Kevin O'Connell confirms speculation about Vikings rookie

Heading into this year's training camp, some speculated that undrafted rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. had the potential to sneak onto the final 2023 roster of the Minnesota Vikings.

Well, as the Vikings prepare for their second preseason game of the summer on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans, Pace is not only a virtual lock to make Minnesota's regular-season roster, but he apparently has a chance to begin Week 1 as one of the team's starting linebackers.

Here's what Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell had to say on Wednesday about the team's undrafted rookie linebacker.

"Gold stars all the way around right now for Ivan. As I've challenged him to do, [he's] not just trying to compete to make our team. Let's see where [he] can go and possibly help us win football games from the jump."

It's pretty clear that O'Connell and Minnesota believe Pace has already shown enough in training camp this summer to prove that he can make a significant impact for the team in 2023.

Whether Pace is able to make that impact as a starter or as a situational defender remains to be seen. But any doubts about him not making the Vikings' final roster this year can pretty much be thrown out the window.

Pace's chances to be a Week 1 starter certainly seem to be increasing by the day, as he's been working with Minnesota's first-team defense for the last few training camp practices in place of linebacker Brian Asamoah, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

The longer Asamoah remains unable to practice, the better chance Pace has to open the 2023 regular season as a member of the Vikings' starting defense.

With how well Pace has performed in Minnesota's training camp this summer, the fact that he went undrafted earlier this year has become even more mind-boggling.

He's already proven a number of doubters wrong during his short tenure with the Vikings, and it seems like he's going to have plenty of opportunities to prove even more people wrong during the upcoming regular season.