Levi Drake Rodriguez Bio
Levi Drake Rodriguez (born August 4, 2000) is an American professional football nose tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 ft 2 in and listed at 307 lb, he plays a physical position in the trenches after a winding college journey that began at the NAIA level. He entered the league as a seventh-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft and has developed into a contributor on Minnesota’s defensive front.
Rodriguez’s path to the NFL has been shaped by discipline, faith, and a relentless work ethic that drew national attention through The Athletic’s “Prospect X” series. His story stands out because of the level he came from, the position change he made, and the visible results he has produced early in his pro career.
Early Life and Background
Levi Drake Rodriguez was born on August 4, 2000, in Georgetown, Texas, and grew up in the same central Texas community. He is of Mexican descent. As a child, Rodriguez tried multiple sports, beginning with baseball and flag football at age four. He made the switch from flag football to tackle football at age six, a decision his mother later explained with a simple line: he wanted to tackle people. Around age eight, he wrote a goal on a whiteboard stating that he wanted to become a professional football player, and he carried that whiteboard with him each time his family moved.
Rodriguez attended East View High School in Georgetown, where he played as a two-way lineman. In his senior year he earned All-State recognition at right tackle. Despite that honor, he was considered small for the position at the high school level and received no major scholarship offers. He was rated as a zero-star recruit heading into college and ultimately chose Southwestern Assemblies of God University, known at the time as SAGU and now called Nelson University, an NAIA program. Coaches at SAGU first noticed him when, according to The Athletic, he two-hand dunked a basketball while wearing cowboy boots, a moment that foreshadowed the physical player he would become.
Path to American Football
At SAGU, Rodriguez was moved to the defensive side of the ball and lined up as a defensive end. Even as a freshman he earned first-team All-Sooner Athletic Conference honors, showing a rare combination of size and quickness for a small-college prospect. The COVID-19-shortened 2020 season limited his games, but he still produced as a second-team All-SAC selection. By his third year, he had grown into one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the conference, earning first-team All-SAC and first-team NCCAA All-American recognition.
By 2022, Rodriguez felt the NAIA level had shown what it could show, and he wanted a bigger stage. He transferred to the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions, a program that had just moved up to the NCAA Division I FCS level. He also changed positions, moving inside to defensive tackle, and added roughly 30 pounds to handle the new role. The transition was the kind of leap that rarely works, but Rodriguez handled it on the field, starting 11 games in his first season. He finished his college career as a first-team All-Southland Conference and first-team FCS All-American selection in 2023, the same year he was recognized by Pro Football Focus and by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
Levi Drake Rodriguez Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Rodriguez’s earliest college action came at SAGU, where he appeared in 29 games over three seasons, starting 23 of them. In his debut year he posted 44 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, and a forced fumble, which earned him first-team All-Sooner Athletic Conference honors. The following season, shortened by COVID-19, still gave him a starting role and a second-team All-SAC nod, and he closed his SAGU tenure with a first-team All-SAC and first-team NCCAA All-American campaign that made him a clear breakout player at the small-college level.
That run also gave Rodriguez the appetite for a stronger level of competition. By the end of his third season at SAGU, his production and his frame made it clear that he was ready for the next step. He finished his time at SAGU with 47 starts, 221 tackles, 43.5 tackles for loss, 22.0 sacks, and three forced fumbles, totals that placed him among the most disruptive NAIA defenders of his class.
Tropical Bowl and Draft Stock (2023–2024)
Heading into the 2024 NFL draft, Rodriguez needed a stage to prove he belonged in FBS discussions, and he found one at the Tropical Bowl all-star game. He was named the Tropical Bowl’s most valuable player after posting 3.5 sacks, a performance that began to shift the conversation about his draft projection. The Athletic later chronicled him anonymously as “Prospect X,” its annual profile of what it called the most overlooked player in the draft class, and the attention kept building through a strong pro day in which he reportedly dominated even while smaller defensive linemen tired out.
Rodriguez was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft, 232nd overall, by the Minnesota Vikings. The pick carried some extra weight for his hometown: he was the first player from East View High School ever chosen in an NFL draft, and he was the first Texas A&M–Commerce player selected since Antonio Wilson in 2000, who was also drafted by Minnesota.
Minnesota Vikings Era (2024–Present)
Rodriguez joined the Minnesota Vikings and quickly made the transition from small-school prospect to NFL nose tackle. Through his first seasons he has been used as a rotational piece along the defensive line, with the Vikings leaning on his size, his leverage, and his motor. As of the 2025 season he has been credited with 44 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, and a pass deflection in regular-season action, numbers that reflect a growing role on the interior.
His biggest moment in a Vikings uniform came on November 2, 2025, in a Week 9 matchup against the Detroit Lions. With the game still in the balance in the fourth quarter, Rodriguez blocked a Detroit field goal attempt, and the loose ball was returned by Isaiah Rodgers to the Lions’ 26-yard line, setting up a Vikings scoring drive in a 27–24 win. The performance earned him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, a clear sign that his game is translating at the NFL level.
Driving Style and Strengths
Rodriguez’s game is built on power, leverage, and conditioning rather than twitchy first-step quickness. He is at his best when he can anchor against double-teams, collapse the pocket from the inside, and outwork offensive linemen over the course of a drive. His motor has been a defining trait since college, where his coaches described him as arriving before the custodians and refusing to leave the field, and that same energy has carried into his NFL role as a nose tackle who can still move well for his size.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his blocked field goal against Detroit, Rodriguez’s biggest milestones include becoming the first East View High School player ever drafted into the NFL and the first Texas A&M–Commerce selection since 2000. His Tropical Bowl MVP and his rise to first-team FCS All-American in 2023 also stand out as the moments that turned him from a small-school curiosity into a legitimate pro prospect.
Levi Drake Rodriguez Career Wins
As a defensive lineman, Rodriguez’s statistical wins show up in pressures, tackles for loss, and game-changing plays rather than traditional win totals. Across his college career he produced 22.0 sacks and 43.5 tackles for loss, and at Texas A&M–Commerce he led the Southland Conference in sacks in 2023. In the NFL, his early highlight is the blocked field goal against Detroit that set up a Vikings win in Week 9 of 2025, along with a steady accumulation of tackles and pressures that have made him a trusted member of Minnesota’s defensive rotation.
College Highlights
Rodriguez’s most decorated college stretch came in 2023, when he was named first-team All-Southland Conference, first-team FCS All-American by Pro Football Focus, and an All-Non-FBS selection by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. He started 10 games and posted 56 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble, finishing second on his team in tackles and leading the SLC in sacks. At SAGU, his three-year run included first-team All-Sooner Athletic Conference and first-team NCCAA All-American honors, capping a career that bridged two college levels and two positions.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of his regular-season production, Rodriguez earned the Tropical Bowl MVP award with 3.5 sacks, the performance that pushed him onto NFL radar screens. His pro day showing, where he reportedly outlasted smaller linemen in conditioning drills, served as a second showcase and helped him land with the Vikings.
Levi Drake Rodriguez Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Rodriguez grew up in Georgetown, Texas, in a family that supported his athletic path from a young age. His mother, in particular, played a role in his early switch from flag football to tackle football at age six. Public details about his parents and any extended family remain limited.
Personal Life
Rodriguez is a devout Christian, and faith has been a central theme throughout his story. He has said he led 63 of his college teammates to be baptized, and he carries a tattoo of Psalm 23:4 on his forearm. He is of Mexican descent, and his personal story has been told through features such as The Athletic’s “Prospect X,” which chronicled his path from a zero-star recruit to an NFL draft pick.
2025 Season Performance
Rodriguez’s 2025 season has been defined by steady growth in Minnesota’s defensive line rotation. Through the early part of the schedule he has continued to produce against the run while flashing more pass-rush upside, and his stat line through the year includes 44 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, and a pass deflection. The Week 9 blocked field goal against Detroit was the signature moment of his season so far, and it showed that his college production can carry over into the kinds of impact plays that change NFL games.
Inside the building, the Vikings have leaned on Rodriguez as a nose tackle who can hold up against double-teams and still chase the football, a role that has only grown more important as injuries and rotations have shifted along the defensive line. His conditioning and work ethic, long cited as his calling cards, have helped him stay on the field in a division that features some of the league’s heaviest offensive lines.
Looking ahead, Rodriguez’s challenge will be to turn his Week 9 breakout into a more consistent presence on the stat sheet. If he can pair his run-defense strength with even a modest increase in pressures and sacks, he has a clear path to a larger role in Minnesota’s long-term plans along the interior.
