Daily Norseman
Potential first-round pick getting a closer look from the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings continue their due diligence in preparation for the 2025 NFL Draft now just a month away. The latest effort is setting up ‘Top 30’ prospect visits, which typically happen in the first part of April. These visits are conducted at the Vikings’ facility in Eagan and give the team a more extensive look at a prospect than is available at other events earlier in the year.
A ‘Top 30’ visit may not result in that prospect being drafted by the Vikings, but it often indicates greater interest or unresolved questions about the prospect from the Vikings’ scouting department.
Last year, the Vikings met with J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner, Taki Taimani, and Gabriel Murphy in ‘Top 30’ visits, among others, and ended up drafting or acquiring all four of them.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at a potential first-round prospect the Vikings will be hosting at TCO Performance Center soon.
Harmon is the only potential first-round draft pick the Vikings have scheduled a ‘Top 30’ visit with so far. The Vikings made a couple big splashes at defensive tackle in free agency by acquiring Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but both are over 30 and sustained significant injuries last season so drafting a young defensive tackle to take over in a year or so makes sense. The Vikings acquired Taki Taimani, also a defensive tackle out of Oregon who wore #55, last year as an undrafted free agent.
Harmon played his first three seasons at Michigan State before transferring to Oregon for his senior year. He finished with 45 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss including 5 sacks, 4 batted passes, and 2 forced fumbles last season. He has the size, length, athleticism, and strength to be a force inside at 6’4 1/2”, 313 pounds with 34 3/8” arms and 10 3/8” hands. He says he models his game after Chiefs’ All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.
PFF has Harmon as their 30th-ranked prospect.
Harmon committed to Michigan State as a three-star recruit, and after redshirting his first season, he was a rotational starter in 2022 and a full-time starter in 2023 before transferring to Oregon.
Harmon wins with quickness — a quick first step, quick hands into the body and an ability to dictate contact. He can get low and maintain a low pad level in a four-point stance, but his high-waisted build is more obvious in a three-point stance, making it tough for him to get low and not pop up immediately after the snap. He pairs his long arms with upper-tier hand speed to make initial contact or execute a pass-rush move.
He always finishes his gap-shooting and cross-face moves with a rip to get clean. His hand work is where he disrupts; he is difficult to stay in front of and latched onto. He displays a high...
