Vikings Roster Countdown: No. 90 Esezi Otomewo — Year 2 Leap?

Otomewo played sparingly as a rookie but has some intriguing traits.

Will Ragatz | Jul 12, 2023

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Minnesota Vikings

Ahead of the Vikings' 2023 training camp beginning in late July, we'll be taking a look at every player on the 90-man roster, counting down from 99 to 0 (excluding the UDFAs, who we already profiled). For every player, we'll look at the best and worst-case scenarios and their realistic outlook for the upcoming season.

No. 90: Esezi Otomewo, DE/DT

Age: 24 | Size: 6'6", 285

The Vikings kept Esezi Otomewo in Minnesota last year when they drafted the former Gopher in the fifth round. He hardly stuffed the stat sheet in college, but the Vikings took a chance on his length and athleticism. Otomewo spent most of his rookie season as a healthy inactive, but he played 90 defensive snaps over the final five games of the regular season and acquitted himself nicely with a TFL and four pressures in that small sample size.

Entering his second season, Otomewo will be looking to make the roster again and earn a spot in the Vikings' defensive line rotation under Brian Flores.

Best-case scenario: Otomewo impresses during training camp and preseason action, forcing his way into the team's plans for 2023. He earns around 300 snaps and shows that he has what it takes to be an NFL contributor.

Worst-case scenario: Failing to make much of an impact in the summer, Otomewo spends the year split between the practice squad and active roster. When he's up on gamedays, he mostly sees special teams and garbage time snaps.

Outlook for 2023: It's tough to know what to expect from Otomewo in 2023. He wasn't a huge college producer, instead getting drafted mostly due to his impressive physical tools. 90 snaps as a rookie doesn't give us much to evaluate either. Otomewo's length and power make him interesting as a potential 3-4 end, but the range of outcomes feels pretty wide here. He could make a year two leap and become a contributor...or spend the season buried on the practice squad.

Previous Vikings player profiles

UDFAs

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Published Jul 12, 2023

WILL RAGATZ