The Vikings’ Breakout Defender is Hiding in Plain Sight
If there aren’t any Minnesota players who outperform expectations, then the 2024 season could be a long one. The NFC North is no joke, so it’s time for Minnesota to get better in a hurry.
Thankfully, the Vikings’ breakout players are littered throughout the team (Jalen Nailor, Mekhi Blackmon, Ty Chandler, Jerry Tillery, Sam Darnold, etc.). Not all will hit their potential, no, but some can (hopefully) experience a Josh Metellus-like ascent into becoming impact players. Allow me to highlight a name that’s been focused on a bit less than the normal crew who get considered: Jaquelin Roy, the soon-to-be sophomore defensive tackle coming out of LSU.
Jaquelin Roy as The Vikings’ Breakout Defender
Kevin O’Connell is a fan.
Back at the Annual League Meeting, O’Connell ran through a few of his DT options while discussing the defensive front. Consider what he had to say about Mr. Roy: “J Roy is still coming off of what I thought was a productive rookie year, real flashes of production, but we’re going to need see him kind of take that next step.”
More recently, Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis mentioned that Roy is going to get a chance to show what he can do in training camp: “Further along than Esezi Otomewo was after one season. Flores will give him premium chances in training camp.”
Finally, consider the words from the man himself. The defender is looking forward to improvement in his second season:
Add it all together and I’m projecting Roy as a Week 1 starter in Minnesota’s defense.
Listed at 6’3″, 305, Jaquelin Roy is still only 23. He played 96 defensive snaps as a rookie, playing in a dozen games while starting one. For the most part, he was a 3T but Minnesota also asked him to kick further inside so soak up some snaps as a 1T. Any defensive tackle who plays for Brian Flores is going to need at least some versatility.
Consider what he’s capable of doing. He’s #93 in the clip:
Starting in the opposite A-Gap, Roy swims across the center’s face to get penetration into the backfield. From that point, he is quick and long enough to get an arm on the running back as his teammates rally for the tackle. In fact, the running back needs to change direction to avoid Roy, which is a major part of what makes this rep a win for Minnesota. An excellent play and the kind of impact Minnesota is hoping for from their young defender.
Don’t forget: Minnesota traded up to pick Roy in the 5th, a sign of how much they like him.
Harrison Phillips is locking down a single starting spot. At the very least, the Vikings need one more player to step up. Jerry Tillery has a shot at exploding since he has always offered so much promise, but what about Mr. Roy? Can the young guy get worked into the rotation for a larger role in Year 2 in the NFL?
The opportunity is going to be there for him.
As a rookie, Jaquelin Roy finished with 8 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 QB hit. He’ll be carrying a modest cap charge coming in just a hair below $1 million ($999,943).
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 and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
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