Ex-Vikings Draft Pick Dominates in UFL
Spring leagues like the UFL have a long tradition, but they rarely stick around for too long. The UFL might have a chance, though. The NFL has copied some of its rules, like the kickoff, and the fact that about 30,000 people watch the St. Louis Battlehawks play football is another good sign.
Ex-Vikings Draft Pick Dominates in UFL
For the players, the benefit is obvious. Those who don’t regularly see the field in the NFL and fail to qualify for 53-man rosters get the opportunity to showcase their skills and get the attention of the big league.
Last year, the Vikings signed Jalen Redmond after the defender registered four sacks in four games, and he played a meaningful role in the Twin Cities just one year after failing to make the Panthers’ 53-man roster.
Although a little older, a new Redmond could be Kenny Willekes, a 2020 seventh-rounder out of Michigan State. Willekes is leading the entire UFL in PFF grade. PFF also released the five best-graded players for each UFL franchise and wrote a short paragraph about the 27-year-old.
“Kenny Willekes is quickly establishing himself as the UFL’s top pass rusher in 2025. His 33.9% pass-rush win rate far outpaces any other defender, and his 18.6% pressure rate is a top-five mark in the league. Willekes ranked first in PFF pass-rush grade (90.7) in Week 3 after securing a league-high eight quarterback pressures.”
Willekes ranked pretty highly a year ago, too, but has seemingly made a nice step this year.
Kenny Willekes, Shea Patterson, MSU vs U-M
His career journey is actually quite fascinating, and surely not the normal and linear path of someone getting recruited, picking between a handful of teams, playing three or four years in college, and moving on to the next level.
Despite racking up 423 tackles in his high school career in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he didn’t receive a single D-I scholarship and decided to compete as a walk-on at Michigan State. One year as a redshirt was followed by a year with one appearance on gameday. Prior to the 2017 season, his third campaign, he earned a scholarship. Willekes became a full-time starter, and he tabulated 72 tackles and 7 sacks. Not bad for a walk-on.
In 2018, he was named Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2018 and 2019. He was also the recipient of the Burlsworth Trophy in 2019 for the most outstanding FBS college player who began his career as a walk-on.
Throughout his college career, Willekes accumulated 229 tackles, 26 sacks, and 52 tackles for loss in 40 games.
When it was time to say goodbye to the college game, he was primarily praised for his high-energy motor, which perfectly fits his resume.
Willekes wasn’t the most physically gifted defender in the draft, so despite his motor and his college production, he dropped to the 225th pick.
His tenure with the Vikings was overshadowed by injuries. He missed his entire rookie season with a leg injury but bounced back in year two when the Vikings desperately needed some pass-rush from the edges. Willekes contributed in six games, collecting 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks in his first year of game action while playing 202 defensive snaps and 27 on special teams.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t build on that season because a torn ACL cost him the entire 2022 season, and the Vikings released him in the 2023 offseason.
Willekes is used to overcoming the odds, and considering his excellent season for the Panthers in the UFL, he should get a shot to convince an NFL team in training camp. Ironically, the Vikings only have five pass-rushers under contract.
His official UFL numbers show 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble. Willekes’ hometown Panthers are 2-1.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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