The 2024 NFL Draft is now full in the rearview mirror, which has allowed time for reflection. For the Vikings, they may have gotten a steal. With their last selection in the draft, the team was able to get Levi Drake Rodriguez out of Texas A&M-Commerce.
The defensive lineman was a shocker for fans, but some media, including ESPN’s Field Yates, knew who the Vikings were getting. In Yates’ opinion, they were getting one of the steals in the draft.
In his post-NFL draft grading piece, Yates calls Drake Rodriguez “one of the draft’s hidden gems.” He goes on to say the defensive lineman “. . .has great burst that caught the eyes of scouts this past season, and Minnesota landed a potential sleeper here.”
Any team that takes a player late on day three of the draft is hoping to take a player with one great trait and see if they can develop it further. According to Yates, the Vikings may have something to be a little bit more than just a day three selection when it is all said and done.