When the Vikings selected Levi Drake Rodriguez late in the 2024 NFL Draft this year, it came with a little more fanfare than a typical seventh-round pick. Although it hasn’t been officially announced yet, LDR was commonly known as Prospect X, the subject of Kalyn Kahler’s excellent profile at The Athletic, in which she profiled the small-school player every scout thought was their secret. After Minnesota took him, Rodriguez immediately endeared himself to Vikings fans, with a convivial first press conference and his family celebrating in the background during his draft call.
Despite the excitement surrounding him as a player, LDR faced an uphill battle to make the roster when he began training camp. The Vikings had incumbents Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard and Jaquelin Roy, as well as free agent additions Jerry Tillery and Jonah Williams, who had significant NFL experience. Minnesota also had other notable young players — including Taki Taimani and Jalen Redmond, who made the team along with Rodriguez — competing against LDR. To make the roster, he had to flash the talent that had prompted the Vikings to spend a draft pick on him.
Rodriguez delivered what the team needed to see all preseason. He had a sack, a QB hit, two intercepted passes and four total stops in 89 snaps over three games. Rodriguez isn’t a finished product yet, but his energy will be contagious. I watched the tape to see how he can impact the Vikings in 2024 and beyond.
explosive energy
The first thing you notice about Rodriguez is his explosive ability to get past opposing blocks. On the following play against the Cleveland Browns, he takes the LT who is supposed to sack him from the middle of the hashes to the left hash before breaking free for the tackle. It’s great to see a small school player use that kind of power.
He can also use his explosiveness to get off the line and affect plays by avoiding blocks, like in the picture below. Here he crosses the RG’s face and uses his hands to break free of the block as his path takes him to the QB. When LDR comes at him, the QB’s throw has to fly high and the Vikings intercept it.
Throughout the preseason, you could see Rodriguez’s ability to use his hands, which is strong for a player without the top-notch coaching that some of the more prestigious college football programs offer. The following play is a great example where he breaks away from the LT for another run stop.
LDR’s sack wasn’t necessarily a result of his play, but it was great to see him finish the job. He was able to break free of his block, make a lap, and cash in on Jalen Redmond’s excellent stunt that brought down the QB:
Effort was a consistent theme in this game, as this screen shows. Rodriguez chases the RB to the sideline. Although he doesn’t make the play, he is in position to finish the tackle if the LB had missed.
Recognition and selfless play
Rodriguez showed the ability to work within the structure of the defense. He showed the awareness to put his hands up on quick passing plays instead of just putting his head down and trying to score a sack. As a result, two of his passes were intercepted, including the one below on a screen:
Since the Vikings blitz heavily, they will see a lot of quick passes. Defensive linemen must develop the instinct to raise their hands at the right moment when they want to disrupt throwing lanes, and Rodriguez seems to have that instinct.
Here is his second interception against the Philadelphia Eagles:
LDR also plays selflessly when he’s needed, sacrificing himself on stunts to clear the way for his teammates. On the following play, he does a great job of blasting the center and freeing up Jalen Redmond for a pressure. This guy loves to beat people and take two Browns to the ground.
He also showed impressive skill on another play against Cleveland. Linemen often switch responsibilities during a stunt. You want to take the player who initially blocked you out of the play while trying to keep the player who was originally supposed to protect from your stuntmate busy. On the play below, Rodriguez does a brilliant job of grabbing the RG’s chest and pulling him toward him, opening up a lot of space for Dallas Turner. He finishes the replay but hits the LT’s chest. It’s great to see this attention to detail from a late-round rookie.
Things that need to be worked on
Rodriguez’s play hasn’t been perfect throughout the preseason. He’s still an inexperienced player and needs to work on several things before he’s ready for a full-time role.
The power he plays with is notable, but he can’t use it consistently when opponents are running at him. He’s much better when he can tackle his opponent than when a lineman is tackling him.
On the following play, he allowed himself to be controlled by a double team and moved wide from his starting position. The run led back into the vacated space and ended in a solid gain. There are techniques to beat double teams, such as turning the body to minimize the attack surface for blockers and getting down on one knee to create a stronger base. LDR needs to learn these techniques to improve his power at the point of attack.
A similar problem occurs in the play below, but you can still see a positive flash from LDR. He may get pushed back, but he pushes the center into the ground and gets away from the right guard before making the tackle. Ideally, he wouldn’t lose ground. Until he learns that, though, it’s great to see the continued struggle on this play:
Rodriguez’s learning process also applies to run defense. On the following play, he is manipulated by the RB. You can see that he initially prepares to defend the B gap between LG and LT. But as the RB presses the hole, he tries to switch to the A gap and follow the run. This is exactly what the RB wants, and he can jump over a gap, gaining a significant advantage.
A better read of the LB could have helped Rodriguez get the right. However, since the LB didn’t make the play, Rodriguez is responsible for his freelancing:
Rodriguez also took a big penalty in the Eagles game wearing that face mask. The boost he gets is great, and we’ve already seen the benefits of keeping his arms up on blocked passes. But in this case, he lands on the quarterback’s helmet. That’s a brutal penalty that extends the drive, and Rodriguez may need to learn to play more within himself to prevent that from happening in the future:
Diploma
Levi Drake Rodriguez’s seemingly limitless energy has allowed him to make the Vikings’ 53-man roster. However, it could also be his downfall if he doesn’t refine his game. For a freshman from a small school playing in the latter rounds, he has some nice, refined traits in his game. He can play with leverage to generate power and use his hands to break away from blockers. Rodriguez also shows the ability to read opponent intent and play in a way that helps his teammates stunt. However, he must learn to better handle blocks and maintain his gap discipline.
For now, the Vikings should use LDR on stunts in passing situations. But he will also be valuable in the run game if they put him in situations where they can line him up against single blocks. Until he improves his discipline, he could struggle in the run game against double coverage.
Overall, LDR brings an exciting package to the Minnesota Vikings. Given his background, he was extremely impressive in the preseason. Let’s hope he can carry that momentum into the regular season.
