Vikings UDFA signing reveals interesting strategy that could result in major contributor on defense

After the Minnesota Vikings concluded rookie minicamp, they made two signings which were both interesting and unexpected.

• EDGE Matt Harmon
• DL Elijah Williams

Going into rookie minicamp, the Vikings had room for two players on the 90-man roster and there were some interesting players participating in practice. One who I was targeting to get that contract was Nebraska cornerback Tommi Hill, despite being one of the better players on the field.

Vikings UDFA DL Elijah Williams presents unique profile

When you sign undrafted free agents, most of them will fail to make the team, let alone find a way to be a major contributor. It's the nature of the business. However, there are plenty who have made the Vikings over the last three year, eight of them to be exact.

• 2022: EDGE Luiji Vilain
• 2023: LB Ivan Pace Jr.
• 2023: EDGE Andre Carter II
• 2023: CB NaJee Thompson
• 2024: EDGE Gabe Murphy
• 2024: NT Taki Taimani
• 2024: CB Dwight McGlothern
• 2024: EDGE/LB Bo Richter

There are two things that stand out about this list:

• All eight players are on defense
• Five of them were on the defensive line

The one player who stands out with an intriguing path to the roster: Williams. 

A fourth-year senior out of Morgan State, Williams is a talented player who was dominant out of the block on the defensive line. 33 sacks and 52.0 tackles for loss speak volumes about how productive he was, along with a 10.38% pressure rate. Now, production doesn't always translate, especially when you project from the FCS level. However, being hyper productive is a great start to projecting forward.

There is an interesting parallel that Williams has to current Vikings defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, as they have somewhat similar athletic profiles and both came from the HBCU ranks.

Hargrave was bigger, along with being faster, but they are both short area explosive, while Williams also has plus agility to get around interior offensive linemen. Understanding the transition up three levels of football and having a similar skill set would make Hargrave the perfect mentor for Williams.

Williams has a lot of interesting ability, but the element of versatility is the interesting one. Morgan State played him all across the line of scrimmage and he was productive from everywhere, including displaying a shocking amount of bend. He could theoretically play the Jihad Ward role this year and in the future.

Now, none of this is to say that Williams will be a guy for the Vikings. He could end up being cut the first week of training camp or not make the practice squad out of training camp. However, when you have a player that productive with some interesting traits to build upon, like Williams has, it's worth paying attention to him.