EAGAN, Minn. — What a difference a year makes.
Last year, undrafted rookie Ivan Pace Jr. entered training camp as somewhat of an unknown. The All-American linebacker out of Cincinnati was solid during the team’s offseason workouts, but with a new scheme and a defensive unit desperate to find a new identity, it wasn’t quite clear how Pace would fit into those plans.
By the end of training camp, it became crystal clear – he was going to make an impact.
“He showed pretty elite football instincts and intelligence for a rookie,” said Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. “Especially in our defense and the things (defensive coordinator Brian Flores) was trying to do.”
Pace appeared in all 17 games, including 11 starts, and finished fourth on the team with 102 total tackles. He also recorded 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. That pick came during a 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, where he also had 13 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss, earning him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Fast forward a year and Pace is walking around TCO Performance Center with a little more swagger. He said he feels more comfortable but added that he’s continuing to evolve as a player.
“It’s all about learning every day and taking it step-by-step to be the best,” Pace said.
Not only does Pace have a season under his belt, but he’s also got one year of experience playing in Flores’ complex scheme, which helped elevate the Vikings from the 28th overall defense in 2022 to 13th in 2023.
“I definitely feel a little more comfortable just because it’s the second year being in (the system) and not just something brand new,” Pace said. “It’s kind of hard to adjust to something brand new. … It gets easier as you keep going, that’s why you practice every day.”
In just his second year, Pace is expected to wear the green dot for the defense, meaning he’ll be the main line of communication between the coaches and players. He wore the dot last season when veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks missed time after suffering a leg contusion in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, but this year, he’s in line to take on those duties right out of the gates.
“There are still things that a second-year player, regardless of their success level in Year 1, you’re still going to have those moments throughout the day, throughout practices where you’re going to make a mistake,” O’Connell said. “Can you move onto the next one and not make them again? He’s in that phase of his career as a starter and major contributor for us that we’re hoping to see and continue to see.”
Pace says he’s leaning on some of the veterans to help him through that next phase. Last year it was Hicks, a fellow Ohio native, who helped mold him as a rookie, and this year, it’s free agent acquisitions Blake Cashman and Kamu Grugier-Hill who have been working with the 23-year-old linebacker.
“I’m learning off of them and they’re learning off of me a little bit, too,” said Pace. “It’s just helping us build our trust.”
That trust will be essential for Pace, and the Vikings defense, to take that next step.
“We just want to build off of last year with the new players … and just become the best defense in the league,” Pace said.
A tall order, but for Pace, that’s nothing new.
