A well-traveled Washington-to-Oregon defensive tackle who beat the odds as an undrafted free agent to stick with Minnesota's roster.
Taki Taimani played a six-year college career that began at Washington and finished at Oregon before he went undrafted and signed with the Minnesota Vikings. A stout run-defending interior lineman, he has bounced between the active roster and practice squad while carving out a niche as a rotational nose tackle.
Path to the league
Taimani played four seasons at Washington from 2018 to 2021, recording 71 tackles, before transferring to Oregon for his final two seasons in 2022 and 2023. Across his college career he totaled 104 tackles over 50 games. He went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Minnesota Vikings, making the initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie.
Career highlights
At Oregon, Taimani graded out as the second-highest interior lineman in the Pac-12 in run defense according to Pro Football Focus, earning a run-defense grade of 82.3 in his final season. He was one of two undrafted rookies to make Minnesota's 53-man roster in 2024.
2025 season recap
Taimani was waived by the Vikings in late August 2025 and signed to the practice squad, where he spent most of the season before being elevated to the active roster in early January 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Taki Taimani
- Pro Football Reference: Taki Taimani
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
2 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | vikings | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | vikings | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Oregon
- Hometown
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
