Speed rush to the league: DJ Wonnum drafted by Minnesota
D.J. Wonnum started his South Carolina football career as an underrated recruit, a late flip from Indiana ranked outside of the top 1,300 prospects in the land.
Now he’s an NFL draft pick, taken Saturday by the Minnesota Vikings.
He went No. 117 overall, 11th in the fourth round.
“He’s a long, athletic defensive end,” Vikings GM Rick Spielman said. “He ran 4.6 at the combine. He showed up down at the Senior Bowl. One of the games that really stood out to us when we watched him was the Georgia game against both of those tackles, who are excellent players.
“I know our coaches can’t wait to get their hands on him.”
The former Gamecock will slot in as an outside linebacker/pass rusher in the NFL and has the ability to help on special teams. He measured in at 6-foot-5, 258 pounds.
Wonnum was in the rotation at the Buck defensive end spot early in his first season and ascended to the role of starter in Year 2. He was named team captain and started when healthy his final three seasons.
”Wonnum relies more on his motor than instincts as a pass rusher, but he has a projectable frame and uses his hands to free himself, projecting as a backup pass rusher with starting upside,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said.
After dealing with several lower body injuries as a junior, Wonnum bounced back to make 37 tackles, 9 1/2 for loss and 4 1/2 sacks. He finished his career with 29 1/2 tackels for loss and 14 sacks.
His coach, Will Muschamp, who had a little experience in the NFL himself, saw him in a particular role in the pros.
“D.J. Wonnum I think will play, barring injury, for a long, long time in the National Football League,” Muschamp said. “He brings so much value to your football team as far as a guy that’s probably a prototype 3-4 outside ‘backer that gives you edge rush pressure, but can also play on special teams.”
One trait the coach saw across four seasons was the ability to pick things up quickly. With an uncertain lead up to the NFL season, that ability could prove highly valuable.
“D.J. is a guy, you can walk in the meeting room and say, ‘You’re a curl/flat defender. Match two to the flat,’” Muschamp said. “You can talk through that, and it’s done. And in the National Football League, because of the collective bargaining agreement a while back, they’re limited on the field with what they can do, so that limits you sometimes schematically.”
The Vikings lists defense is a 4-3, but their defense has found ways to use long, speedy edge rushers. Two of their top three pass rushers, Danielle Hunter and Ifeadi Odenigbo, are 252 and 258 pounds.
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 12:40 PM.
