5 Vikings who increased their stock after the first preseason game

Hercules Mata’afa – DT

Last year was supposed to be when Hercules Mata’afa was going to make his preseason debut for the Vikings. But a torn ACL ended his 2018 campaign in Minnesota before it was able to even begin.

This year, however, Mata’afa is definitely making up for lost time. He’s been getting a lot of practice time with the Vikings’ first-team defense in training camp and he showed the Saints’ offensive line why last Friday.

Mata’afa got a bunch of time on the field in New Orleans and he finished the game with three tackles (two for a loss), two quarterback hits, and one sack. Even when the Saints attempted to double-team him, the young Vikings defensive tackle still found a way to cause trouble in the offensive backfield.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Mata’afa this year and he proved why during the win over New Orleans. At this point, it would be very surprising if he doesn’t end up on Minnesota’s regular season roster.