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5 Things to Know About Vikings 3rd Round Draft Pick Domonique Orange

domonique orange iowa state

EAGAN, Minn. — Citrus will be in season for Minnesota a little early this year.

The Vikings drafted former Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange 82nd overall this past weekend.

Listed at 6-foot-2 3/8 and 322 pounds, "Big Citrus" adds more power to the Vikings front along with Caleb Banks, whom they drafted 18th overall.

"Big Citrus" comes to Minnesota with 50 collegiate games (24 starts) under his belt, having totaled 66 tackles, 1.0 sack, seven tackles for loss and two passes defensed.

"We found it incredibly valuable to add, really, a big-bodied nose tackle," Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell said. "[He's] a very, very difficult guy to move in there — taking double teams, doing some of the dirty work and played a ton of snaps."

Here are five things to know about the Vikings new DL:

1. High school standout

Orange attended North Kansas City High School, where he was a three-time all-district selection and two-time all-state pick.

Orange was rated a 4-star prospect by Rivals and a 3-star by 247Sports.com and ESPN.

He also was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the "top large class lineman or linebacker" in the Kansas City Metro. The award is named in honor of the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played 13 seasons at defensive tackle for the Chiefs.

2. 'Block magnet'

Following the Vikings selection of Orange, the Des Moines Register asked two of its main football writers to comment on the defender.

Travis Hines said the following:

One of the best interior defensive linemen in Iowa State history, Orange is a block magnet that demands attention from offenses and frees up his teammates to wreak havoc. His stats don't jump off the page, and he's not a huge disruptor, but that's largely because he's getting double- and triple-teamed most snaps.

Eugene Rapay echoed Hines' thoughts, writing that while Orange's performance "didn't always culminate in stat sheet production, it's worth noting that [he] commanded plenty of attention from opponents."

3. Embraces the dirty work

Orange doesn't get caught up in the stat lines, as long as he's helping his team.

The big man welcomes the sometimes-thankless job of playing defensive tackle, as he recently explained:

"Like I said, I'm not the end, and it took me a little bit to understand, you know, the [defensive] end is going to get about five, six tackles, three and a half sacks a game, you know, that is what it is," Orange said. "But me, you know, as long as I'm freeing up other guys within the defense, make sure they win, I'm cool with that. I'm at a point where, hey, even if I got to take the whole line, so be it. As long as everybody's winning, hey, I'm cool with that.

"I'm gonna always start off the game with power," he said. "Let teams know I'm going to be in your face all day."

4. Football is family

Orange has a close relationship with his mother, Monique, who raised him and his older brother, Kevin Jr.

Monique recently told KC’s FOX affiliate she's retired from full-time work and started an on-the-side catering business, so she's looking forward to attending some of Orange's NFL games.

She plans the same for Kevin, also a defensive lineman, who signed a futures contract with the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders.

5. Another nickname?

During his interview at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Orange suggested a potential second nickname for himself.

"I have a dominant presence," he said. "I call myself a hammerhead shark. Real strong. You run up on me, and you're gonna run away."

View the full interview here.

View photos of Iowa State DL Domonique Orange who was selected No. 82 overall in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

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