Another Vikings Rookie Defender Is Seeing First Team Snaps
Josh Frey
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Ahead of the Vikings joint practices alongside the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday and Thursday, the team conducted a walk-through practice on Tuesday.
An interesting report from Alec Lewis of The Athletic arose during this practice, suggesting that another rookie defender is seeing plenty of snaps with the Vikings first-team defense.
That Vikings rookie defender is defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft after Minnesota traded back up into the round with the Indianapolis Colts.
Roy spent his collegiate career at LSU, playing a very minor role with the team during his freshman season of 2020. However, his 2021 season was a strong progression.
He finished the year with 30 tackles, including 6 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble and recovered two. Pro Football Focus agreed that it was a terrific year for the defensive tackle, giving him an overall grade of 81.2, including a pass-rush grade of 89.6.
In 2022, everything clicked for both Roy and LSU as a whole. The Tigers finished the season 10-4, their first winning season since 2019, and they dominated the Citrus Bowl, beating Purdue by a score of 63-7. The Tigers defense was a strongsuit to their game, allowing just 22.5 points per game. Roy contributed in a big way once again, totaling 49 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
I’ve compared Roy’s play on the defensive line to that of an Energizer Bunny in the past. Every single snap, he plays at 100%. ‘Relax’ is not a part of Roy’s vocabulary. Over 14 games for the Tigers in 2022, the defensive tackle played 50+ snaps in nine of them. As an interior defensive lineman, it’s rare to find a player with that type of endurance.
With the Vikings losing Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency, Roy has an excellent opportunity in front of him to become an immediate contributor for Minnesota’s defense. Especially considering the Vikings had a lackluster pass-rush from the interior of their defensive line, that is a role that the rookie can fill immediately. For whatever it’s worth, the player comparison on the NFL’s website is to Dalvin Tomlinson.
It appears that the team has been giving him his chance to prove himself. It may not immediately lead to an actual starting role, but still, this is progress for the 2023 Draft pick. He is yet to play a snap of preseason this summer, indicating that his roster spot may be safe.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. 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.