Levi Drake Rodriguez

Levi Drake Rodriguez(born August 4, 2000) is an American professionalfootballdefensive endfor theMinnesota Vikingsof theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theSAGU LionsandTexas A&M–Commerce Lionsand was selected by the Vikings in the seventh round of the2024 NFL draft.
Rodriguez was born on August 4, 2000, and grew up inGeorgetown, Texas.At age four, he started playingbaseballandfootball.After initially playingflag football, he started playing tackle at age six, with his mother noting that he switched because "He wanted to tackle people."At approximately eight years old, he wrote down on a whiteboard a goal of becoming a professional football player, which he took each time he moved.
Rodriguez attendedEast View High Schoolin Georgetown and was a two-waylineman, receiving selection atright tackleto the All-State team in hissenioryear.Considered small at tackle, he received no major offers to playcollege football.A zero-star recruit, he ultimately signed to play both baseball and football for Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU)—now known asNelson University—anNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics(NAIA) program.He had caught the attention of coaches at SAGU when he "two-hand dunked a basketball while wearing cowboy boots", according toThe Athletic.
Rodriguez was shifted to being adefensive endwith theSAGU Lions footballteam, and although considered "really raw", he was chosen first-team All-Sooner Athletic Conference(SAC) at the end of the year, having totaled 44tackles, 10.0 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), 5.0sacksand a forcedfumblein 10 games played (seven starts).In theCOVID-19-shortened 2020 season, he started seven games and was named second-team All-SAC, recording 31 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks.In his third year, he started 12 games and made 58 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, 7.0 sacks and a forced fumble, being selected first-team All-SAC and first-teamNational Christian College Athletic Association(NCCAA)All-American.
In 2022, Rodriguez became concerned about whether he would receive attention from scouts.Debating whether to leave SAGU, he went on afastfor a week and "then went to sit at a park with his Bible, vowing not to leave until he had an answer".According toThe Athletic, he said that "he heard God tell him to go".Rodriguez sent an email to the defensive line coach of the then-NCAA Division IIprogramTexas A&M–Commerce Lions.The coach was impressed and invited Rodriguez to a football camp; he said that he was "busy checking in high schoolers at football camp when 'this grown behemoth of a man walks in'", and "he knew right away who it was".The coach later described Rodriguez as "a man amongst boys [with] the violence and the intensity that he moves with. There were times where an offensive lineman could do everything right from a technique perspective and he was just too much of a force to handle."
Rodriguez ultimately transferred to the Lions – who had just moved up to theNCAA Division I FCSlevel – and moved from defensive end todefensive tackle.He gained 30 pounds (14 kg) for the position change and started 11 games during the 2022 season, finishing with 32 tackles, 6.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks.He returned for a final season in 2023 and was named first-team All-Southland Conference(SLC), first-teamFCS All-AmericanbyPro Football Focus(PFF) and to the All-Non-FBSteam byDave Campbell's Texas Football.He finished with 10 games started and totaled 56 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.His 56 tackles were second on the team, while he led the SLC in sacks and was fourth in the conference in TFLs.
Rodriguez ended his stint at Texas A&M–Commerce having recorded 88 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 21 games, each of which he started.He appeared in 50 games, 47 as a starter, in his collegiate career, having 221 tackles, 43.5 TFLs, 22.0 sacks and three forced fumbles.
At Texas A&M–Commerce, Rodriguez was noted for his work ethic.He disliked being second to the practice facility behind thecustodians, and thus he began sleeping there on the field.Hisdefensive coordinatorsaid that by the time the coaches arrived at 5 a.m., Rodriguez "was already on the field, sweating and putting himself through individual work, busy drilling his hands and his feet".The coordinator said that "Then he goes to practice – that's not normal".His head coach,Clint Dolezel, said that when he first saw Rodriguez practice against the team's offensive line, "I was probably hard on the offensive line ... because we were just getting whipped. 'What are we doing? We're awful!' Well, no, he's pretty good."Rodriguez also was noted to be often eating at practices in order to increase his size: his coach from SAGU said that he hid food within his uniforms, including mangoes in his pants,Twizzlersin his helmet, as well as "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, gummy bears", and one instance where he personally cut with a knife and ate rawcane sugarin between drills.
In December 2023, Rodriguez graduated with aBachelor of Sciencein criminal justice.
Rodriguez initially received little attention as a prospect for theNFL draft, but began getting noticed after being named themost valuable playerof theTropical Bowlwith 3.5 sacks, and having an impressivepro dayperformance.Clint Dolezel said that, of Rodriguez's pro day performance: "He freaking dominated. Smaller guys in his position were fatigued and struggling towards the end. He finished and he says, 'That's it?'"He weighed at 290 pounds (130 kg) in college but began adding weight with whatThe Athleticdescribed as a "eat-as-much-as-humanly-possible diet", as he was considered small for a defensive tackle.He had added 7 pounds (3.2 kg) by the time of the Tropical Bowl and was 306 pounds (139 kg) by the time of the draft.
Prior to the2024 NFL draft, Rodriguez was chronicled anonymously byThe Athleticas their yearly "Prospect X" – identifying the "most overlooked player" in the draft.He was ultimately selected in the seventh round (232nd overall) of the draft by theMinnesota Vikings.He became the first person from East View High School to be chosen in the draft and was the first Texas A&M–Commerce player selected sinceAntonio Wilsonin 2000, who was also selected by Minnesota.
Rodriguez is a devoutChristian.He led 63 of his college teammates to getbaptized.On his forearm, he has a tattoo ofPsalm 23:4: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."