MINNEAPOLIS -- Eric Kendricks' pass coverage skills were a large part of what made him attractive to the Minnesota Vikings in the 2015 draft. He didn't have to look far to figure out he'd be asked to do more than that as a linebacker in Mike Zimmer's system.
The Vikings took Kendricks' former college roommate, Anthony Barr, with the ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft, and unleashed him as part of Zimmer's double-A gap blitz package as a rookie. Pass rushing is a bigger part of the strong-side linebacker's job description in Zimmer's defense than it is for the other two linebackers. But if Kendricks is going to play in the Vikings' nickel package as a rookie -- and it seems the nickel might be his most likely way to contribute early in the season -- he knows he's going to have to go after the quarterback.
"There's going to be times where I just have to pass rush," he said. "It's a given. I have to be able to have moves to counter the running backs."
Kendricks didn't need any moves when he took down Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Seth Lobato; the Buccaneers' backup linemen were confused by the Vikings' blitz package and wound up triple-teaming defensive lineman Greg Hickman while Kendricks raced untouched to the quarterback. The sack had all the trappings of preseason football, but even though he wasn't frequently asked to blitz in college, Kendricks showed some ability to pressure the passer.
He recorded four sacks during his senior season at UCLA, posting two in the Bruins' Alamo Bowl win over Kansas State. His size isn't ideal to take on blockers, but the speed and recognition ability he's shown in pass coverage should help him as a blitzer, too.
"He flew around well. He had one sack, so that wasn't too hard; no one blocked him," Zimmer said. "He's a good that has some ability and flies around."
According to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings sent Barr after the quarterback 115 times last season and rushed Chad Greenway -- their other nickel linebacker -- another 57 times. So if Kendricks winds up in the Vikings' nickel package, it stands to reason he'll be heading after the quarterback at least a few times a game.
"I never blitzed a lot in college, and I didn't in high school either," Kendricks said. "I'm definitely trying to improve on that in practice every day, work on my technique first and foremost and try to transfer that over to the game."
