Former Wolverine Named Captain With Minnesota Vikings
It's always great to see former Michigan Wolverines succeeding in the NFL, and this latest round of good news is certainly something I didn't see coming. On Monday, former Michigan defender Josh Metellus was named captain for the Minnesota Vikings by head coach Kevin O'Connell.
"Josh got a lot of votes at the beginning of the year," O'Connell said. "Twenty-two players received votes to be a captain, and Josh was right there. What he's done throughout the season, just his role he's played on special teams as being one of the premier special teams players in the league. But also, when he's gotten the chance to get out there on defense like he did yesterday, incredibly consistent and smart player. You feel his physicality, his ability to tackle - made a couple of nice plays on the ball when it was in the air yesterday. So, not a surprise to me. He's been A-plus for me all season from a standpoint of just his role, but also his ability to lead our group has been huge".
After spending four seasons with the Wolverines (2016-19) at free safety and strong safety, Metellus was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round (205th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. Metellus spent time as part of the practice squad before eventually working his way onto the active roster in the fall of 2020. The 2022 season marked his third season with the Vikings, where he made his first career start in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions.
So far this season, Metellus has accumulated 33 tackles, one interception (against the Lions), and five pass breakups.
