levi Drake Rodriguez in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, and then spent a fifth-round pick on Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins in 2025. But Rodriguez is just over 300 pounds, while Ingram-Dawkins is more of a defensive end in odd fronts.
Keenan would profile as a potential sub-option on early downs for the Vikings. That is, if the fit and value still align in 2026.
Vikings Projected to Take Step Back in 2025
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings participates in a drill during training camp.
Arguably most telling about Miller’s projection is that he has the Vikings selecting Keenan with the No. 18 overall pick.
The Vikings had the No. 24 pick in 2024 after going 14-3 during the regular season.
Miller’s mock implies a step back for the Vikings, who let Pro Bowler Sam Darnold leave for the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, pulled their offer to Daniel Jones, who joined the Indianapolis Colts in free agency, and will roll with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy at QB1.
The Vikings traded up to select McCarthy in the draft, but he suffered a torn meniscus during the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and missed the regular season.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is gambling on McCarthy, and that could yield Keenan.
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