Next man up, right?
For a little while, UDFA DT Taki Taimani was earning snaps in the middle of the defense, but he needed to hit the IR. Jalen Redmond then saw a larger role and shined, but a concussion kept him out of the Week 16 game. Vikings rookie Levi Drake Rodriguez, picked with the No. 232 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was the next man up. The young defender didn’t just dress but actually saw some action for Brian Flores’ defense.
Vikings Rookie Levi Drake Rodriguez & The Week 16 Win in Seattle
In a lot of ways, the defensive tackle spot finds itself in a weird position.
The snap leaders are all veterans. Harrison Phillips, of course, is the top option. Horrible Harry is a rugged run defender who helps the defense as a whole to thrive, so he rightly soaks up a lot of snaps. Beside Mr. Phillips is Jonathan Bullard, someone who quietly starts and does the dirty work in the trenches. Third in line, at least in terms of total snaps, is Jerry Tillery, a veteran journeyman.
But then there’s the youth movement that’s bubbling underneath the surface. Taimani, Redmond, and now Rodrigiuez have all earned snaps, proving to be both part of Minnesota’s future and present plans at the position.
Most recently, the snaps went toward Rodriguez, the 7th-Round rookie. He snagged a single tackle in his 6 snaps on defense to go alongside 7 snaps on special teams.
Previously, Levi Drake Rodriguez had only been involved in one other game: the victory over the Colts back in Week 9. The caveat within that game is simply that the defensive tackle didn’t earn any playing time on defense. Instead, he played 4 snaps on specials and didn’t get onto the stat sheet.
The 24-year-old defender is a bit smaller, standing at 6’2″ and weighing 306 pounds. The sense one gets from listening to Minnesota’s coaches is that the DT has a good motor and the potential to develop into a bit of a wrecking ball along the interior. For the most part, though, the plan has been to await that reality rather than see it come to fruition in the immediate.
Kevin O’Connell took some time to discuss the situation following the game in a question about depth defenders stepping up.
“I think Flo and his guys have done a phenomenal job all year,” O’Connell explains, “of really preaching the next man up mentality when we need it.” “We’ve had guys step up,” the head coach goes on to note. O’Connell kicks the topic back to consider the broader roster and the various guys who have helped before concluding with a thought about players filling in when needed: “When we call on ya, we’re going to get you ready to play and you’re going to go play well.”
Note the pair of factors that are swirling in that final statement. O’Connell thinks that the coaching staff is going to be able to call on depth players to jump into action when there’s a need. Step 1: the coaches are going to get a player prepared. Step 2: there’s full belief that the player is going to enter the game and play well. At 13-2, is there much reason to doubt what O’Connell is saying?
In all likelihood, Levi Drake Rodriguez will be playing a small role moving forward. The point from O’Connell, though, comes through loud and clear: if there’s a need for the DT to get inserted into the game, then there’s internal confidence among Minnesota’s leaders that things are going to work out just fine.
