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-rounder. Although it had yet to officially be revealed, LDR was generally known as Prospect X, the subject of Kalyn Kahler’s excellent profile at The Athletic. In it, she featured the small-school player who every scout thought was their secret. After Minnesota took him, Rodriguez immediately endeared himself to Vikings fans with a gregarious first press conference and the background celebration from his family in his draft phone call.
Despite the excitement around him as a player, LDR had an uphill battle to make the roster entering training camp. The Vikings had incumbents Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, and Jaquelin Roy, as well as free-agent additions in 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 — against whom LDR competed. To make the roster, he needed to flash the talent that made the Vikings spend a draft pick on him.
Rodriguez delivered what the team needed to see throughout the preseason. He had a sack, a QB hit, two batted passes, and four total stops in 89 snaps throughout three games. Rodriguez isn’t a finished product, but his energy will be infectious. I looked at the tape to see how he can impact the Vikings in 2024 and beyond.
explosive energy
The first thing that pops up for Rodriguez is his explosive ability to defeat opponent blocks. In the play below against the Cleveland Browns, he takes the LT, who is supposed to kick him out, from the middle of the hashes to the left hash before disengaging 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 impact plays by avoiding blocks, like on the one below. Here, he crosses the face of the RG and uses his hands to disengage from the block while his path takes him to the QB. Having LDR bearing down on him forces the QB’s throw to sail high, and the Vikings pick him off.
Throughout the preseason you could see Rodriguez’s ability to use his hands, which is strong for a player without the high-level coaching some of college football’s more prestigious programs offer. The play below is a great example, where he disengages from the LT for another run stop.
LDR’s sack wasn’t necessarily due to his play, but it was great to see him finish the job. He was able to disengage from his block, loop around, and make good on Jalen Redmond’s excellent stunt effort to bring the QB down:
Effort was a consistent theme in this game, as shown on this screen. Rodriguez chases the RB to the sideline. While he doesn’t make the play, he is in position to help 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 get his hands up on quick passing plays rather than just putting his head down and trying for sacks. As a result, he had two batted passes, including the one below on a screen:
Because the Vikings blitz heavily, they will see many quick passes. Defensive linemen must develop the instinct to raise their hands at the right time if they want to disrupt throwing lanes, and Rodriguez appears to have that instinct.
Here’s his second batted pass against the Philadelphia Eagles:
LDR will also play selflessly when called upon, sacrificing himself on stunts to free up his teammates. In the play below, he does a great job blowing up the center, freeing up Jalen Redmond for a pressure. This guy loves hitting people, putting two Browns on the ground.
He also showed impressive savvy on another play against Cleveland. Linemen will often switch their responsibility on a stunt. You want to take the player who initially blocks you out of the play while working to occupy the player who was originally supposed to protect against your stunt-mate. On the play below, Rodriguez does a brilliant job of grabbing the RG’s chest and pulling him towards him, freeing up a lot of space for Dallas Turner. He finishes the rep but gets into the LT’s chest. It’s great to see this level of attention to detail from a late-round rookie.
Things to work on
Rodriguez’s game hasn’t been perfect throughout the preseason. He’s still a raw player and has several things to work on before he’s ready for a full-time role.
The flashes of power he played with are notable, but he doesn’t consistently access that when opponents run at him. He’s much better when he can attack his opponent than when a lineman attacks him.
In the play below, he let a double team control him and move him far out of his initial starting position. The run cut back into the vacated space and ended with a solid gain. There are techniques to take on double teams, like turning your body to minimize surface area for blockers and going to one knee to help create a stronger base, that LDR must learn to improve his strength at the point of attack.
A similar issue happens in the play below, but you can still see a positive flash from LDR. He may get driven back, but he torques the center into the ground and disengages from the right guard before making the tackle. Ideally, he’d lose no ground. However, until he learns to do that, it is great to see the continued fight on this play:
Rodriguez’s learning process will also apply to run defense. He gets manipulated by the RB in the play below. You can see that he initially sets up to defend the B gap between the LG and LT. But as the RB presses the hole, he tries to shift into the A gap and follow the run. That’s exactly what the RB wants, and he can bounce over a gap for a significant gain.
A better read by the LB could have helped make Rodriguez right. However, because the LB didn’t make the play, Rodriguez is at fault for freelancing:
Rodriguez also had a major penalty with this facemask in the Eagles game. The push he gets is great, and we’ve already seen the benefits of him getting his arms up with batted passes. But in this case, he comes down on the QB’s helmet. That’s a brutal drive-extending penalty, and Rodriguez may need to learn to play more within himself to prevent this from happening in the future:
Conclusion
Levi Drake Rodriguez’s seemingly boundless energy allowed him to make the Vikings’ 53-man roster. However, it could also lead to his downfall if he doesn’t refine his game. He has some nice, refined features in his game for a late-round rookie out of a small school. He can play with leverage to generate power and use his hands to disengage from blockers. Rodriguez also shows the ability to read the opponent’s intent and play in a way that helps his teammates on stunts. However, he needs to learn how to take on blocks better and maintain his gap discipline.
Right now, the Vikings should use LDR on stunts in passing situations. But he’ll also have value against the run if they put him in situations where they can get him lined up against single blocks. Until he improves his discipline, he may struggle in the run game against double teams.
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 keep carrying that momentum into the regular season.
