Mammoth Pass Rusher Joins the Vikings’ Roster Competition

In all likelihood, Brian Flores is pleased to have the addition to his edge rusher crew.

Tyler Batty, a mammoth pass rusher, is now a Viking after agreeing to an undrafted free agency deal. He’ll look to prove capable of hanging around the 53-man roster by thriving through the spring and summer. What is Minnesota getting in the addition?

Mammoth Pass Rusher Tyler Batty

Consider the update that arrived courtesy of Aaron Wilson. The guaranteed cash tells us a lot.

The word: “#Vikings deal for @BYUfootball defensive end Tyler Batty (6-6, 271, 4.78 speed, 34 vertical, 224 career tackles, 33.5 for losses, 16.5 sacks, two interceptions) $259,000 guaranteed, $25,000 signing bonus, $234,000 of salary guaranteed for All-Big 12 selection.”

In what is now a yearly ritual, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah again brought aboard a pass rusher in undrafted free agency who appears to have some upside. The hearty cash that gets dished out tells us what we need to know. Consider the historical precedent:

• 2022: Luiji Vilain ($227,000 Guaranteed)
• 2023: Andre Carter II ($340,000 Guaranteed)
• 2024: Gabriel Murphy ($245,000 Guaranteed)
• 2025: Tyler Batty ($259,000 Guaranteed)

A trend, indeed.

Now, consider the basic details about his size. Being 6’6″ and 271 pounds is large, even by NFL edge rusher standards. Andrew Van Ginkel — recently extended — is listed at 6’4″ and 242 pounds. Meanwhile, Jonathan Greenard is a bit more imposing at 6’3″ and 259 pounds. Both smaller than Mr. Batty, at least per the details that get listed.

Reach back into recent history for some more examples. Danielle Hunter, the best Vikings pass rusher in quite some time, is 6’5″ and a shredded 263. Everson Griffen is coming in at 6’3″ and 273 pounds (he was rarely explosive for someone so huge; that spin move was unfair to the league’s blockers).

Batty thus stands out as possessing a bit of a unique build. Long and heavy, Batty is built in a manner that should allow him to wrestle with NFL offensive tackles and have a chance of winning.

In college, Tyler Batty put up some solid but unspectacular statistics. His final season involved 59 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 2 passes defended. The year before, Batty put up 57 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles.

Consider a bit of scouting insight courtesy of the NFL’s Lance Zierlein: “Batty has played standing on occasion, but he will be a 4-3, strong-side defensive end in the NFL. He’s densely muscled and plays with consistent aggression at the point. He hustles in pursuit, too. He has some snap in his initial punch but lacks the length and twitch quickness to get away from blocks quickly and will succumb to power from tackles. He creates pressure with hops and euro-steps to gain ground. He has strong hands to discard the punch but won’t beat most pro tackles with speed or power. He’s an older rookie and an effort player, but it’s not clear if he’ll have the physical gifts or skill level to become a ‘make it’ prospect.”

The assigned draft projection insists he should go in the 6th or 7th. In the end, he slipped out of the draft, allowing Mr. Adofo-Mensah to scoop him up as a UDFA.

Already, a trio of spots are locked up for the Vikings’ pass rushers coming off the edge. Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner are all assured of their spots on the roster. The competition after those three is where things get more tricky to discern. Last year’s UDFA adds in Murphy and Bo Richter are competing for spots alongside Batty (and others).

Proving capable of contributing on specials alongside being able to be moved around the line a bit due to his size could be the key to Tyler Batty sticking around.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.