Former Pitt Football Player Recovered From Shooting, Back in NFL
PITTSBURGH -- He dominated his sophomore campaign as a Pittsburgh Panthers, amassing 10.5 sacks and a dozen tackles for loss. At the end of the season, he was a first-team All-ACC and second-team All-American. His undersized frame was overshadowed by powerful arms and quick hands, so much so that he earned comparisons to an all-time great from his school and at his position - Aaron Donald.
Jaylen Twyman had everything in front of him after the Minnesota Vikings selected him with the 199th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, but his NFL dreams were abruptly put on hold later that summer. Less than two months after the Draft, Twyman was shot in his hometown of Washington D.C. He then spent a year on the reserve/non-football injury list. Now, full healthy and "stronger than ever" by his own account, the former Pitt defensive tackle is back at Vikings minicamp, hoping to pick up where he left off.
"It's amazing. I'm just soaking it all in," Twyman said after workouts on Friday. "Building it brick-by-brick, day-by-day, just trying to get better."
Twyman tried to downplay the severity of the four bullet wounds he sustained, calling them "a little knick-knack", but is nevertheless grateful and refocused on football after sustaining those injuries.
"I'm stronger than I've ever been. It wasn't nothing but a little knick-knack, so I'm good," Twyman said. "I'm definitely relieved, and it's a blessing – I give the glory to God. I'm just happy to be back."
Although it's probably not how he wanted or even imagined his first season would unfold, Twyman said he benefited from being able to sit back and learn from Vikings veterans. He was able to learn the playbook and get a sense of what life in the NFL is like.
"I felt like I could have helped, but at the same time I felt like I was still learning the plays and getting into the swing of things as a rookie," Twyman said. "Me sitting back and learning from Dalvin Tomlinson and Armon Watts, it's helped me watching those guys getting those mental reps."
Vikings coaches are already taking notice of the second-year player that is essentially getting a do-over for his rookie season.
"I thought he did a great job," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "He's been one of those guys that you love the look in his eyes so far through Phase 1 and Phase 2 [of Organized Team Activities]. He'll be a guy we're watching closely as we get into Phase 3 and his continued ascent throughout this offseason program."
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