Minnesota Vikings have a potential breakout star on Brian Flores’ defense on a similar path to Jalen Redmond
The UDFA process has been fruitful for the Minnesota Vikings over the past four years, and they have a potential breakout star.
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of questions going into training camp, especially outside of the Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy quarterback battle.
Defesively is where the majorit of the questions reside for the Vikings. They spent their first three, and four of the first five NFL Draft picks on Brian Flores’ defense, including two defensive tackles in Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange.
Being that two rookies will factor in heavily on the defensive line, it does open up potential starting opportunities for incumbant players.
Elijah Williams could earn a starting spot
One of those players is Elijah Williams. He wasn’t an initial UDFA signing by the Vikings, but rather signing after rookie minicamp. It’s not too dissimilar of a story to that of Jalen Redmond, who famously signed on June 18th in 2024. That factor gives you a leg up over a standard UDFA, as you impressed enough to earn a contract versus getting one right after the NFL Draft.
In his first season, Williams played less than 100 snaps, but showcased a baseline of success. It was especially nice to see since he came into the NFL as a tweener at 273 pounds. On The Real Forno Show, I broke down what I liked from Williams’ play as a rookie.
“There are some interesting plays that he had, one of which was against the [Pittsburgh] Steelers, his first play of the game. It’s a zone play to the right, and Elijah Williams just keeps running. He’s got an offensive lineman on his inside shoulder pushing him, and he is strong enough that he just keeps fighting through, and he makes the tackle. It’s great stuff, it’s basic stuff, but when you’re talking about an undersized player from the FCS level in week four, making plays like that, it’s a really nice addition and a nice way to help project forward what you could get from a guy like Elijah Williams. Because when you have more variables surrounding what they’re able to do, the fact that you’re able to overcome some of those variables, I think, is a really important aspect.”
Williams impressed from the beginning of training camp on, including showcasing dominant play against the New England Patriots’ first-team offensive line in the second preseason game.
Williams came into the offseason program looking much bigger, likely around 305-310 pounds. That’s what you want to see from a 3-4 DE like Williams is in this defense. The real question is going to be simple: can Williams grow enough to be an impactful starter? Based on what I saw last season, paired with putting on good weight, yes.
Now, he likely won’t be a starter for the entire season, but certainly for the short time while Banks is getting aclimated into the defense after rehabbing his broken foot. His growth could take a similar jump to what Dallas Turner’s did in 2025. He showed a much improved baseline of play in all phases, especially from a play strength aspect. Williams can easily make that kind of transition.
Throughout the offseason, he’s going to be a guy to watch.