In the leadup to the 2022 NFL Draft, Vikings.com is taking a position-by-position look at prospects who have garnered a range of attention from national outlets. The series will include rankings by those national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects. We'll also include comments that experts shared during interviews.

Vikings status at defensive tackle

The Vikings are returning Dalvin Tomlinson, who helped anchor the interior defensive line last season, but parted ways in free agency with Michael Pierce. Minnesota signed defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who spent his first four NFL seasons in Buffalo.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell emphasized the way Phillips affects opponents in the running and passing games and will be an excellent fit beside Tomlinson.

"He's played consistently at a high level, really well coached in that defense there in Buffalo," O'Connell said. "Then you see some of the off-the-field stuff and realize when you start talking about the type of guy we want, who we want and what it means to be a Viking on our football team, he fits all of those molds, checks all of those boxes. And I definitely think our community, all of Minnesota will feel him and his presence in the community and then our teammates in the locker room. He sets the standard."

Minnesota retains Armon Watts, who stepped in when called upon last season. The 25-year-old played all 17 games for the Vikings and made nine starts at defensive tackle. He led all of Minnesota's interior defensive linemen with 46 tackles (20 solo).

The Vikings called on James Lynch to make his first career start at San Francisco last year and will watch for the 2020 fourth-round draft pick to take another step forward.

Other defensive tackles on Minnesota's roster include 2021 draft pick Jaylen Twyman, who was sidelined all of his rookie season after being injured in a shooting, Jordon Scott, T.Y. McGill and T.J. Smith.

Ask the analyst

Chris Trapasso is an NFL Draft writer with CBS Sports. He also is a contributing writer for The Buffalo News' "BN Blitz" and has previously worked with NFL.com, FOX Sports and Bleacher Report. Trapasso will offer evaluations of the 2022 DT class. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisTrapasso for his analysis.

How do you expect Minnesota to approach the draft with defensive tackle in mind?

"They need an interior pass rusher. With Dalvin Tomlinson and Harrison Phillips on the interior, they should be content with their group on first down. But they need some juice to generate push on a regular basis from the inside so all the attention won't be fixated on Hunter and Smith on the outside."

Expert rankings

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has five defensive tackles in his overall Top 50: 11. Jordan Davis, 20. Devonte Wyatt, 38. Travis Jones, 49. Perrion Winfrey and No. 50 Logan Hall

ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has one defensive tackle in his overall Top 25: 22. Davis

NOTE: Kiper also included Wyatt on his list at No. 23 but listed him as a DE rather than a DT, but he also ranked Wyatt as the No. 2 DT.

Rankings for each player within the tight end position group by Jeremiah, his NFL Media counterpart Bucky Brooks, Kiper, analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler are listed below.

Prospects

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Jordan Davis

School: Georgia | Year: Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 341 pounds

2021 stats: 14 games; 32 tackles (17 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 pass defensed

Late bloomer: Davis didn't start playing football until his junior year of high school, after transferring from Hopewell High School to Mallard Creek. He garnered plenty of attention on the gridiron despite the late start, committing to Georgia over offers from Clemson, Florida, Miami and North Carolina.

Devonte Wyatt

School: Georgia | Year: Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 304 pounds

2021 stats: 13 games; 39 tackles (18 solo), 7.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 1 fumble recovery, 2 forced fumbles

Quick on his feet: Wyatt may be a big man, but don't discount his speed due to his size. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Wyatt ran the 40-yard dash in 4.77 seconds, one of the fastest for a defensive lineman in combine history. He also impressed with a 29-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot-3 broad jump that were both among the top five marks by defensive tackles.

Travis Jones

School: Connecticut | Year: Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 325 pounds

2021 stats: 11 games; 48 tackles (16 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks

Small-town kid: Jones hails from New Haven, Connecticut, where he attended Wilbur Cross High School before playing for the Huskies. He has the chance to be the first New Haven native drafted to the NFL since Rob Jackson, whom Washington selected in the seventh round in 2013.

DeMarvin Leal

School: Texas A&M | Year: Jr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 283 pounds

2021 stats: 11 games; 58 tackles (27 solo); 12.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble

A year of accolades: In 2021, Leal received the following honors: Ted Hendricks Award finalist, The Associated Press All-America First Team, Sporting News All-American First Team, AP and Coaches' All-SEC First Team, FWAA All-America Second Team, Walter Camp All-America Second Team, The Athletic All-American Second Team.

Perrion Winfrey

School: Oklahoma | Year: Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 290 pounds

2021 stats: 11 games; 23 tackles (12 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Senior Bowl MVP: Winfrey was one of three players to record 2.0 sacks for the National team in the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. He helped defeat the American team 20-10 and afterward was named the 2022 Senior Bowl MVP.

Trapasso's take: "Given the state of Dalvin Tomlinson and Harrison Phillips on the roster, the Vikings are in exquisite shape on the run-stopping front. Winfrey would give Minnesota a length- and burst-based pass rusher on the interior. He needs to use his hands better to combat blockers, but the first-step quickness he possesses would be a welcomed addition up front, and he'll likely be available on Day 2."

Logan Hall

School: Houston | Year: Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 283 pounds

2021 stats: 47 tackles (24 solo), 13 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks

Versatility is key: Hall played inside and outside for the Cougars, though he spent the majority of his senior season playing 3-technique after starting the campaign as more of an edge rusher. Those experiences could help Hall provide versatility in the NFL.

Phidarian Mathis

School: Alabama | Year: Redshirt Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 310 pounds

2021 stats: 14 games; 53 tackles (20 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble

Early success: As a standout at Neville High School, Mathis helped lead his team to the Louisiana Class 4A state championship game in his final three seasons. Mathis was recruited LSU but opted to leave his home state to instead play for Alabama.

Trapasso's take: "Like almost every Alabama defensive lineman, Mathis knows how to two-gap – eat blockers to keep linebackers free to roam at the second level. But he's intriguing because of his burst and pass-rushing moves on his way to the quarterback. He feels like a Day 2 or early Day 3 pick, so there'll be plenty of value with Mathis, too."

Neil Farrell, Jr.

School: LSU | Year: Redshirt Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 330 pounds

2021 stats: 12 games; 45 tackles (20 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 2 passes defensed

Academic ace: Farrell shined in the classroom as well as on the football field. During his time at LSU, he was twice named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll (2020 and 2021) and graduated in August 2021 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Matthew Butler

School: Tennessee | Year: Redshirt Sr. | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 297 pounds

2021 stats: 13 games; 47 tackles (19 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Overseas travel: Butler traveled to Rwanda, Africa, in July 2019 as part of the school's VOLeaders program. He hopes more traveling is in his future and has Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt on his wish list of places to visit.

Trapasso's take: "Given his height and length, Butler [could] provide legitimate positional versatility. He plays with his hair on fire, always giving 100 percent on every snap, and his arms are like lead pipes when they contact blockers up front."