Landing the most promising undrafted talent often comes down to aggressive spending and a reasonable path toward on-field opportunity. Monkell Goodwine, an undrafted defensive lineman, appears to have ticked off both boxes.
The Vikings had to commit some meaty guaranteed cash within Goodwine’s deal, which is an important detail for anyone who doesn’t get picked. His overall cap charge comes in at $888,333 (OTC). As for guarantees, that number is sitting at $257,500. Compared to most players, that’s a modest total, but it’s quite a good haul for an undrafted free agent, suggesting he was a coveted player after the 2026 NFL Draft concluded.
The Vikings Guaranteed Much to Sign Monkell Goodwine
If, per chance, you’re not super familiar with Goodwine, then fear not.
The recent addition is 23. A South Carolina alumnus, Goodwine stands at 6’4″ and 290 pounds. As a result, his job is likely to involve being a 3T/5T, someone who lines up across from the guard and/or offensive tackle rather than the center. Generally speaking, players who are asked to soak up double teams inside are a decent bit larger, suggesting the UDFA is going to get tasked with playing closer to the end of the line than the middle.
Last season, Goodwine’s main job was to be a 3 technique (PFF), somebody who lines up across from the guard. He was in that spot for 428 snaps. He had 49 snaps in more of a 1 technique area and 27 in more of a 5 technique role. He even had a trio of snaps out wide as an edge rusher.
Looking at Goodwine’s snap breakdown illuminates much. His 2025 season involved a hearty helping of work, playing 508 snaps. That’s an amount that jumps off the page since he only had 153 snaps in 2024 alongside single-digit snaps in each season from 2021 to 2023.
The Vikings may have therefore landed someone who is still raw, a diamond in the rough who will sparkle after there has been an effort to shine him up.
Similarly notable is that his first three seasons in college took place at Alabama, a juggernaut program where he never broke through to play consistently. Moving to South Carolina for 2024 and 2025 involved being able to play.
The rookie’s stats in 2025 show 31 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended, and 2 forced fumbles. At no point did he pickup a sack in his college career. He nevertheless made an impact in the passing game in 2025, hurrying the quarterback 10 times while hitting the quarterback 3 times.
Right now, the Vikings are working through a defensive line overhaul.
No longer is Jalen Redmond just a nice story. Instead, the Vikings are leaning on the former UDFA to be the top defensive tackle, somebody who continues to create issues at the line of scrimmage as the unquestioned top option. The ability is there; so is his resilience and work ethic. Expect Redmond to keep being fantastic.
The Vikings are then leaning on Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange. The 1st-Round selection and 3rd-Round selection are carrying beefy expectations. Most have at least some degree of hesitance for Banks given the injury problems, but his upside is massive. Orange, meanwhile, appears ready to be a good ball player in time for Week 1.
But then the Vikings are going to give Monkell Goodwine a chance to prove he can help. He’ll be looking to mirror Elijah Williams, Taki Taimani, and Jalen Redmond as recent examples of Vikings defensive linemen who arrived as unheralded UDFA pickups who eventually proved capable of making the final roster.
The Minnesota Vikings will be beginning OTAs next week. Goodwine’s task involves impressing at each and every step.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.