Elijah Williams has done it again. The former HBCU football star out of Morgan State has earned a spot on the Minnesota Vikings’ initial 53-man roster for the 2026 NFL season. It marks another important step in a journey that began without Williams hearing his name called in the NFL Draft—or even receiving an immediate free-agent contract.
Minnesota officially included Williams among the six defensive linemen it retained when the organization announced its initial roster.
Williams will enter his second NFL season as part of one of the league’s youngest defensive fronts. He also arrives with a reshaped body, a year of professional experience and another opportunity to prove that his historic production at an HBCU can translate to Sundays.
For Williams, making the roster is no longer a one-time underdog story. It is beginning to look like staying power.
An HBCU star who had to take the long way
Williams left Morgan State as one of the most productive defensive players in program history.
The Jersey City, N.J., native recorded 216 tackles, 52 tackles for loss and a school-record 31 sacks across 42 games. He completed his college career as the Bears’ all-time leader in both sacks and tackles for loss.
Williams produced 11 sacks and 15 tackles for loss during his final season. He earned First-Team All-MEAC recognition, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year award, and consensus FCS All-American honors.
That résumé still did not produce a selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Williams initially used the Baltimore Ravens’ local pro day to get in front of professional scouts. Minnesota later invited him to its rookie minicamp, but only on a tryout basis. He entered the weekend without a contract or any guarantee that his NFL opportunity would extend beyond three days.
He performed well enough to change that.
The Vikings signed Williams following rookie minicamp, allowing him to compete for a position on the 90-man offseason roster. Williams then generated eight pressures during the preseason and made Minnesota’s initial 53 as one of the longest shots in camp.
That completed the first improbable climb. The next challenge was showing that he belonged.
Williams got his first NFL experience in 2025
Williams appeared in seven regular-season games as a rookie. He recorded nine tackles while contributing on defense and special teams before Minnesota placed him on injured reserve in late December.
His rookie workload was limited, but those seven appearances gave Williams something he could not acquire during a dominant career at Morgan State: direct experience against NFL bodies.
Williams entered the league at approximately 270 pounds. That size helped him retain the quick first step that made him a dangerous pass rusher at the HBCU level, but it could also leave him vulnerable against heavier interior offensive linemen.
He attacked that issue during the offseason.
Williams returned to Minnesota at a listed 6-foot-3 and 298 pounds. The transformation gave him nearly 30 additional pounds with which to absorb blocks and defend the run.
The question was whether he could add that mass without sacrificing the explosiveness that got him into the league.
Minnesota’s answer arrived at the roster deadline.
Another difficult Vikings roster battle
Williams did not enter his second training camp with a secure position.
The Vikings added veteran defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk and drafted Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange. Those newcomers joined a group that already included Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Taki Taimani.
Minnesota ultimately retained six interior defensive linemen: Williams, Redmond, Rodriguez, Ingram-Dawkins, Banks and Orange.
Loudermilk’s experience made him a legitimate challenger for one of the final positions. Williams, however, offered the Vikings a younger developmental option who had already spent a season inside Brian Flores’ defense.
Keeping Williams also suggests the Vikings believe the former Morgan State standout can be more than a feel-good roster story.
What to expect from Williams in 2026
Williams is not expected to walk into the season as a full-time starter. His most realistic early role will be as an energy player in Minnesota’s defensive line rotation.
Redmond, Rodriguez and Ingram-Dawkins appear positioned to handle much of the work up front. Banks and Orange give Minnesota two young draft picks with contrasting skill sets. Williams can complement that group with his motor, first-step quickness and ability to attack gaps from multiple alignments.
Flores’ defense could be an especially useful fit.
Minnesota frequently disguises its intentions before the snap and moves defenders around the formation. Williams’ background as a college defensive end, combined with his new interior size, could allow him to line up at different points across the front instead of being locked into one traditional defensive tackle role.
His additional weight should help on early downs. His established burst could keep him in the conversation for situational pass-rush opportunities.
Williams may also have an early chance to establish himself, while Banks continues developing after missing training camp time due to a foot injury. The opening could be relatively small, but small openings have defined Williams’ NFL career.
He turned a local pro day into a minicamp invitation. He turned that invitation into a contract. He turned the contract into a roster position. Now he has converted one improbable NFL season into a second.
More than a one-year HBCU success story
Every stage of Williams’ journey has required him to overcome the questions that often follow prospects from HBCU and FCS programs.
Was the competition strong enough? Was he big enough? Could his production translate? Could he survive when NFL teams began rebuilding their rosters?
Williams has answered each question by earning another opportunity.
The former Morgan State star is still fighting for snaps and a permanent place within Minnesota’s long-term plans. But making an NFL roster in consecutive seasons is meaningful for a player who entered the league without a draft selection or an initial contract.
Elijah Williams was once trying to turn a three-day tryout into an NFL opportunity.
Now the undrafted HBCU star is preparing for Year 2.