https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi/ultimate-vikings-longshot-could-be-in-line-for-big-role-2026

The Ultimate Vikings Longshot Could Be in Line for a Big Role in 2026

Elijah Williams played at Morgan State and signed as a rookie tryout player last year. Now he could be a big piece of Minnesota's defense.

Vikings defensive lineman Elijah Williams might already have the best underdog story on the team's entire 90-man roster. His story will become even better if he turns into a contributor for Minnesota this fall, which is starting to feel like a distinct possibility.

Williams was an unranked recruit coming out of high school in New Jersey six years ago. Shortly before signing day, he finally got a college offer from Morgan State, an HBCU and FCS program in Baltimore. Williams went on to have a prolific career for the Bears, racking up 31 sacks and 52 total TFL from 2021-2024. Still, he was hardly on NFL radars as an undersized 'tweener' DT/DE at a lower-level program.

Williams wasn't invited to the 2025 NFL combine or any of the major pre-draft showcase events. He did go to the HBCU Legacy Bowl, where he continued to dominate in practices. But he went undrafted and wasn't even one of the hundreds of prospects to sign with a team as a UDFA shortly thereafter. It wasn't until Williams attended Vikings rookie minicamp last year as a tryout player that he caught the eye of defensive line coach Marcus Dixon and earned a contract.

That alone was an accomplishment, but Williams was hardly done. He shined in offseason practices. He sat in the front row of every meeting, asking countless questions. He took advantage of his opportunities in the preseason, recording eight pressures and an 80 PFF grade and even earning a Baldy Breakdown. He was so impressive over the course of the offseason that he made the Vikings' initial 53-man roster late last August — a truly remarkable achievement for a rookie tryout player.

Williams didn't play a whole lot during the regular season, seeing just 42 defensive snaps across seven games. This year could be a different story.

On Wednesday, at the Vikings' first OTA practice open to reporters, Williams was one of three starting defensive linemen during the first period of 11-on-11 action, alongside Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez. First-round pick Caleb Banks is still recovering from an injury and third-round pick Domonique Orange has to work his way up like all rookies do, but there are significant roles up for grabs on the D-line after the departures of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.

Williams could be primed to seize one of those roles. After weighing a reported 270 pounds prior to his senior year of college, he's listed at 298 on the Vikings' roster. He's had a full year to work with the team's strength staff and coaches. He's clearly shown quite a bit in practice to even get to this point, and we've already seen some examples of his in-game juice on tape in last year's preseason.

There's still a long road ahead of Williams as he battles to earn a spot in the Vikings' DL rotation. But given the way he's already beaten the odds, it feels foolish to doubt him. Keep an eye on No. 99 as this offseason progresses.