The Minnesota Vikings are in the process of looking for the next rookie class to wear purple and gold and one of them just had a huge performance.
In the first group of the 2023 NFL scouting combine, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey ran a blazing 4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Per Mockdraftable, that time is tied for the best-ever by a defensive lineman and puts him in the 100th percentile. The only other player to run that fast was Milton Williams from Louisiana Tech in 2021.
Along with an elite 40-yard dash, Kancey also posted an elite 10-yard split at 1.64. That time is good enough to be in the 95th percentile. That fits with what general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah prioritizes: quickness.
Kancey is viewed as an undersized 3-technique defensive tackle and those issues weren’t put to rest after measuring in at 6’1″ and 281 lbs. He is a very similar height and weight to former Pitt alum Aaron Donald, but they aren’t the same player.
With the defense that Brian Flores likes to run, it will be interesting if Kancey is on the Vikings’ radar because he doesn’t appear to be a system fit on paper.
