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
Eagles starting defensive line
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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