Iowa State Cyclones’ defensive position Domonique Orange (95) celebrates after a cease BYU offense throughout the first quarter at Jack Trice Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK by way of Imagn Photographs
The Minnesota Vikings drafted nostril sort out Domonique Orange in Spherical 3 of final month’s draft, they usually would possibly simply have the following Dalvin Tomlinson.
Minnesota lastly invested premium draft capital into a real nostril sort out archetype.
Tomlinson performed for the Vikings from 2021 to 2022, so purple followers will perceive the comp fairly nicely.
Orange Matches the Mould Minnesota Has Missed in a Tomlinsonesque Approach
Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange speaks with reporters throughout 2025 Large 12 Soccer Media Days at The Star. Orange mentioned the upcoming faculty soccer season on July 8, 2025, in Frisco, Texas, whereas persevering with to generate NFL curiosity due to his measurement, inside energy, and projected position alongside the defensive entrance. Obligatory Credit score: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Photographs.
SI.com: Orange Comp = Tomlinson
Will Ragatz rolled out comps for every Vikings rookie this week, touchdown on Tomlinson for Orange.
He wrote, “At Alabama, Tomlinson had just 10.5 TFL and 4 sacks. Orange, the Vikings’ first of three third-round picks, had just 7 TFL and 1 sack at Iowa State, but his impact went well beyond the box score. Both are big, physical nose tackles who do a lot of the early-down dirty work of eating up blocks and being hard to move.”
“The Vikings believe ‘Big Citrus’ has the traits to develop some pass-rush ability, and it would be a win if he becomes a guy like Tomlinson with strong run defense and 2-3 sacks per year. An even loftier comparison for Orange would be former three-time Vikings Pro Bowler Pat Williams, an elite run defender who formed half of the Williams Wall in the late 2000s.”
Paradoxically, Tomlinson isn’t the purest nostril sort out on the earth, however the comp nonetheless works.
Confirming VikingsTerritory’s Preliminary Take
After Minnesota drafted defensive sort out Caleb Banks in Spherical 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, VikingsTerritory didn’t anticipate the membership to draft one other defensive sort out the next evening. However it did.
Now, the Vikings have two promising younger DTs, one with a Chris Jones- or Jordan Davis-like upside in Banks, and Orange, who suits a prototypical nostril sort out profile.
In actual fact, after we unpacked the Spherical 2 and three picks on Friday, April twenty fourth, our preliminary comp after watching the Orange tape and learning the measurables was … Tomlinson. You may learn that article right here.
VikingsWire‘s Garrett Burroughs famous on Orange this week, “There are many questions about Caleb Banks’s health and his foot. Should there be lingering issues to begin the season, Domonique Orange could see ample playing time early. He is a massive nose tackle, drafted to support in the run game, but brings upside as a pass rusher. Should he rotate in early, there’s a chance he could develop quickly.”
Extra on the Orange-Tomlinson Similarity
Tomlinson was by no means a stat-sheet monster in Minnesota, however his true worth lay in making life simpler for his teammates. He took up house, absorbed double groups, stopped the run chilly, and offered a vital anchor for the defensive position.
Orange’s position is remarkably comparable: he’s constructed to clog lanes, take hits, and make operating up the center a frightening activity. That is significantly very important given the Vikings’ run protection troubles, at occasions, in 2025.
Cleveland Browns defensive sort out Dalvin Tomlinson celebrates following a victory over the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Tomlinson remained a key inside defender for Cleveland throughout the 2023 marketing campaign, and the postgame response occurred on Dec. 28, 2023, in Cleveland, Ohio, after the Browns secured a late-season win at dwelling. Obligatory Credit score: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports activities.
Orange probably received’t be anticipated to be a sack machine instantly; Banks can chase quarterbacks. As an alternative, Orange’s major contribution would be the “dirty work” — serving as an anchor, squeezing gaps, and conserving linebackers untouched. This mirrors Tomlinson’s affect, indicating Minnesota probably drafted Orange to convey again a giant, dependable presence.
Staving Off Levi Drake Rodriguez as a Rookie
Rodriguez’s greatest alternative for a long-term beginning position evaporated the second the Vikings drafted Orange.
Previous to Spherical 3, Rodriguez’s situation was promising. He might have developed steadily into the nostril sort out place, finally turning into Minnesota’s major participant within the coronary heart of their protection. The present depth chart strongly supported this trajectory.
Few anticipated, nonetheless, that Minnesota would then draft a second defensive sort out earlier than the top of Spherical 3, particularly after already deciding on Banks. With Orange’s arrival, Rodriguez’s scenario rapidly shifted. Orange seems to be the clearer long-term selection at nostril sort out, and if he develops because the crew hopes, Rodriguez will probably function NT2 for many of his rookie contract, which is 2 extra years.
Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange sacks Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara throughout fourth-quarter motion at Kinnick Stadium. Orange delivered stress from the inside defensive position on Sep. 7, 2024, in Iowa Metropolis, Iowa, throughout a rivalry matchup between Iowa State and Iowa in entrance of a packed stadium crowd. Obligatory Credit score: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Photographs.
His position nonetheless holds worth, as groups require sturdy inside depth. However, Rodriguez’s perceived potential has diminished.
Nonetheless, Orange should show that he deserved the rapid NT job over Rodriguez. It’s additionally price noting that throughout the Kevin O’Connell period, rookies don’t habitually see the sector instantly.
This units up an intriguing camp battle between Orange and Rodriguez.
Tomlinson, in the meantime, signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in March and is predicted to start out for John Harbaugh’s crew if he can fend off Fifth-Spherical rookie Nick Barrett from South Carolina. Tomlinson turned 32 this offseason.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … Extra about Dustin Baker
