2021 Positional Previews

Stephen Weatherly
Having persisted on NFL rosters far longer than most sixth-round picks can hope to, Weatherly has had a nice career as an edge rusher, plying his trade through remarkable athleticism and impressive intelligence. A former Viking returning to the roster, Weatherly’s brief experience with Carolina didn’t result in the long-term contract he wanted, so he’s left with another prove-it deal as the presumed starter opposite Hunter.

Strengths: Great athlete whose combine testing was among the best in his class, with speed, explosion and agility all on display. One of the longest wingspans in the NFL at his position. Knows how to use his length to lock out blockers and has a long-arm move that allows him to set the edge. Can consistently reduce contact area to minimize opposing blockers. In a Vikings uniform, he has used this to win in the run game with solid stack-and-shed. Surprising strength for his frame, and he avoids getting washed out in the run game while also demonstrating a useful bull rush. Extremely high-effort, high-motor player.

Weaknesses: Has a finishing problem and has consistently had trouble converting pressures into sacks. No sacks in 2020 with only 12 total pressures. Has consistently had a high missed tackle rate and has a total missed tackle rate of 16.5 percent, one of the highest at his position. Plays high and exposes his chest, losing the leverage game. Good testing numbers don’t translate in some key areas, like flexibility. It’s tough for him to contort his body to generate better pass-rush angles. Limited number of pass-rush moves and not much variety in pass-rush plans.

D.J. Wonnum
If the Vikings don’t like what they get out of Weatherly, they have some options on the roster, including Wonnum, a second-year player. Wonnum saw some brief action last year, and he made a big impact on some key plays, but there’s little assurance he can turn into a starting-quality player — something the Vikings recognized when they drafted two more edge rushers this spring. If Wonnum can live up to his lofty post-draft expectations, the Vikings will be in a much better position than most analysts have imagined.

Strengths: Like Weatherly, Wonnum has extraordinary length for his position and is good at using it. He does a good job establishing a long arm and can use it to keep blockers out of his chest as he reads the flow of the play. Overall, he has good strength, doesn’t get washed out on running downs and holds up well when some of the league’s stronger tackles try to torque him to get him off balance. Does well against zone runs and understands pivot points, getting to them before opposing linemen. Generally good burst off the line of scrimmage. High motor.

Weaknesses: Poor college and NFL production, all below the 30th percentile of his peers. Rough 8.1 percent NFL pressure rate bolstered by unblocked pressures. Limited agility and has difficulty bending the edge and fully using his length as a lever to generate better positioning. Limited flexibility and can get caught out without perfect placement; difficulty changing direction and responding to changes in the play. Also makes it difficult to “get skinny” and avoid contact with offensive linemen. Small assortment of pass-rushing moves. Doesn’t always react quickly to the play and doesn’t have great run/pass play diagnosis. Has issues getting off blocks even when he has favorable length and positioning. Enormous missed tackle issue in college that showed up in limited NFL showing — a higher missed tackle rate than even Weatherly.

Jalyn Holmes
Converted back to defensive end from defensive tackle, Holmes was perhaps the least productive edge rusher on the 2020 Vikings despite playing the second-most snaps. He generated a scant 19 pressures on 376 pass-rushing snaps, a pressure rate of 5.1 percent, which ranked 89th out of 91 edge rushers last year. Last year, the Vikings could ill afford to go out of their way to replace him, but he enters the 2021 season fighting for his job and with a good chance of missing the cut.

Strengths: There’s a pattern in the approach the Vikings have used at the position recently, as Holmes also has impressive length for the position. Generally good at reading plays and does a good job crashing on play action or adjusting his rush to the opponent’s pass set. Has the strength one would expect from a flex player who has lined up inside and generally has good upper-body power that allows him to get push on bull rushes and space with club moves. Good punch placement; gets inside the pads of his opponent and can control the interaction from there.

Weaknesses: Lower-body strength doesn’t match upper-body strength, and he can get moved on base blocks. Height can be a disadvantage — he doesn’t stay low out of the snap and exposes his pads. That robs him of power even more and loses some of the advantage of his length. Flexibility and agility aren’t there, limiting his capacity for speed rushes. Needs more technique to compensate for it. Has difficulty reducing contact area to get past blockers. Can lose explosion with late reaction to the snap. Has had consistently poor production for several years, regardless of position; hasn’t been able to generate pressure or sacks as a pass rusher or stops in the run game. Showcases the type of tenacity one wants with his ability to transform his body, but effort sometimes doesn’t show up on the field in the same way it does for other linemen.

Patrick Jones II
Born in Japan on a naval base, Patrick Jones joins most of the Vikings’ 2021 draft class in being a little bit later to football than a typical draft prospect. Still, his development at Pitt was quick, and he finished his career there with 25 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks in his final two years, leading the team in sacks as a senior. It’s a crowded unit at the position in Minnesota, but Jones should have an inside track to earning a key backup spot.

Strengths: Fits Vikings profile as a length edge rusher with a long wingspan. Again, it’s a skill that he seems well accustomed to and does a good job maintaining distance with his lengthy arms. Has upper-body strength to match and can win with a strong punch or club move. Good lateral movement, which allows him to swap gaps quickly. Solid understanding of leverage and doesn’t pop pads up at the snap; gets underneath blockers despite his height. Well-developed technique despite somewhat late introduction to the position; has a full arsenal of pass-rush moves. Good at getting skinny and obviating a lot of initial blocking moves. Generally good movement off the snap. Quick and active hands. High-motor/high-effort player.

Weaknesses: Tough time integrating technique and physical attributes; can look awkward or uncoordinated when attacking tackles. Doesn’t have a lot of balance on speed moves. Full arsenal of moves not pulled together in complete pass-rush plan. Doesn’t use his hands efficiently; often has poor aim and doesn’t demonstrate great stack-and-shed capability. Sometimes gets washed out in the run game and doesn’t have the lower-body strength to create consistent push or collapse lanes. Has some issues with run/pass diagnosis and eagerly attacks the wrong player as the play develops.

Janarius Robinson
The Vikings have made it a habit to grab players with the largest wingspan in their respective draft classes — like Oli Udoh on the offensive side and Holmes on the defensive side. Robinson nearly earned the title in 2021. He also happens to have a larger wingspan than any edge rusher in the previous six drafts. Robinson is more tools than talent at this point and he hasn’t been remarkably productive yet, but his skill set is intriguing enough that he could be worth a rotational rusher spot in due time.

Strengths: Has the length that the Vikings covet but also has built up muscle to match, with a large frame for the position. A lot of that mass is functional, and he has good explosion, first-step acceleration and strength. Upper-body strength is there as well, and he does a great job creating power in bull rushes or strength-based pass-rush moves. Surprising agility and has been used in coverage on occasion without losing that much ground.

Weaknesses: Still raw in a number of respects and doesn’t always use his length to create distance between him and the blocker. Timing and placement with hand-fighting remain works in progress. Doesn’t have a fully developed arsenal as a pass rusher and often falls on the same techniques over and over. Big hitter but often misses tackles. Has issues with positioning that eliminate any strength advantages he has, often getting washed out on the move. Can lose balance a little too easily. Can misdiagnose pass/run reads. Poor production in college, especially against the run. Sack production is low.

Kenny Willekes
A productive pass rusher out of Michigan State, Willekes fell short of the measurable and athletic thresholds that many teams use to find edge rushers and ended up going in the seventh round to the Vikings despite strong performances against the run and generally good sack rates. Injured before cutdown day in 2020, Willekes didn’t get the chance to prove he deserves a roster spot or that he’d push for a practice-squad slot. Now, in a more crowded environment, he’ll have to do a lot more to earn a roster spot in Minnesota.

Strengths: Despite not having the length typical of a draft pick at edge rusher, he has the size to hold anchor in the run game. He does a good job setting the edge and has shown strength against college tackles when collapsing run lanes. Translates that power into strength-based pass-rushing moves and is comfortable leveraging that against offensive linemen. High-effort, high-motor player who pursues on plays other defenders give up on. Vikings camp appearances last year were positive, showcasing speed and the ability to beat the backup tackles the Vikings lined up against him.

Weaknesses: Athletic testing was poor and college film doesn’t show explosiveness or agility correlated with excellent edge rusher performance. Approach to pass-rush plan centers around power and strength, something that’s difficult to employ at the NFL level without length. If he tries to reshape his body for speed over strength, he might lose the only way he really won in college. Not many pass-rush moves in his arsenal and needs to develop more. Not much flexibility, especially for a shorter player, which makes it difficult to turn the arc on a pass rush. Generated a fair number of penalties in college. Despite reasonable sack production in his final year of college, pressures were relatively low.

Jordan Brailford
After a spotty injury history in college, Brailford had to wait until the seventh round of the draft to hear his name called. Originally picked by Washington, he began his pro career with another injury and was placed on injured reserve before the 2019 season. After making Washington’s practice squad in 2020, the Vikings signed him to their 53-man roster, where he saw occasional playing time before finding himself in another crowded defensive end group heading into this summer’s training camp.

Strengths: Great combine workouts, especially explosion (37.5-inch vertical, 10’6″ broad jump). That shows up in his excellent first step and explosiveness off the line of scrimmage. Speed off the edge can be difficult to counter and he pairs it with good flexibility that allows him to bend around the edge and run short arcs. A fairly developed pass rusher with a good number of pass-rush moves, a viable set of countermoves and good hand placement. Good production, especially as a sack artist, in college. Good leverage and pad level and consistently plays underneath blockers. Plays with a remarkably high motor.

Weaknesses: Significantly worrisome injury history, including in the NFL, plus several surgeries in high school and college. Sometimes awkward movement, and doesn’t string moves and countermoves together naturally. Doesn’t have extraordinary upper-body strength and can be pushed off his pass-rush track. Limited length and height. Change of direction is a concern despite the fluidity of his initial moves. Has issues stacking and shedding in the run game. Some difficulty diagnosing run/pass reads.

Hercules Mata’afa
It’s difficult to figure out whether Mata’afa should be placed in the “defensive tackle” or “defensive end” position group given that he started the season as a defensive tackle candidate last year, gaining weight and spending a year at the position the season before. He primarily played at end for the Vikings in 2020, however, and was listed on roster material as a defensive end at 254 pounds, instead of his 280-plus-pound figure from last year. Because of that, we’ll evaluate him as an edge rusher once again.

Strengths: Much stronger than most edge rushers, both in the upper and lower body. Has an effective bull rush that he uses to collapse run lanes or create pass-rush opportunities. Can get a surprising jump off the line with his burst, which translates into the ability to anchor well against the run, too. Great leverage and uses his length limitations to his advantage when possible. Good balance against cut blocks. Good at diagnosing run/pass. Remarkably high motor.

Weaknesses: Was originally a defensive tackle in college and has more experience there than anywhere else. NFL experience at edge rusher is fairly limited and limitations have shown up from the get-go. Speed seems limited compared to other edge rushers while flexibility and agility fall well below the positional averages. Size remains an issue; doesn’t have the long levers other edge rushers do and can’t create separation against tackles. Length problems exacerbate stack-and-shed problems and his run defense is primarily because of gap occupation more than the ability to create his own tackles. Brief history in the NFL showcased limited production.