Rookies report to Eagan for training camp on Sunday, and veterans follow on Tuesday, so we are counting down the Top 40 most important Minnesota Vikings players of 2026 to get you back into the swing of things. At No. 34, linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. took a turn. Now it’s time for a nose tackle, Levi Drake Rodriguez.
Rodriguez will hope to maintain a healthy workload in Brian Flores’s defense after Minnesota drafted nose tackle Domonique Orange from Iowa State in Round 3 in April.
Rodriguez Faces a Rookie Challenge from Orange
Rodriguez’s Role in 2026
Until the aforementioned Orange proves otherwise, Rodriguez is the main nose tackle on the training camp depth chart. He’s the veteran. The Vikings previously employed Harrison Phillips as their version of a nose tackle, but they weirdly traded him to the New York Jets last summer. In return, Rodriguez played 461 defensive snaps in 2025 – – slightly less than half.
Because Orange is a 3rd-rounder, a starting job should come his way sooner rather than later, assuming he has the stomach for it, but until then, it’s the Rodriguez Show at NT.
Rodriguez banked 43 tackles, 8 of them for losses, and 2 sacks last year, his first with substantial playing time.
What Success Looks Like
Rodriguez can claim a fruitful 2026 campaign two ways: a) Defensive coordinator Brian Flores names him the starting nose tackle in August, and he holds the title for most of, if not all, of the regular season. b) Orange fulfills his draft stock, but Rodriguez does not lose serious snaps along the way. As a former 7th-rounder, everything is gravy for Rodriguez, but if he played 300+ snaps in 2026, the return on investment would be worthwhile.
Also remember that the Vikings have defensive tackles Jalen Redmond and Caleb Banks on the roster. Including Orange, the franchise has three notable defensive tackles that it’s excited about. Rodriguez must tread water to stay a part of the fun.
The Texan native’s job is to stuff the run. If there’s one single thing “wrong” with Flores’s defense, it’s that opposing running backs sometimes impose their will. Rodriguez must be a stuffer in the middle of the defensive line that disallows that.
Yahoo Sports‘ Cole Smith on Rodriguez’s role: “Rodriguez should have an expanded role, whether or not he’s officially listed as a starter. The Vikings drafted defensive linemen Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange in April, but Rodriguez still logged 461 snaps last year in a backup role.”
“His 22 stops ranked 9th on the team, and despite only being 26 entering the season, Rodriguez is one of the team’s longest-tenured defensive linemen.”
What Could Make This Ranking Look Too Low – – or Too High
Rodriguez will be too high on this Top 40 pecking order if Redmond, Banks, and Orange totally seize the available iDL snaps and leave him in the dust. Or – – if a defender like Elijah Williams, Isaiahh Loudermilk, or Taki Taimani sneakily cut into his workload, that would be disadvantageous, too.
Too low? That would be a champagne problem for the Vikings. In theory, Rodriguez could play too well to bench, putting Orange on the bench indefinitely at the same time Rodriguez pursued a Redmond-like path, establishing himself as the real deal and one of the better unsung run-stuffers in the NFC.
If anything, the ranking will be too high in hindsight because Orange thrived as a rookie and placed Rodriguez in the backseat.
Next in the Countdown
The countdown is hot and heavy, which checks out because training camp is close enough to taste. Here’s the list to date:
40 | Myles Price (WR)
39 | Tai Felton (WR)
38 | Demond Claiborne (RB)
37 | Caleb Tiernan (OT)
36 | Bo Richter (OLB)
35 | Theo Jackson (S)
34 | Ivan Pace Jr. (LB)
33 | Levi Drake Rodriguez (DT)
Backup tackle Ryan Van Demark is next at No. 32. He’s the guy who could be the next man up if Christian Darrisaw or Brian O’Neill miss games, arriving in Minnesota after a stint with Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills.
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VikesNow Verdict: Rodriguez earned a legitimate place in Minnesota’s defensive-line rotation last season, but the additions of Banks and Orange create immediate competition. Retaining a substantial workload – – and continuing to contribute on special teams – – would confirm that his 2025 emergence was more than a one-year spark.
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