PurplePTSD: DJ Wonnum Is An Ascending Defensive End

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

K. Joudry

2021-12-24

Obviously, things haven’t gone as planned for the Vikings DL. The idea was to have Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter wreaking havoc from the edge while Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce thoroughly dominated the inside. Unfortunately, all of these players have missed time, some for more short-term things and others for longer. The end result has been an awful lot of shuffling up front, and DJ Wonnum has been one of the players getting a more prominent role.

Recently, he has been making he most of his chance. Take a peak at some of his highlights from the Bears game:

The Bears game was an unusually productive one. Even the greatest edge rushers of all time couldn’t maintain a 9-pressure, 3-sack performance on a game-by-game basis. Plus, a lot of the stats were aided by Justin Fields and the Matt Nagy offense being so inept. The broader point remains, though, that DJ Wonnum was a difference-maker on Monday Night Football. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Vikings would have struggled to win that game without Wonnum stepping up.

The sophomore defensive end has been in on 76% of the Vikings defensive snaps. He has started 11 of 14 games. That’s an obvious increase from his two starts last year and his 51% of the snaps. Since Week 10, Wonnum hasn’t been on the field for any less than 87% of the defensive snaps. He has accumulated 6 sacks – 3 from the Bears game – and forced one fumble.

At 6’5, 260, Wonnum certainly looks like an NFL defensive end. Now partner that size with a 4.7 40-yard dash. He’s far from elite, and yet his physical abilities give him a reasonably high ceiling. Anyone who watched him chase down Fields could see that his length and speed gives him an edge (no pun intended). In the future, he’ll need to continue to work on his pass rush moves so that he doesn’t get snagged at the LOS wrestling with the offensive line. He’s already improving, so he’s obviously been putting in work and taking coaching tips from Andre Patterson.

In the meantime, Wonnum can be a solid option at DE for the Vikings. Ideally, he’ll continue working as he develops into a strong option as a DE3 or perhaps a DE2.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.