There Appears to Be a “Dark Horse” in the Vikings LB Room for 2023
Josh Frey
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On Tuesday morning, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shared some thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings during a press conference from the NFL scouting combine, and during this period, he discussed the future of the Vikings LB room.
Interestingly, both Jordan Hicks and Eric Kendricks were left out of these comments, instead opting to talk about younger players like Brian Asamoah, whom the Vikings selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft as well as Troy Dye, a 2020 fourth-round pick.
However, another name that was brought up by the Vikings GM may indicate that the Vikings future plans at the position may extend even further beyond these two guys. That player is 2022 UDFA William Kwenkeu.
Kwenkeu played his college football at Temple, spending a whopping six years with the Owls. Over his career there, he appeared in 47 games and recorded 183 tackles, 21 TFLs, and 7.0 sacks. He also had 1 pass defensed, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Following those college years, the Cameroon native signed with the Vikings practice squad after going undrafted in the 2022 Draft. In the 2022 season, Kwenkeu appeared in six games, primarily playing with the special teams.
Overall, the rookie linebacker played 94 special teams snaps and 13 defensive snaps, recording a pair of tackles, including a TFL. Both tackles came in Week 18 against the Chicago Bears when he played 12 of his defensive snaps on the season.
Certainly, Kwenkeu didn’t get a massive sample size on the defense in 2022, but if both Hicks and Kendricks are off the team in 2023, that opens the door for the 26-year-old to have a larger role next season. We’ve seen prospects from small schools gradually grow into larger roles with NFL teams before (Adam Thielen anyone?), so it’s entirely realistic that the Vikings could have liked what they saw out of the rookie both in his limited snaps and in practices.
Obviously, we have a long ways to go before we know for certain who will get the starting linebacker spots in 2023. However, it does seem like we cannot count Kwenkeu out as one of the potential contributors for the Vikings defense next season.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.