Inside The Vikings

51 Days Until Vikings Football: Don't Forget About Hercules Mata'afa

Can the former Washington State star break out in year three for the Vikings?

Will Ragatz

As we count down the days until the Vikings' opener against the Packers on September 13th, InsideTheVikings will be previewing every single player on the roster. The amount of days remaining corresponds with the jersey number of the player being examined on that day. Today is July 24th, and there are 51 days until kickoff for the 2020 regular season. That means it's time to look at a potential third-year breakout candidate at defensive tackle.

Countdown to Vikings-Packers on September 13th: 51 Days

Player Preview: Hercules Mata'afa (No. 51, Defensive Tackle)

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  • College: Washington State
  • Drafted: 2018 UDFA
  • NFL experience: Two seasons
  • Age: 24 (Turns 25 in September)
  • Size: 6'2", 289
  • 2019 PFF grade: 49.3
  • 2019 stats: 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovered, 1 pass defended

One of the deepest and most interesting positional battles of Vikings training camp will be at three-technique defensive tackle, where there are six players who could feasibly win the starting job next to Michael Pierce. Last month, I asked defensive line coach and co-DC Andre Patterson about that group. During the course of my question, I brought up Shamar Stephen, Armon Watts, Jaleel Johnson, and rookie James Lynch. Patterson was quick to make note of one name I omitted.

“Well, don’t forget Hercules Mata’afa, too,” Patterson said. “I’m excited about that group. There’s great talent within the group. There’s a good mix of old and youth. You’ve still got a good group of guys that are working to continue to progress their games, and I think we’ve got some guys that are ready to turn the corner. It’s going to be great competition with that group throughout training camp to see how it’s going to figure itself out.”

Point taken, coach. Let's not forget about Hercules Mata'afa. To be fair, I did write about him earlier this offseason. In early April, Mata'afa posted a picture of a scale reading 289.2 pounds. That's 35 pounds heavier than his listed weight of 254, and it could mean that a player who was once considered a "tweener" is finally primed to break out at defensive tackle in his third season.

Mata'afa is a native of Lahaina, HI, a region on the western side of Maui. A star pass-rusher and wrestler in high school, he was a three-star recruit who garnered attention from some Mountain West schools and a couple Pac-12 programs. Mata'afa chose to play for Mike Leach and Washington State, and after a redshirt year, he put up three strong seasons in Pullman. In 39 games between 2015 and 2017, he recorded 22.5 sacks, 47 total tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. He was a dominant presence on the defensive line; Mata'afa was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American after a 2017 season in which he racked up 22.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.

Following his breakout redshirt junior season, Mata'afa bypassed his final year of eligibility to head to the NFL. The problem is that the league didn't exactly value his production. At 254 pounds, Mata'afa was seen as too small to play defensive tackle at the next level. But with 31.5-inch arms, he didn't have nearly the length to play on the edge, either. So the All-American went undrafted.

The Vikings snatched up Mata'afa in a 2018 UDFA class that also include Holton Hill and Mike Boone. Unfortunately, an ACL tear in June ended his rookie season before it started, but he battled back and made a lot of noise in last year's training camp and the preseason. A sack in the preseason opener showed off Mata'afa's upside, and he finished the August slate with five tackles. It was good enough to get him on the initial 53-man roster.

Mata'afa played 26 snaps in Week 1 against the Falcons, and then came up with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery the following week against the Packers. However, he would play in just four more games the rest of the way, spending much of the season watching from the bench. Mata'afa only played 100 snaps in total, receiving a poor overall grade from PFF.

This year, the difference is all about size. At roughly 290 pounds, Mata'afa is now in the prototypical weight range for an explosive three-technique. Aaron Donald and Grady Jarrett are two of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the league, and both are around 280-290. Mata'afa speed (4.76) and strength (26 bench press reps) were impressive at the 2018 combine; if he can retain that athleticism with the added weight, he could be primed to emerge from a crowded group.

Sometimes it takes players a few years to find their footing in the NFL and break out. Last year it was Ifeadi Odenigbo. Maybe this year it'll be Hercules Mata'afa.

Vikings Defensive Tackles Preview: Who Will Emerge at Three-Technique?

Previous DT player previews:

You can find every single player preview to date – plus other offseason content – in this handy spreadsheet.

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Will Ragatz
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