Undrafted rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has arguably been the story of Vikings training camp thus far. He's showed up and made an impact at just about every single practice, which — combined with a recent injury to Brian Asamoah — has catapulted him up the depth chart and into heavy reps with the first-team defense. Pace also shined in the preseason opener in Seattle last week.
It's become clear that he is a very obvious lock to make the 53-man roster. At this point, Pace is competing to have an immediate role on defense in Week 1, perhaps even as a starting ILB next to Jordan Hicks. Head coach Kevin O'Connell said as much on Wednesday.
"He did great with the green dot (relaying defensive playcalls) the other day in Seattle," O'Connell said. "Gold stars all the way around for Ivan. 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."
Pace went undrafted due to his small stature at 5'10", 230 pounds, but he was an ultra-productive All-American player at Cincinnati last season and his talent has carried over to the NFL level so far. He's impressed with his ability to move in space and the way he can shed and avoid blocks as a downhill run defender and blitzer.
"Really every facet of the game, how we're playing defense, the communication, pressure, no pressure, the way he has the athleticism to run sideline to sideline, maybe cancel out some mistakes," O'Connell said. "If we lose a gap here or there, he’s shown to be able to get off blocks. 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 for a play, getting (an offensive) lineman up to him on the second level, and 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."
The NFL regular season is a different animal compared to training camp and especially preseason action. Coming off the game in Seattle, I said Asamoah was still locked in as the starter until further notice. But with Pace continuing to impress and draw high praise from coaches while Asamoah remains injured, the possibility of an undrafted rookie starting at linebacker for the Vikings in Week 1 is becoming increasingly conceivable.
That's how consistently impressive Pace has been.
"Ivan's doing a lot of good things," defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. "In the meetings, in the walkthrough, in practice. Thought he played well in the game last week. Our message to him is just to continue to string good days together. His ability to pick up the playbook — he had the green dot last week, he did a good job communicating the calls out to the rest of the defense. That's continued this week. He's fast, he's tough, and he plays a physical style. We're excited about him."
More must-reads: