Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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3. Odenigbo observations
Vikings defensive lineman Ifeadi Odenigbo made the play of the day against the Chargers when he scooped up a fumble by Rivers and ran it 56 yards for a touchdown.
Odenigbo, who has played on the interior line as well as at defensive end throughout the season, was at the 3-technique spot at the start of the play.
Zimmer was asked what makes the young lineman a good fit there.
“Well, long time ago we felt like he (Odenigbo) might be an inside pass rusher,” Zimmer said. “I think he’s kind of grown into that role a little bit, where we’re using him some more with that.”
He said that Odenigbo “wasn’t ready” when he first joined the Vikings as a seventh-round draft pick in 2017. He spent that season on Minnesota’s practice squad but was waived in September 2018. After spending time with the Browns and Cardinals, Odenigbo re-signed with the Vikings in October 2018; he made the 53-man roster this fall.
“Really, it started showing up last year, kind of toward the end of the season when he was on the practice squad. He was having a lot of good battles with Riley [Reiff] and some of those offensive linemen,” Zimmer said. “He worked his rear end off this offseason and just kind of continued to progress to that point where he’s able to play a little bit more at end.
“He has good quickness and power to be inside, and so I think in this last week we tried to get him on some of the guards a little bit more than some of the other people,” Zimmer continues. “He just continues to get better; I’m not comparing him to Everson [Griffen], but he has some of the same traits. He’s got violence, suddenness, quickness and strength. Those things are always good for a defensive lineman.”