NFL history is littered with players who were deemed too small and not athletic enough to be successful at the pro level, despite a long track record of production in college.
It's obviously way too early to say that Ivan Pace Jr. will eventually become the next Zach Thomas to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame or anything like that, but he's already making quite a splash for the Minnesota Vikings.
Pace racked up ridiculous numbers at Cincinnati last season, but due to a lack of ideal size and athletic testing numbers, he managed to go through all seven rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft without hearing his name called.
The Vikings wisely snatched him up as an undrafted free agent, and Pace has been rewarding them ever since, as Peter Schrager from NFL Network points out:
Even with the departure of longtime veteran leader Eric Kendricks, the Vikings still have some more experienced linebackers ahead of Pace on the depth chart heading into the preseason. But if he continues to perform at a high level, just like he did for the Bearcats, it won't be surprising if Pace ends up stealing a starting job sooner than later.
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