Unknown and Undrafted Viking Earns National Praise
The Minnesota Vikings will drop a 53-man roster in six days, reducing the depth chart by 42%.
Unknown and Undrafted Viking Earns National Praise
And somehow, there’s a path to the September roster for undrafted defensive tackle Taki Taimani, who stood off the page in last weekend’s preseason win over the Cleveland Browns.
Bleacher Report took notice this week, adding Taimani to its list of top rookie performances in Week 2 of the preseason. “Nose tackle isn’t a glamorous position. Those interior defenders are asked to do the dirty work while everyone around them makes plays,” BR’s Brent Sobleski wrote. “Taki Taimani didn’t hear his name called during the NFL draft. Lane-cloggers are still necessary in today’s game, though their value has drastically decreased with the proliferation of potent passing attacks.”
Taimani checked in at No. 10 on BR’s list of Week 2 preseason performances by rookies.
“Taimani turns 25 in October and provides little-to-nothing in regards to sack production. But he’s a grown man when asked to defend the run, hold the point of attack and eat double-teams. As such, he’s been a handful throughout the preseason,” Sobleski continued. “Plus, Taimani has showed some ability to collapse the pocket. He’s not a strong interior pass-rusher by any means, but he can walk some blockers back to muddy the pocket.”
Due to a lack of nose tackle depth, Taimani could turn heads and steal a spot on the 53-man roster. The University of Oregon listed Taimani at 330 pounds last year, and if that were accurate, he’d be the heaviest player on Minnesota’s defense. Why does that matter? Well, Brian Flores’ defense has no true nose tackle(s), and one would think such a player would be nice in certain situations to stuff the run.
Sobleski concluded about Taimani against the Browns: “None of what this rookie does is pretty. But it’s necessary to set the line of scrimmage, and opponents are having an extremely difficult time moving him off his spot.”
Taimani earned a blisteringly good 91.5 Pro Football Focus grade last weekend for his troubles.
If Taimani wishes to make the regular season roster next week, he’ll basically have to place in Top 5 or 6 of the group:
- Harrison Phillips
- Jerry Tillery
- Jonathan Bullard
- James Lynch
- Jaquelin Roy
- Jonah Williams
- Levi Drake Rodriguez
- Jalen Redmond
- Taki Taimani
- Tyler Manoa
Minnesota’s final preseason game occurs this Saturday at Philadelphia, and Taimani should see ample playing time.
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.
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