Kenny Willekes’ journey from walk-on to two-time All-American will move to its next improbable phase: The NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings selected the Michigan State football defensive end with the 225th pick of the seventh round in the 2020 NFL draft on Saturday.
The 6-foot-3, 264-pound Rockford native suffered a broken leg in the 2018 Redbox Bowl that kept him from entering the draft a year earlier. Willekes returned and played in all 13 games as a senior captain, leading the Spartans with 10.5 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss and 17 QB hurries.