After an injury cut his rookie campaign short in 2018, Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Hercules Mata’afa appears to be closer to playing again.
On Wednesday, Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Hercules Mata’afa appeared to announce on Twitter that he has received medical clearance to return to football activities. Mata’afa missed the entire 2018 season due to an ACL injury that he suffered during the Vikings’ OTAs last June.
This is great news for the former disruptive Washington State star who was named The Associated Press Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, as well as Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, after his junior season in 2017.
Despite his impressive college career, Mata’afa went undrafted as many teams struggled to find the perfect fit for the undersized interior defender. Fortunately, this was a challenge that Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer was willing to take on.
In addition to having arguably one of the most awesome names in football, Mata’afa showed a lot of promise before declaring for the NFL draft. He finished his junior season with 45 tackles (22.5 of them for a loss), 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 87.3, ninth-highest among draft-eligible interior defenders in 2018.
The Vikings lucked out after Mata’afa’s injury due to a new league rule that allows teams to place players on injured reserve without them having to clear waivers first.
Although the original post has been taken down, the 6-foot-2, 254 pound defender took to his personal Instagram page to express his gratitude to Minnesota for their support during his ACL tear, as well as the opportunity to stay and rehab at the team facility.
The Vikings should be excited to see what Mata’afa can bring to the table during this year’s training camp and the promising future that lies ahead for him on their defense that is stacked with talent.