Kevin O’Connell Slaps a Buzzword onto New Viking
Kevin O’Connell, as you may have heard, enjoys coaching players who can offer some versatility.
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a 5th-Round defensive lineman, fits the bill. In fact, the Vikings’ head coach was sure to praise his rookie in a recent press conference, doing so just days before the (very) surprising Harrison Phillips trade. Per O’Connell, the rookie d-lineman who played his college ball for Georgia possesses some coveted “versatility.”
Kevin O’Connell, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, & Versatility
Headlining the event are Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, a pair of accomplished defensive tackles who are going to be leaned on to collapse the pocket with regularity.
Supporting those top options are a group of young defensive tackles, Jalen Redmond foremost among them. One then thinks of Levi Drake Rodriguez (a sophomore chosen in the 7th of the 2024 NFL Draft) alongside Taki Taimani (a sophomore scooped up as an UDFA in 2024). One may then think of the rookie, Mr. Ingram-Dawkins.
“He’s been everything we had kind of hoped he would be,” O’Connell began.
The head coach went on: “We really identified him throughout the process, Alec, as somebody that could be really versatile along that front, doing as many as three or four different roles. Whether you’re talking being an inside, early-down player, a 5-technique, maybe even some edge snaps.” O’Connell noted that the sport “makes sense to him” while praising the rookie for having “some unique kind of traits.” (Note: the “Alec” whom O’Connell refers to is Alec Lewis, the Vikings writer for The Athletic).
“He’s been part of the reason why you feel so great about that d-line depth,” O’Connell went on to say.
So, there’s been a bit of a push/pull dynamic occurring within the team’s defensive line position. The top adds in free agency — Allen and Hargrave — have evidently been impressive, so much so that they’re demanding starting positions. But then there are various young players who display promise, feeding into the decision to offload Horrible Harry. Doing so makes room for a player like Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins to shine.
One just thinks of the way that Ingram-Dawkins is built. He’s listed as being 6’5″ and 276 pounds, meaning he offers some potential to move up and down the line (as O’Connell suggests).
On obvious passing downs, Ingram-Dawkins could get kicked inside as a smaller defensive tackle who could be too quick for a guard. On obvious running downs, Ingram-Dawkins could be flexed out to the edge to provide a bit more run-clogging, proving more powerful than a lot of edge rushers. If one wanted to think of a recent example, just let your mind drift back to Jihad Ward and the way that he was tasked with moving all over the line as a large edge rusher.
Essentially, Coach Flores has been given another tool in the toolbox. Every DC likes that sort of thing, but for Flores it feels especially pertinent. The defensive strategist who gets referred to as “The Mad Scientist” isn’t afraid to experiment and to ask his players to do different things, so a versatile player is to be coveted for Flores (especially if there’s some strong football intelligence, as Kevin O’Connell suggests).
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, 22, appears to be either the DT4 or DT5. Ongoing improvement will mean that he soaks up several hundred snaps on defense — while likely having a role on specials — as he pushes to become an impact 3T/5T in the NFL.
Kevin O’Connell is a believer.
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