Tag: Luiji Vilain

Vikings ranked 16th in the NFL in spending when signing undrafted free agents

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero released a report on Saturday that showed a breakdown of spending by NFL teams for UDFA signings

Every year after the draft, NFL teams can bid for undrafted free agents in a recruitment process that mirrors regular free agency. Generally, teams who assert themselves and offer more guaranteed money have a higher likelihood of signing these players.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero released a report on Saturday. The report indicated that the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) provided agents with a team-by-team spending breakdown of last year’s undrafted free agent class.

The Minnesota Vikings were able to sign nine undrafted free agents last year, spending a total of $609,705. This ranks them 16th in the league in terms of total money spent on these players. Below are the names of the nine undrafted free agents who signed with the Vikings last season.

  • S Mike Brown
  • WR Thomas Hennigan
  • RB Bryant Koback
  • OLB Zach McCloud
  • C Josh Sokol
  • DT Tyarise Stevenson
  • OLD Luiji Vilain
  • P Ryan Wright
  • K Gabe Brkic

Keep in mind that this is just signing bonus money given to undrafted free agents. Teams will offer upwards of $250k to players to get them to sign with their team. If the player gets cut, which happens often, the signing bonus gets accelerated to next year’s salary cap.

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Vikings rookie report: How is the 2022 class doing so far?

Despite not seeing much of this year’s rookie class this year, there shouldn’t be any concern that they aren’t making a big impact yet

The Minnesota Vikings rookie class has been a major cause for discussion over the first few weeks. The main reason? We haven’t seen a lot of this class thus far.

What does this mean? Well, each player either playing or not playing is its own story. Context is the most important thing when discussing the rookie class, especially after only three weeks. The Vikings are 2-1 so it’s hard to fault them for the approach they have taken.

Let’s take a look at what each rookie has done thus far and why their accomplishments are what they are.

Predicting the 6 Vikings inactives for Week 2 vs Eagles

Here are our predictions for the Vikings inactives on Monday night

Last week, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t have any surprises with their inactive list. They prioritized keeping rookies on the sidelines and they only had one player miss the game due to injury.

As the Vikings approach Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, the injury report is minimal with only three players on it and only one truly questionable at this point..

Here are the six projected Vikings inactives for Monday nights game.

Lewis Cine headlines Minnesota Vikings inactives

The Vikings first-round pick leads the Vikings inactive list

Heading into the Minnesota Vikings week one matchup against the Green Bay Packers, the injury report was minimal. The one major question mark was rookie first-round safety Lewis Cine who had aggravated a previous knee injury and was seen at practice with an ice wrap.

When the official inactive list came out, Cine led the way with only five other players joining him in not playing against the Packers.

There really aren’t any major surprises on this list with four of them being rookies selected at the end of day three or undrafted. Seeing Chris Reed on the list is somewhat of a surprise but the Vikings feel comfortable with their depth outside of the former Indianapolis Colt.

The Vikings hope to have Cine back for next Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Vikings 2022 season preview: Outside Linebacker/Edge

We continue our season preview series with the outside linebackers/edge rushers

In a similar vein to how fans felt when Mike Zimmer took over for Leslie Frazier, the excitement is palpable for the beginning of the Kevin O’Connell era.

While the team prepares for the season, we are doing the same at the Vikings Wire. We will be producing previews breaking down both each position and the team as a whole.

Today, we continue with our preview series by talking about the defensive line.

Quarterback Preview
Running Back Preview
Wide Receiver preview
Tight End Preview
Offensive Tackle Preview
Defensive Line Preview

3 Vikings rookies that’ll make the biggest impact in 2022

At least three Vikings rookies could make significant contributions right out of the gates.

The Minnesota Vikings are hopeful their incoming rookie class can make an immediate impact on the field in the 2022 season. That’s partly what the win-now year is hinging on.

Sure, the Vikings have talent on both sides of the ball, but there are key areas on the field they were never going to improve at unless they upgraded through the draft.

There were several rookies taken that have an opportunity to make a significant impact in their first year with the team.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah finessed his way up and down the draft board and came away with 10 players in total, before taking in a slew of undrafted rookie free agents.

Let’s keep things fun and narrow it down to only three players. Here are the rookies most likely to have the biggest impact in 2022.

One rookie from each NFL team who will surprise in 2022

These rookies across the NFL could exceed expectations in Year 1 and make a significant impact this season

Every team expects a lot out of their top picks in the NFL draft, but they won’t be the only rookies who contribute in Year 1. There will be first-year players who emerge as valuable starters or key role players at some point this season.

It’s just difficult to predict which rookies will be the ones to step up and surprise both fans and analysts.

The NFL Wire network went team by team and selected one rookie who could be a pleasant surprise in 2022, highlighting players on an upward trajectory.

POLL: Which rookie will make biggest impact for Vikings in 2022?

Who will make the biggest impact right out of the gates?

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The Minnesota Vikings approached the 2022 NFL draft with the thought of winning right away.

They already signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a one-year extension, restructured a few contracts and brought in key veteran additions to the roster. The Vikings are basically a new coat of paint on the same car because they’re convinced they already have the foundation in place to compete for a Super Bowl.

Part of that belief stems from the hope that their incoming rookies are capable of stepping up and contributing right away. It’s everyone from first-round draft pick Lewis Cine to lauded undrafted rookie free agent Luiji Vilain.

First-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah finessed his way up and down the draft board to maximize the number of bites at the apple the Vikings had this season. In total, their actual draft class consists of 10 players, and they also agreed to deals with at least nine undrafted players in the immediate aftermath.

Which rookie will make the biggest impact for the Vikings in 2022?

We’ve listed the entire draft class and Vilain as the options above. But if there’s another undrafted rookie you think belongs here—like Gabe Brkic or Ryan Wright—let us know in the comments section here or on our Facebook and Twitter page.

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Luiji Vilain could be the diamond NFL teams regret passing up

Vilain is one of those players that could come back to haunt NFL teams

Being one of college football’s biggest wild-card prospects ended with Luiji Vilain’s name not being called off the draft board. It’s a decision NFL teams could soon regret when seeing him line up in purple on Sundays.

The Minnesota Vikings would have been one of those teams if they failed to sign the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon as an undrafted rookie free agent, following the 2022 NFL draft. Instead, they now have a potential steal to join an already terrifying pass-rushing duo of Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith.

Vilain has a knack for making quarterbacks run like they’re being chased by Jason Voorhees in a forest—a perfect fit for an organization shrouded in the legend of the Purple People Eaters.

The Vikings want to get back to that same physical style of defense that once upon a time made them one of the most feared teams in football. A young, powerful and supremely athletic linebacker like Vilain could help them do exactly that.

A lack of sample size due to a long injury history is the biggest reason for Vilain going undrafted. He’s only appeared in 16 games throughout his entire collegiate tenure, which is near the equivalent of only one NFL season.

In his one and only year with Wake Forest, after leaving Michigan, he played in 12 games and finished with eight sacks, nine tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.

Couple the potential for growth with an 8.83 Relative Athletic Score and it was off to the races with the Vikings signing him.

A notable pass-rushing coach told the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, “[Vilain’s] potential is out of this world. He definitely has a crazy high ceiling. … The Vikings got a good one. … He’s going to play for a long time in the NFL and he’s going to do that at a high level.”

Vilain was only scratching the surface of his abilities in his final season with Wake Forest. Now, he’ll try to find the rest of his ceiling at the next level in 2022.

Don’t be surprised if it goes higher than you think.

The forgotten linebacker that fought his way back from adversity and made the rest of the NFL pay for passing on him—what a story that would be.

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UDFA Luiji Vilain named as a player to watch for Vikings

Don’t sleep on Vilain.

Undrafted rookie free agent Luiji Vilain is a player few are talking about that could make a legitimate impact for the Minnesota Vikings.

And that impact could come right away.

The Athletic’s Chad Graff listed the former Wake Forest defensive end as the best UDFA fit for the Vikings and a player to watch in 2022. People tend to snub their noses at players that go undrafted, as if they’re undesirable leftovers on the market.

Well, the individuals with that opinion obviously never experienced the euphoric mouth splendor of leftover meatloaf or chili. Kurt Warner, James Harrison, John Randle and some of the best players throughout NFL history never heard their name called off a draft board.

So many impactful legends over the years would be considered by some as “leftovers.”

Vilain, the former Wake Forest defensive end, faced some setbacks in his collegiate career due to injuries. So the sample size for NFL teams to go on was a bit limited heading into the 2022 NFL draft.

However, he did manage to impress in his first year of stability last season after transferring to play for the Demon Deacons. He finished the season with eight sacks, nine tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.

Here’s to hoping he packed a big lunch because there will be plenty of work awaiting him in Eagan. He’s clearly an athletic specimen with surprising strength and speed when coming off the edge.

Danielle Hunter missed most of last season with a pec injury, and a back injury kept Za’Darius Smith out for the whole year. Vilain is a player that could work his way into the rotation as a reserve edge rusher for the Vikings in his first season.

You can never find enough guys capable of making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. Vilain could be one of those players, even with the UDFA tag attached to his name.

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