But over the next five games — against some of WSU’s weaker competition — Mata’afa registered just 2.5 tackles for loss with zero sacks. La Canfora also said that it's possible wide receiver Adam Thielen is dealt before the deadline, but not likely. Poll: What is the Minnesota Vikings' biggest weakness?

He’s relentless in his pursuit and he closes as fast as any athlete you’ll see in this draft. About this time last year, I was wondering just how good Mata’afa was going to end up being. Can he actually play a different position? There’s a creative coach/GM combo that will look at Mata’afa and see the possibilities. The Vikings also signed defensive end Eddie Yarbrough to the practice squad, and they could still try to sign Mata’afa back to the practice squad if he clears waivers. He managed to make the final roster coming out of training camp. Meet Hercules Mata'afa, the NFL draft's most versatile pass rusher. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis. However, Mata’afa has played in three games this year, and has registered just one tackle. There will undoubtedly be NFL GMs who will underrate Mata’afa’s college production because of the positional uncertainty.

#ThanksHerc pic.twitter.com/u9UguGPoMy.

The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 7: Last-minute moves However, Mata’afa has played in three games this year, and has registered just one tackle.

On September 15, 2019, he recovered an Aaron Rodgers fumble in a loss to the Packers.

He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during his rookie campaign and made a full recovery. As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. The questions aren’t completely unwarranted; Mata’afa spent the bulk of his time playing interior lineman despite his 6-2/250-pound stature, and the consensus is that he won’t be able to do that in the NFL. After racking up 22.5 tackles for loss (fourth nationally, most in the Pac-12, and a school record) and 10.5 sacks (eighth nationally and most in the Pac-12), the fourth-year junior was named a consensus all-American, the Associated Press Pac-12 defensive player of the year, and all-Pac-12 first team. My Life As An NFL Draft Prospect: Hercules Mata’afa.

Post was not sent - check your email addresses! And then when the competition got tough again, he did pick up a sack each against Colorado and Minnesota, but he got just half a tackle for loss against Washington. [8] He was signed back to the Vikings for the 2019 preseason. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. McLaughlin is Dan Bailey's backup. There’s seeming unanimous agreement that he can’t play inside nearly as much as he did in college, but he didn’t spend a lot of time lining up in the other places for which he’d be a candidate in the NFL, so it’s a guessing game at this point. Slants backside, splits the combo gets held but is still able to make the play. He was tabbed by some to become a breakout player for the Vikings this year, due to him playing a bit in 2019 and the team having an opening at the three-technique defensive tackle spot. He was taken as a seventh-round pick by Washington in the 2019 NFL Draft. By: Luke Easterling. "Hercules Mata'afa becomes Washington State's first consensus All-American DL in 15 years", "WSU's Hercules Mata'afa named Polynesian College Football Player of the Year; also becomes consensus All-American", "Washington State defensive tackle Hercules Mata'afa named Polynesian Player of the Year", "WSU's Mata'afa named AP Pac-12 Defensive Player of Year", "Hercules Mata'afa declares for NFL Draft", "Vikings Agree to Terms with Undrafted Free Agents", "Vikings rookie defensive end Mata'afa tears ACL in practice", "Vikings Sign Rookie Linebacker Mike Needham", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hercules_Mata%27afa&oldid=984804054, Washington State Cougars football players, Short description is different from Wikidata, Minnesota Vikings currentteam parameter articles, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Polynesian College Football Player of The Year (2017), AP Pac-12 Defensive Player of The Year (2017), This page was last edited on 22 October 2020, at 06:00.

The 2018 NFL Draft … It appears that the Vikings have finally decided to move on from Mata'afa. The Vikings have some major decisions to make about the direction of their team going forward. And yet, it hasn't happened. In his place is defensive end Jordan Brailford. The Vikings need to focus on evaluating and developing young players for the rest of the year. [1][2][3] He was also named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. This obviously is related to the previous concern. Rookie CB Trevon Diggs off to strong start in 2020, Le'Veon Bell, Clyde Edwards-Helaire form 'thunder and lightning' duo, Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle done for the year with broken ankle, Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle leaves game with ankle injury, Broncos rookie WR KJ Hamler appears poised to play this week, Giants trade LB Markus Golden to Cardinals for draft pick, Tua Tagovailoa officially ushers in new era of relevancy for Dolphins, Le'Veon Bell reached out to Clyde Edwards-Helaire before joining Chiefs, Vikings trade DE Yannick Ngakoue to Ravens for multiple draft picks, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Mata’afa gets after the quarterback, and there’s always a place in the NFL for a player who has a nose for pressuring the QB. The skills he shows on tape suggest he can be successful making a change, but that’s always a risky proposition. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS. The Vikings can also get a good look at Jordan Brailford, who they added from the WFT practice squad.

You kinda just have to see it. But Bleacher Report thinks it's time to blow it up. This offseason, Mata'afa bulked up by adding roughly 30 pounds to his frame, leading to some speculation that he could be better suited for a bigger role at three-tech. Brailford was injured for his rookie season in 2019 and failed to make the team in Washington out of training camp this year.

He has spent the past couple of seasons battling for playing time on a loaded defensive line. The Vikings are 1-5 and this might not be the last player they trade away ahead of the deadline. Irrelevant.". It might take a little bit of time, but his steady improvement as a Coug — much of which owes to a refinement of technique — is a resounding endorsement of his potential. Sign up for the Vikings Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. However, the Vikings clearly think he has enough upside that they signed him to their active roster off of the WFT's practice squad. You get the picture. Mata’afa, 25, initially signed with the Vikings after going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here’s an up-to-date list, Podcast Vs. Everyone: An interview with Mark Hilinski. This is the question foremost on everyone’s mind. Being a generally risk-averse group, there probably will be many who will elect to pass on him repeatedly until he drops to a spot that’s more palatable for a “project.”. The Vikings' breakout rookie receiver was the NFL's best first-year player last weekend. In the past, head coach Mike Zimmer has been extremely complementary of Mata’afa, at one point comparing him to All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins. GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. By continuing to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Might wanna block Hercules Mata'afa pic.twitter.com/Mb3WRIj8Zz, I'm all for Hercules Mata'afa to the Pats #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/mfiBlAFUDm, Opponents double teamed Hercules Mata'afa almost every down when he lined up inside and when they didn't, this happens. That’ll make NFL GMs pause a little bit when they watch him beat up on 300-pounders in college with his quickness, then think about whether he can do the same as an edge rusher against long-armed NFL tackles or playing in space as a linebacker against skill players.

Plus, WSU introduces its Leadership Council. That’s a pretty big difference between what he’s listed at, which is 254 pounds. They signed DE Jordan Brailford – who was previously on the practice squad of the Washington Football Team – waived DT Hercules Mata'afa, and signed DE Eddie Yarbrough to the practice squad. Related Articles Join with us and Hilinski’s Hope to remove the stigma around mental health. Synchronizes his hands & feet so well to slip blocks. Despite that, the Vikings have plenty of assets that could make it a playoff contender in a short amount of time. Quick reminder: He is only around 250 lbs playing inside at WSU, he'll be an EDGE in the NFL pic.twitter.com/LlCcUxpANv, Coming off the EDGE again, Hercules Mata'afa is too quick for OL, splits the RG/RT pair and is gone before they can adjust pic.twitter.com/pJfGEH8Xk5. That would be a mistake. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Mata’afa was absolutely devastating through the first five games of the year, registering 8.5 tackles for loss, which included three sacks. Brailford was poached from the Washington Football Team’s practice squad. Also, updates from Wednesday’s football practice, and lots of links! Everything else is still up in the air! How athletic is he, really? More bio, uniform, draft, salary info

"The Vikings are 1-5 with a minus-37 point differential and in a division with two teams possessing at least four wins. After recording 15 sacks and 13 non-sack tackles for loss over his final two seasons at Oklahoma State, Brailford was selected by Washington at the very end of the seventh round of the 2019 draft. No, it doesn't make sense to him, either.

Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. In a somewhat surprising move, the Vikings waived defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa on Tuesday afternoon, a move that allowed to the Vikings could officially sign defensive end Jordan Brailford to the active roster. In fact, here’s what his stat progression looked like over his college career: From a lightly-regarded three-star recruit to a consensus all-American, he just got better every season. https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/2020/10/13/vikings-waive-dt-hercules-mataafa-sign-de-jordan-brailford/. He played ten snaps in Week 1 but has been inactive for two of the past four games. On Tuesday, the Vikings announced that they have waived Mata’afa. After this news broke, Mata'afa tweeted and then deleted a clown face emoji, which might not help his chances of being signed back to the practice squad. Is he a 3-4 outside linebacker? Share this article 770 shares share tweet text email link Justin Melo. He was tabbed by some to become a breakout player for the Vikings this year, due to him playing a bit in 2019 and the team having an opening at the three-technique defensive tackle spot. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson named Rookie of the Week, Vikings plummet in NFL.com power rankings. Filed Under: My Life As, My Life As An NFL Draft Prospect, NFL, Ryan Mayer. We actually could go on for a while longer, but we’ll leave it at that. Yarbrough, 27, was waived by the Vikings on Saturday so they could sign safety George Iloka to the active roster. Apple Cup 2020 TV schedule options announced. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019.

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