The 1 Vikings Defender Who Gave His Roster Push a Major Boost in Seattle
Gotta admit: I find it hard not to cheer for the Canadians in the NFL.
Earlier in the offseason, I spent some time discussing Luiji Vilain, a Vikings defender who is now entering his sophomore season. Given his status as an UDFA, Vilain is assured of very little in the NFL. He made the final roster last year but didn’t get onto the field too much, seeing just 34 snaps on defense (with 59 on specials).
Over the past several months, Andre Carter II has been in the headlines. The towering UDFA pass rusher (described as a monster over on Vikings Territory) has inspired belief far and wide, largely due to the massive guarantees he secured from the Vikings. Vilain, though, shouldn’t be overlooked.
After all, Vilain was the one who snagged the large payday before the 2022 season. As a rookie, Vilain had more than $200,000 guaranteed on his deal, a notable amount given that he wasn’t among the players who were drafted.
Last night in Seattle, the pass rusher did plenty to boost his chances of making the final roster.
Luiji Vilain, the Vikings Defender Who Shined in Seattle
Danielle Hunter and Marcus Davenport are the top edge rushers in Minnesota. Only injury can undermine that reality. After those two, the Vikings have a competition on their purple hands. D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, Carter, Vilain, and a couple others are doing their best to work into the rotation.
Vilain was given the chance to see plenty of action yesterday and he made the most of his opportunity. The play that will linger in people’s minds is the sack/fumble to finish off the half. Check it out:
Speed is the name of the game for Vilain. He looked explosive throughout the night, and it was his burst coming out of his stance that allowed him to get Drew Lock. Beating the offensive tackle not only required great speed but also the bend to dip underneath the blocker’s massive mitts. And then, of course, there’s the finish. Lock, a strong athlete, isn’t able to escape with Vilain chasing him down.
Earlier in the game, a Luiji Vilain QB hit forces an incompletion:
In this instance, Vilain doesn’t use his speed to go around the outside. Instead, he forces the OT to retreat in an effort to handle the threat of going outside. He then dips underneath Jones (who is doing his part by driving the guard back) to put a hit on Lock. By the end of the night, the Canadian had 3 tackles to go alongside his sack, forced fumble, and QB hit.
A great performance for the sophomore that could very reasonably foreshadow a spot on the Vikings’ roster when Kevin O’Connell, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and the rest of Minnesota’s leadership bring things down to 53 players.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, NFL, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
