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Defensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings.
Vikings defensive lineman Elijah Williams is heading into year two of his NFL career.
Williams was a UDFA out of Morgan State. He appeared in 42 total games, racking up some decent numbers during his time as a Morgan State Bear.
His performance at Morgan State earned him MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and FCS All-American honors during his college tenure. Williams would go undrafted in 2025, but would eventually sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
He didn’t get much playing time during his rookie year, only appearing in 42 snaps. This lack of snaps obviously led to a lack of production. Williams was only in the box score for 3 tackles and 1 pressure during the 2025 season.
Still, that was only his first season, and some are holding out major hope for the young man.
GettyEAGAN, MINNESOTA – JUNE 10: Elijah Williams #99 of the Minnesota Vikings participates in a drill during minicamp at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center on June 10, 2026 in Eagan, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Tyler Forness of AtoZ Sports recently shared some compelling information regarding an Elijah Williams breakout.
“Williams came into the offseason program looking much bigger, likely around 305-310 pounds. That’s what you want to see from a 3-4 DE like Williams is in this defense. The real question is going to be simple: can Williams grow enough to be an impactful starter? Based on what I saw last season, paired with putting on good weight, yes.
Now, he likely won’t be a starter for the entire season, but certainly for the short time while Banks is getting aclimated into the defense after rehabbing his broken foot. His growth could take a similar jump to what Dallas Turner’s did in 2025. He showed a much improved baseline of play in all phases, especially from a play strength aspect. Williams can easily make that kind of transition.
Throughout the offseason, he’s going to be a guy to watch.”
In the title of Forness’ piece, he named Williams as a “breakout star”. Of course, this would be optimal for the Minnesota Vikings when they already have a ton of young talent across the line. As Forness suggests, we will definitely be keeping an eye on Elijah Williams. Since he got much bigger, he will be hard to miss.
GettyJake Golday of the Cincinnati Bearcats speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic recently touched on Golday’s place on the Vikings and what it could mean for Pace Jr.’s roster spot.
“The Vikings view Golday as an Andrew Van Ginkel understudy, but they won’t force him into that role. In the short term, he will spend his time with the off-ball linebackers, able to fill in for Cashman or Wilson in the event of injury. Pace’s pass-rush potential keeps him in the fold, but Flores prefers not to play him on passing downs.
The durability of this group will play a prominent role in the defense’s overall success.”
The Vikings hit Ivan Pace Jr. with a low-tender this offseason. He was an RFA, but since the Vikings exercised the tender, they have his rights. If another team was to match his roughly $3 million salary, then he would’ve been added to their roster.
Brevan Bane Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane
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