Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the game against the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
Do you enjoy underdog stories? Probably — and the Minnesota Vikings have another brewing.
Last year, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. won fans’ hearts as an undrafted free agent. A 7th-Rounder could do the same in 2024, defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez.
Yes, he’s the guy labeled as “Prospect X” before the 2024 NFL Draft and is currently employed by the Vikings. However, his existence on the summer roster might be more than just a mundane 7th-Round tale. He appears on track to make the September roster, with playing time as a rookie in reach.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert detailed Drake Rodriguez’s climb up the depth chart last weekend. “Jonathan Bullard, Harrison Phillips and free agent signee Jerry Tillery had previously gotten most of the first-team defensive line reps during camp, with veterans Jonah Williams and Jaquelin Roy working with the second team. Rodriguez’s recent work isn’t necessarily a sign that he’s shot past them on the depth chart, but the interest from coaches is real,” he wrote.
And that’s on top of defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ praise. “I think he’s done a lot of good things. I think he’s picked up the playbook quickly. I think he’s full of energy,” Flores said last weekend. “I think he’s got some athletic ability. It’s still early, but we’re trying to put him in as many situations as possible to see what roles might fit him best. We’re really doing that for everybody, but the young guys especially. It’s their first training camp.”
Minnesota found Drake Rodriguez in Round 7, a spot usually known for lottery-ticket-like selections. Most 7th-Rounders don’t stick around too long. The Vikings will hope Drake Rodriguez is different.
Flores added, “You don’t really know from a capacity standpoint how much they can handle early on. So you start with a small role and then try to build on that.”
Drake Rodriguez has the weird advantage of Minnesota’s depth chart at his disposal. He’ll have Flores teaching him every step of the way, a built-in perk as a standalone situation. Then, Flores’ defense has no high-profile defensive tackles standing in Drake Rodriguez’s way, at least not on the current depth chart. No Pro Bowl types.
In April, ESPN’s Field Yates sized up the draft, and regarding Drake Rodriguez, he called the defender “one of the draft’s hidden gems.” Yates also said Drake Rodriguez “has great burst that caught the eyes of scouts this past season, and Minnesota landed a potential sleeper here.”
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Tillery fell injured last week at Vikings training camp, so Drake Rordiguez could experience even more run with the 1st- and 2nd-teamers this week. Plus, Minnesota’s first preseason game is just five days away, and Drake Rodriguez should be afforded significant playing time.
The new defender came from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Non-Texans have probably never heard of that school, but the purple team’s fans will become familiar if Drake Rodriguez busts out into stardom.
In a draft documentary this spring, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah revealed that he could’ve packaged some picks and moved up the board between Rounds 4 and 7. He told reporters following the draft, “We had a chance to maybe trade up and lose a pick. and we were thinking, ‘Well, we want to get both of our targets.’ And we ended up getting both of them, and the person was like, ‘Well, we can’t lose out on Levi Drake’ […] We think he’s a talented player, growth mindset player, I can’t wait to get him in this building.”
Therefore, Minnesota has been watching this guy for quite some time. And now, he’s turning heads at training camp. Impressive.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.