Very Quietly, New Vikings Defender is Carving Out a Role in the Flores Defense
Very quietly, new Vikings defender Taki Taimani is earning snaps.
The behemoth of a defensive tackle stands at 6’1″ and weighs 309 pounds. In other words, he’s one of the largest defenders on the roster, so he’s reasonably being leaned on to clog running lanes. Brian Flores has been trusting the rookie to do so a bit across the opening pair of games.
New Vikings Defender Taki Taimani is Earning a Role
Getting Mr. Taimani to town involved dipping into the UDFAs. The 2024 NFL Draft concluded without the Oregon defender getting his name called.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, as per tradition, was aggressive when adding talent. It’s the approach that has led to additions such as Ivan Pace Jr., NaJee Thompson, Ryan Wright, Andre Carter II, Dwight McGlothern, and others. The GM isn’t afraid to throw money around at this stage of the offseason.
The man in the middle of the defense landed a three-year deal coming at a total of $2,835,000. Pretty standard stuff. The critical detail is that he landed $100,000 in guaranteed money, a medium-amount in the world of Adofo-Mensah UDFA guarantees.
Making the team is an achievement in and of itself, but it’s noteworthy that he’s getting playing time. Other young defensive tackles like Levi Drake Rodriguez and Jalen Redmond are on the team but not dressing. Taimani is getting onto the field and making a difference once there.
Consider, for instance, a rep against the 49ers:
And then there was the sturdiness closer to the goal line. Check it out:
Quite often, being a defensive tackle means doing the dirty work so that someone else gets the glory. Absorb blockers so that the linebacker can run free for the tackle. In these clips, Taimani is not only taking on blockers but actively getting in on the play.
Great stuff.
So far, the undrafted rookie is sitting on 23 snaps for the defense and 7 snaps for the special teams. He has a pair of tackles for his troubles. PFF has been impressed by the work he is doing, giving him a very respectable 72.4 grade, putting him at 7th on the team, a single spot ahead of DT1 Harrison Phillips.
Of course, no one is insisting that Taki Taimani is better than Phillips. Rather, there’s the mere acknowledgement that an undrafted rookie has been making the most of his chances. He’s a big body and has some pretty good athleticism (as the clips demonstrate).
In Week 3, the Texans will be visiting U.S. Bank Stadium. While watching the game, keep an eye on #94 in the middle of the defense. Taki Taimani has been doing some good things and the hope is that he’ll continue on his upward trajectory.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
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