6 strongest players on the Minnesota Vikings 2020 roster
By Dustin Baker
Michael Pierce, Nose Tackle
What do you do when your 330-pound nose tackle for the purple team bolts (pun intended) in free agency?
You go out and get a 340-pound nose tackle from the other purple team.
His name is Michael Pierce.
The undrafted nose tackle from Samford University signed on with the Vikings less than a week after the team parted ways with defensive line stalwart Linval Joseph. At 3 years and $27 million for Pierce, the Vikings will save $4 million per season and effectively get a younger version of Linval Joseph in terms of style and build.
On strength, Linval is next to impossible to top anywhere ever, but Pierce is no string bean. At his Pro Day in 2016, Pierce did 28 reps of the 225-pound bench press. He’s also said to squat a Herculean 750 pounds–which is, like, true-blue bodybuilder stuff.
And he can do cartwheels.