Only 15 players from Texas A&M Commerce have ever made it to the NFL, and most of them are not widely known. Levi Drake Rodriguez aims to become the 16th, but as the final pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft, his chances are slim.
Chosen in the seventh round as the 232nd pick, Rodriguez is now one of 10 players vying for a spot on the Vikings’ defensive line. Last year, the team only kept five defensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster, making Rodriguez’s odds even steeper. Despite being a late-round pick, he’s shown promise in camp.
Rodriguez, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 300 pounds, is a raw talent. He entered college football as a zero-star recruit and initially joined Southwestern Assemblies of God University, an NAIA school. There, he earned recognition as a two-time first-team All-SAC defender before catching the eye of Texas A&M-Commerce. At the Lions, he thrived, earning first-team All-American honors from Pro Football Focus in his second season and finishing his college career with 88 tackles, 13.5 TFL, and 7.5 sacks.
Rodriguez is not only the first player from East View High School in Georgetown, Texas, to be drafted, but also the first from Texas A&M-Commerce since 2000. While making the final 53-man roster is a significant challenge, early signs are encouraging.
He wears No. 50 and will have his first chance to prove himself in the Vikings’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 10, where he will likely see several snaps to help the coaching staff gauge his potential against other NFL hopefuls.
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