Tag: Levi Drake Rodriguez

Vikings DC Brian Flores throws big praise towards DL group

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been in the news recently for his critical words of his former players, specifically Tua Tagovailoa.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been in the news recently for his critical words of his former players, specifically Tua Tagovailoa. However, he has quickly become a favorite coach among his players in Minnesota. He has seemingly fit in perfectly with Kevin O’Connell and his staff, and now, the players also fit in.

His latest sign of fitting in was his media availability this week when he praised his defensive line group.

“This trio of D-lineman has done a really really fantastic job of coming in and learning the system…Their ability to apply it in real time in games and on the practice field has been really good… I’d be comfortable about putting any one of those guys in there.”

The defensive line’s youth has been noted all offseason, but their play has been extraordinary. Two UDFAs making the 53-man roster speaks to how well they have played and what Brian Flores thinks of them.

While the offense remains a question mark, Brian Flores and his defensive groups are going to be a shining light throughout a dark 2024 season.

CBS Sports recognizes Vikings biggest question mark in 2024

Everyone knows about the Minnesota Vikings’ questions at quarterback heading into the 2024 season, but could there be an even bigger one?

The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback questions heading into the 2024 season garner all the headlines, and it’s a battle that folks will be watching all year long. But that’s not the only question mark the Vikings have heading into the season—and it may not even be the biggest, according to CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin.

Dubin recently took a look at each team’s biggest question mark heading into the season, and for the Vikings, he has his eyes on the situation at defensive tackle as the biggest area of concern, saying:

Harrison Phillips is a solid player, but the Vikes are counting on guys like Jerry Tillery, 2023 fifth-rounder Jaquelin Roy and 2024 seventh-rounder Levi (Drake) Rodriguez next to him. That is highly concerning, even with Brian Flores magicking things up for them. And we still don’t yet know whether they will have to start Sam Darnold for a while, or if J.J. McCarthy will hit the ground running.

Dubin does mention the quarterback situation at the end of his analysis, but it’s interesting to note that he’s more worried about the situation at defensive tackle. Minnesota was poor last season when it came to putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks up the middle, and that’s not likely to improve this season.

However, given Phillips’s potentially increased role and Brian Flores’s creative schemes, it may be less of an issue than Dubin believes it to be.

Vikings may have interesting decisions to make at defensive tackle

Cut-down day in the NFL isn’t for another couple of months, but the Minnesota Vikings may have some interesting choices to make at DT.

We’re still in the early portions of the off-season programs, but if early indications are to be believed, the Minnesota Vikings may have some interesting decisions to make regarding roster cut-down day. Particularly when it comes to the defensive tackle position.

The Vikings are likely to keep only four, maybe five, defensive tackles on the roster, but they have a wealth of talent at the position, which could make the decision difficult for the coaching staff.

Harrison Phillips is one of the unquestioned leaders of the Vikings’ defense heading into his third season with the team. With Danielle Hunter gone in free agency, the Vikings will lean even more heavily on Phillips to provide the defense with veteran leadership. Phillips is a lock to make the roster and will likely see an increased role on the defense in 2024.

It’s beyond Phillips where things get interesting for the Vikings at defensive tackle. They have a number of potential players on the roster, but only a limited number of spots available. Upwards of six guys are fighting for, likely, three roster spots.

Jaquelin Roy was a rotational defensive tackle as a rookie in 2023 and played admirably in the limited action he saw. Roy, the rookie out of LSU, saw only one start in 2023, and the stat sheet wasn’t terribly impressive – just eight tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and one quarterback hit. But he was a solid contributor on defense and made more plays for the team than the box score would indicate. According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Roy will have “premium chances in training camp”.

Jalen Redmond, an undrafted free agent in 2023, was recently signed to a contract after being a standout in spring football. During his stint in the UFL, Redmond was one of the league’s best defenders while he was healthy.

That caveat, however, is the biggest concern about Redmond. He failed to catch on with the Carolina Panthers as a UDFA due largely to his inability to stay healthy. If he can stay on the field, there is a lot of untapped potential there.

Speaking of injury, the Vikings also have James Lynch who figures to be in the mix for a roster spot. Lynch has been with the Vikings for the past four seasons and has served them well in a rotational role.

Lynch saw action in several games two seasons ago, notching 20 tackles and one tackle for loss. Unfortunately, Lynch tore his ACL last season and missed the year and, according to Lewis, is “likely battling for a back-end roster spot”.

Then comes the youngster Levi Drake Rodriguez. The Vikings took Rodriguez in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft and have reportedly already begun turning heads.

According to Lewis, “the team loves him already”, which would seem to indicate that he’ll likely figure heavily into the mix for one of the DT spots. Rodriguez struggles against the run, and improving that has been a focus in the early portions of the off-season – and likely will continue to be all season.

Rounding out the position are two players the Vikings signed in the offseason to help bolster their depth and provide versatility: Jonah Williams and Jerry Tillery. Williams is a name that should be familiar to Vikings fans, as this will technically be his second stint with the team.

Williams was originally claimed off waivers by the Vikings in 2021 after being released by the Los Angeles Rams, but he was waived the next day. Now, Williams is back with the team after spending the past three seasons with the Rams. Williams may have a leg up, as he could also stick on the roster as a defensive end—his more natural position.

Jerry Tillery comes to the Vikings after two seasons with the Raiders. Tillery, a former first-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers, has yet to reach the potential he showed coming out of Notre Dame, but according to Lewis he “is imposing, and you can understand why he was a first-rounder”. Tillery could also find a spot on the roster at defensive end.

We’ll have to wait a couple of months to see how everything shakes out at the position, but early returns suggest that the Vikings have a ton of talent at the position. Some good players will be left on the outside looking in – a good problem for the Vikings to have at this juncture.

Vikings sign three draft picks as rookie minicamp opens

The Minnesota Vikings announced the signings of rookies Michael Jurgens, Will Reichard, and Levi Drake Rodriguez as rookie minicamp opens.

The 2024 NFL draft was less than a month ago, but the work has just begun for the incoming class. The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their rookie minicamp and while the headlines are J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner taking the field for the first time, it’s not the only noteworthy thing to come out of the first day.

Today, the Vikings announced they have reached contract agreements with three more members of their rookie class: offensive lineman Michael Jurgens, kicker Will Reichard, and defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez.

The Vikings took Jurgens and Rodriguez with their two picks in the seventh round, while they were able to get Reichard in the sixth. With the signings of those three, the Vikings are left with four members of the 2024 draft class unsigned: the aforementioned McCarthy and Turner, along with fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson and sixth-rounder Walter Rouse.

With the rookie wage scale, signing the draft class is largely a formality, and fans should expect all four remaining unsigned rookies to be under contract before too long. Certainly, before the pre-season starts in earnest this summer.

Levi Drake Rodriguez tabbed as potential steal of 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft is now full in the rearview mirror which has allowed time for relfection. For the Vikings, they may have gotten a steal.

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.

Levi Drake Rodriguez pick epitomizes value of the scouting process

In a post-draft press conference, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah praised the scouting process in their day three picks.

The 2024 NFL draft is in the books, and we’re going to spend a lot of time and energy talking about the players who were taken on the first day. And for good reason, the Minnesota Vikings got their quarterback of the future in J.J. McCarthy, and their success is going to hinge on his development.

But McCarthy is just the tip of the iceberg, and the real meat-and-potatoes of the draft process comes on day three. That’s where teams find those players who will fill out their roster, and they hope they find some diamonds in the rough. One such diamond could be the Vikings’ seventh-round pick, Levi Drake Rodriguez from Texas A&M-Commerce.

In speaking about the selection to the press, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stated that his selection is “Scouting in it’s purest form” and “one of his favorite things” likening the pick to a B-side of a single, like his favorite Queen song, “Bicycle Race”.

The Vikings lost a lot of defensive talent in the offseason, so Rodriguez will have an opportunity to make his mark on the team. As a seventh-round pick, he’ll have an uphill battle, but the scouting department believed in him for a reason. Now, it’s time for him to go out and show the rest of the staff what the scouts saw in him.

Vikings select DL Levi Drake Rodriguez with 230th overall pick in 2024 NFL Draft

The Minnesota Vikings have selected defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez with the 232nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Minnesota Vikings have selected defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez with the 232nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

According to the analysis by Shane Halam of Draft Countdown, the first step for Levi Drake Rodriguez is his money-making trait. Everything else in his arsenal needs some work but he has the physical traits with some speed that caught the eye of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

To the benefit of Drake Rodriguez, he will have plenty of talented defensive linemen to work with. Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Greenard, and fellow draft classmate Dallas Turner. If he can pick up just one thing from each of them, he should be a fun rotational piece on the defensive line.

The majority of these day-three picks from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have proven to be head-scratchers to a point. Several other team needs have not been addressed thus far. Perhaps the team is loading up for a loaded UDFA signing class.