Jaylen Twyman fully recovers, will fully participate in Vikings offseason program

When he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman had all the opportunity in the world to make the big squad and make an impact. Unfortunately, that came to a halt after an incident in Washington, D.C. where Twyman was shot four times while in the area visiting family. That cost Twyman all of what would have been his rookie season, but his NFL career is now back on the right track.

Through his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, via a story from Chris Tomasson in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Twyman is officially fully recovered from his injuries and will be a full participant in the Vikings’ offseason program, which got underway today.

Twyman hasn’t played in a football game of any sort since 2019, when he put together an outstanding season at Pittsburgh, collecting 10.5 sacks and gaining some steam as a potential high draft pick. After opting out of the 2020 college football season due to COVID concerns, however, his stock dropped, allowing the Vikings to grab him in the sixth round. He was a part of some of the Vikings’ initial OTAs last season, but the June shooting put him on the shelf for the entire 2021 season while he recovered.

With the Vikings apparently shifting their defensive philosophy a bit under new coordinator Ed Donatell, it will be interesting to see what Twyman can bring to the table in his efforts to make the big roster. He showed at Pittsburgh that he can generate pressure from the defensive interior, which is something that the Vikings can use regardless of what sort of scheme they’re running.

Here’s hoping that Jaylen Twyman can continue on the road to recovery and show us some of the promise that the Vikings saw in him when they drafted him just about a year ago.