After a tremendous, Minnesota Vikings UDFA ILB Ivan Pace Jr. isn’t competing to earn a roster spot, but rather snaps right away in the regular season.
After the first joint practice against the Tennessee Titans, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke very highly of Pace, including giving him gold stars.
“Yeah, I know. He’s really every facet of the game, how we are playing defense, communication, pressure, no pressure. The way he has the athleticism to run sideline to sideline, cancel out some
mistakes. If we lose a gap here or there, he’s shown to be able to get off blocks for a guy that when I watched his tape in college, he was almost unblockable and that’s translating in a lot of ways. It could be a great look, getting the linemen up to him on the second level, he somehow avoids that block and makes the play while maintaining doing his job, so he doesn’t undress any other facet of the defensive call. He did great with the green dot the other day in Seattle. So, really, he’s gold stars all the way around for Ivan [Pace Jr.]. As I’ve challenged him to do, you’re not just trying to compete to make our team, let’s see where you can go and help us possibly win football games from the jump.”
Considering how well Pace has performed in every practice and against the Seahawks, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Pace has shown that he can be more than just a pass rush specialist and could be the future at inside linebacker in 2024 and beyond.
