Vikings Assistant Imarjaye Albury to Coach LB/EDGE Group at Senior Bowl

Vikings assistant coach Imarjaye Albury is headed to the Senior Bowl to serve as one of two position coaches with the linebackers and edge rushers on the National team. He'll be working under defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, the Vikings' DBs coach and defensive pass game coordinator.

These are the ten LB/EDGE players on the National team:

Michigan MLB Michael Barrett
Notre Dame MLB JD Bertrand
North Carolina MLB Cedric Gray
Washington MLB Edefuan Ulofoshio
NC State LB Payton Wilson
Michigan LB Jaylen Harrell
Kansas LB Austin Booker
Georgia State LB Jontrey Hunter
Washington State DE Brennan Jackson
Penn State DE Adisa Isaac

Isaac and Wilson are perhaps the two biggest names here, making PFF's recent top-75 big board for the 2024 draft. Wilson has a significant injury history, but he won the Bednarik Award as the top linebacker in the country in 2023.

No. 61: Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State

Edge defender Chop Robinson gets most of the hype along Penn State’s defensive line. But Isaac is a future NFL player in his own right — and he might be the more consistent player right now. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound redshirt senior had his best all-around season in 2023, earning an 81.8 overall grade, an 80.2 run-defense grade and a 73.4 pass-rush grade. His pass-rush win rate remains lower, at around 13%, but he will be a solid NFL depth player with a chance to develop into a starter.

No. 70: Payton Wilson, LB, NC State

Wilson was the second-most valuable linebacker in the nation this year, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His 21 tackles for loss or no gain were tied for the most among Power Five linebackers, as were his three interceptions.

Most of the other players Albury will be coaching are at least considered Day 3 prospects in this year's draft. Gray is also a borderline top-100 prospect.

The Vikings having two assistant coaches on Brian Flores' staff serve as coaches for the Senior Bowl is helpful in multiple ways. It's a cool opportunity for Jones and Albury in their development as coaches, and they'll also be able to provide detailed scouting reports on these prospects after working with them closely.

Senior Bowl practices will take place next week ahead of the February 3rd game.

Albury served as a defensive assistant under Flores last season, stepping up to work closely with the outside linebackers during position coach Mike Smith's year-long personal leave of absence. He was previously a pro scout for Minnesota in 2022 after two years as the Vikings' defensive quality control/assistant linebackers coach.

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