Vikings DE Kenny Willekes listed as a seventh-rounder to keep an eye on

Despite being a seventh-round draft choice, Kenny Willekes has been a popular player this offseason.

Willekes was listed as a “Day 3 Hidden Gem” by Next Gen Stats. Our friends at Draft Wire also listed Willekes as Minnesota’s biggest steal in the NFL Draft.

Now, NFL Analysis Network recently got in on the Willekes praise party. Here’s what it said about the Michigan State defensive end:

“While Willekes doesn’t have any dominant traits as a pass rusher, he was extremely productive in his last three seasons at Michigan State, recording 23.5 sacks and 49 tackles for loss from 2017-2019. Seeing that Minnesota tends to utilize their group of edge rushers, Willekes could see some snaps in 2020.”

Here’s to hoping Willekes fills in where Stephen Weatherly once played. Weatherly was a reserve defensive end who played a decent number of snaps for the Vikings in 2019. He has signed with the Panthers this offseason.