Philly has giants in the trenches compared to Vikings' offensive, defensive lines

Hiring gigantic, athletic people to play on the offensive and defensive lines appears to be the secret sauce to dominating in the NFL. A terrific quarterback is also necessary, but the way the Philadelphia Eagles manhandled the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the trenches is going to lead to a surge of copycats hoping to recreate Philly's success.

There are eight players who deserve more applause than anyone else for Philly's Super Bowl dominating, and it's the five guys on the offensive line and three talented defensive linemen. Those lines were built primarily in the draft.

Eagles starting offensive line

LT: Jordan Mailata -- 7th-round pick by Philly in 2018

LG: Landon Dickerson -- 2nd-round pick by Philly in 2021

C: Cam Jurgens -- 2nd-round pick by Philly in 2022

RG: Mekhi Becton -- 11th overall pick in 2020 by the Jets. Signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with Philadelphia in April 2024.

RT: Lane Johnson -- 1st-round pick by Philly in 2013

Eagles starting defensive line

Milton Williams -- 3rd-round pick by Philly in 2021

Jordan Davis -- 1st-round pick by Philly in 2022

Jalen Carter -- 1st-round pick by Philly in 2023

More: Possible Vikings FA target Milton Williams bumps up price tag in Super Bowl

What do all eight have in common? They're gigantic humans.

The Eagles' five starting linemen entered the season at an average of 6-foot-6 and 338 pounds, making it the tallest and heaviest offensive line in Super Bowl history. Check out how Philly's five O-line starters stack up compared to the Vikings' 2024-25 starters in terms of height and weight.

	Height	Weight
Eagles LT Jordan Mailata	6'8''	365
Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw	6'5''	315
Eagles LG Landon Dickerson	6'6''	332
Vikings LG Blake Brandel	6'7''	315
Eagles C Cam Jurgens	6'3''	303
Vikings C Garrett Bradbury	6'3''	300
Eagles RG Mekhi Becton	6'7''	353
Vikings RG Dalton Risner	6'5''	312
Eagles RT Lane Johnson	6'6''	325
Vikings RT Brian O'Neill	6'7''	310

The Eagles are bigger than the Vikings at literally every starting offensive line position.

The same is mostly true on the D-line, which is notable since both teams run a 3-4 base defense.

	Height	Weight
Eagles DE Milton Williams	6'3''	290
Vikings DE Jonathan Bullard	6'3''	290
Eagles NT Jordan Davis	6'6''	336
Vikings NT Harrison Phillips	6'3''	307
Eagles DT Jalen Carter	6'3''	314
Vikings DT Jerry Tillery	6'6''	295

Philadelphia drafted four of five starters on the offensive line and signed the other in free agency. And the guys they drafted were taken in the first or second round with the exception of the 7th-round home run pick of Mailata. On the defensive line, Carter and Davis were first-round picks and Williams was a third-round selection.

None of Minnesota's starting defensive linemen were Vikings draft picks. On the O-line, Darrisaw and Bradbury were first-round picks and O'Neill was a second-rounder, but Brandel was a sixth-round flyer and Risner was signed as a free agent.

The Eagles have hit home runs in the draft over the past four years while the Vikings have swung and missed more often than they've made contact. That, coupled with a lack of drafting high-end talent in the trenches has made a world of difference for the two teams.

The good news is that Minnesota has the No. 24 pick in the 2025 draft to find a potential star offensive or defensive lineman, and they have plenty of cap space to try and copy what the Eagles are doing with the beefy boys on both sides of the ball.

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