Young Viking Makes Claim to Get Bumped from Bullpen Up to the Starting Rotation
Levi Drake Rodriguez, a young Viking who is currently the DT4, may deserve a spot within the starting lineup.
Minnesota’s top tackles are Jalen Redmond, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave. For most of the season, the group hasn’t been good enough (and not due to Mr. Redmond). The concerns are gone for a week due to the positive play in Week 9. There is nevertheless a case to be made that Mr. Rodriguez deserves to get taken out of the bullpen so that Minnesota can put him on the mound to begin games.
The Young Viking Pushing for a Starting Spot
To begin, consider the word from PFF, a spot that attracts no shortage of debate (and criticism) but one that can nevertheless be illuminating.
For the season in its entirety, Rodriguez is bringing down a solid, respectable 66.3 grade. Healthy, but not dominant. Quite optimistic for a sophomore 7th-Round selection. Bring things down to the most recent game — the Week 9 win over the Lions — and the grade is a less optimistic 55.3 grade. What’s positive from within that assessment, though, is the 75.0 grade for his pass rushing.
In just eleven snaps, Rodriguez had a pair of tackles, with a tackle for loss. There was a sack alongside a pair of quarterback hits.
Step back to assess the season more broadly. Levi Drake Rodriguez has been involved in all eight games, starting one. The 2025 season has involved him playing in 208 snaps. For context, the starting trio of Allen, Hargrave, and Redmond are coming in at 374 snaps (Allen), 256 snaps (Hargrave), and 339 snaps (Redmond). So, not a major deficit for playing time — especially in relation to Mr. Hargrave — but a step back nonetheless.
Rodriguez’s stat sheet shows 24 tackles, 7 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 2 quarterback hits. Again, note that we’re considering someone who was selected at No. 232 in the 2024 NFL Draft. At this point, the idea that there were 231 players better than the young defensive tackle appears foolish.
The defender stands at 6’2″ and comes in at 307 pounds. Not hulking size — at least within the context of NFL defensive tackles — but someone who fits within the Brian Flores desire for lean, active defensive tackles.
Indeed, it’s that ability to be active that makes Rodriguez so compelling.
Anyone who appreciates the effort from defensive tackles — a collection of people that should include everyone — will appreciate watching Levi Drake Rodriguez go to work. In some ways, Rodriguez brings back memories of Everson Griffen insofar as he’s a player who doesn’t stop to catch his breath. Genuinely, Rodriguez keeps his feet and mitts working from the start to the end of a play. Sounds basic, but there’s a pile of merit in a large lad who has the legs and lungs (and competitive spirit) to keep driving for the entirety of a play.
One wonders, then, where things are going for Coach Flores and the Vikings defense.
By allowing an average of 23.3 points against per game, the Vikings are coming in at 20th in the NFL. That’s a disappointment no matter how one chooses to massage the basic fact. At least part of the problem rests in the injury situation, one that has seen Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, and others miss time.
Getting these starters back makes a massive difference, but there’s at least some reason to consider the various levers that can be pulled to keep improving. Are there any young Vikings who could get bumped up? If so, is Levi Drake Rodriguez among them?
Next up for Levi Drake Rodriguez and the Vikings is a game versus the Baltimore Ravens. Clearly, corralling Lamar Jackson will be a full-team effort. Leaning on a single defensive tackle to stifle Jackson — who has a pair of MVP awards, three first-team All Pro honors, been to the Pro Bowl four times, and so on — is a foolish task. But, to be sure, someone who is speedy, active, and who plays with great effort could be part of the solution.
At 25, Rodriguez is still getting better. The expectation is that he’ll someday be a starter. One wonders if that murky, uncertain future is closer than we realize.
