5 Minnesota Vikings breakout candidates for 2025

Dallas Turner

The No. 17 pick in the 2024 draft didn’t quite live up to expectations in his rookie season. Playing just 300 defensive snaps, Turner finished with 20 total tackles, three sacks, and an interception — far from the impact most had hoped for. However, there’s a bright side: most of those numbers came in the last five games of the season.

Turner missed much of the year, but that didn’t hurt the Vikings, as Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard played at Pro Bowl levels. When Turner did finally step in, he made an impact. In a three-game stretch from Weeks 14 through 16, Turner tallied two sacks and an interception in three straight wins.

"The flashes you saw from him in the second half of last season — he had either three or four straight games with either a sack or an interception against the Seattle Seahawks, where he fully dropped into coverage — he looked like a guy who, with some patience, Vikings fans are going to be happy with," said Will Ragatz of Vikings on SI. "It wasn’t by any means the rookie season you hope for from a 17th overall pick, but keep in mind... he was playing behind two Pro Bowl-level outside linebackers in Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. He was learning a complex defense, with a lot of different responsibilities. It’s not just ‘go get after the quarterback.’ He was learning a lot of what makes Van Ginkel so good. So, I’m high on Dallas Turner. He was 21 coming out of college, maybe 22 now. Pat Jones will be gone, so Turner should get a chance to play 600-700 snaps. I could see him having a season like Pat Jones’ — maybe not pushing for 10 sacks, but something in the 7-8 sack range. I really see that happening."

With a second year in Brian Flores’ defense, Turner could thrive and prove why the Vikings were confident in trading up to select him.

Walter Rouse

The Vikings need help at guard — a problem that has persisted for years. Blake Brandel faded at the end of last season, the Dalton Risner experiment at right guard was as average as his performance at left guard, and Ed Ingram’s third season was a complete disaster.

Minnesota’s guard issues were glaring in the final two games, where Sam Darnold was sacked 11 times in losses to the Lions and Rams.

One big-name guard target is off the board after Kansas City franchise-tagged Trey Smith. With free agency still a few weeks away, the list of top-tier guards is shrinking. With limited draft picks, the Vikings may have to (gulp) look inward again to solve this longstanding issue. Enter 6-foot-6, 313-pound Walter Rouse, the Vikings’ sixth-round pick from last year.

Rouse primarily played as a tackle during the 2024 preseason, allowing four pressures but no sacks in 137 snaps over three games. During the season, he saw limited action, appearing for six special teams snaps in Week 12. However, Minnesota reportedly experimented with moving the 23-year-old to guard. If he can make that transition successfully, Rouse could be the long-awaited solution at guard for the Vikings.

"Nobody is talking about Walter Rouse with all the offensive line issues," said