Three days and seven rounds of the NFL draft and there was no Taki Taimani.
But one doesn’t need their named to be called in the draft in order to sign with a team and Oregon defensive lineman Taki Taimani did just that.
Taimani signed with the Minnesota Vikings once the draft finished as a free agent.
At Oregon, the 6-foot-3, 330-pounder from Salt Lake City played in all 14 games in his final season while making nine starts. Taimani also finished with 22 total tackles, 1.5 tackle for loss and a fumble recovery and was ranked second among all Pac-12 interior defensive linemen with an 82.3 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus.
Taimani was one of very few players to transfer from Oregon most heated rival Washington, but he was able to win over the fan base quickly with his hustle, effort and huge smile. Now he’ll get to do the same thing with another fan base in the NFL ranks.