The second the ball was snapped, Levi Drake Rodriguez was working.

Jordan Love dropped back, and Levi muscled his way past Packers center Sean Rhyan, through traffic and directly toward Green Bay's QB, whom he grabbed around the legs for a sack.

The play marks Minnesota's first sack of the season and Levi's third of his career.

He knows his father, Narciso, is in the stands. He knows he'll be beaming with pride when Levi's name reverberates through U.S. Bank Stadium, smiling at the RODRIGUEZ nameplate of Levi's jersey as he celebrates the takedown with teammates.

Levi is equally proud to represent his family name. And for today's game against the Dolphins, during Latino Heritage Month, it carries even greater weight.

"I've never had my name on the back of my jersey until I got here. It just means more," Levi said.

It holds extra meaning, also, because there was a time Levi and his family didn't know if his father would live to see his football journey.

The same year Levi started playing flag football at age 4, Narciso received a frightening diagnosis: hairy cell leukemia. A rare, slow-growing blood cancer, hairy cell leukemia often isn't detected early on because of the gradual onset of symptoms. But when appendicitis landed Narciso in the hospital, additional tests revealed the cancer.

Doctors immediately started treatment that included chemotherapy. Though Levi didn't necessarily grasp the situation's gravity at that age, he recalls the confusion around his dad being too sick and too weak to leave his bed. His mother Dorothy took care of the house, nursed Narciso and made sure Levi and his sister Jirah never missed their respective sports and activities.

The Rodriguez family also was deeply humbled by community members who showed constant support — whether members of their church congregation, Narciso's coworkers or family friends.

"One family, the Webers, I need to shout them out," Levi said. "They gave us a credit card and told us, 'Hey, just use it on whatever you need.' Because so much of my parents' money was going toward treatment.

"During Christmastime, my dad's work family hooked us up with Christmas gifts," he added. "It was so cool to see that rally. I was young, but to see everybody just moving and doing things while my pops is in bed, it was special."

Narciso battled the cancer for three grueling years and in 2007 was declared in remission — a status he's thankfully held ever since.

Levi recalled the joy that permeated their home, defining it as "a sigh of relief that gave us hope."

Reflecting on his father's upbringing and hardships he faced during childhood and as an adult causes Levi to look at life through a new lens — one filled with gratitude and a refusal to take anything for granted.

He noted Narciso's difficult background that that included his mother passing away and father going to prison while Narciso was just a young boy. Narciso's grandmother stepped in to raise him and his siblings.

"A granny taking care of five little rascals is tough," Levi said. "My pops isn't supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be here. To see that appreciation of life he has, it's eye-opening. I try to take bits and pieces of that, all the good sides of my dad, and carry those on."

Asked to describe Narciso, Levi thinks for a moment and smiles softly.

"He is a gentle, understanding, hard worker and faithful man," Levi tells me. "That's my father. He's funny, too. Hilarious. Like, dad-joke funny.

"We call him 'Sloth' in my family, because he moves really slow," Levi laughs. "He always says, 'If I'm in a hurry, something's wrong. And that's real. What are we in a hurry all the time for? I need to adopt that."

Just as Levi seeks to take on his father's qualities, he embraces and strives to honor his Hispanic roots.

A fourth-generation American, he emphasizes "the roots are still there" for him and his family.

"The cookouts, the holidays, there's so much to love. There's so much emphasis on community within the Hispanic culture that I cherish," Levi said. "The food, the music, the culture that flows through my family is awesome."

Levi has fond memories of making and eating tamales on Christmas, as well as his grandmother pausing to pray before any presents were opened.

"She wouldn't let us forget the true meaning of Christmas — not let us forget that Christ is the one we are celebrating," Levi said. "That was an important tradition."

Thinking back to his early days on the gridiron, Levi is thankful for the Hispanic culture he recognized in making athletics possible, whether playing baseball, moving from flag football "because he wanted to tackle people" and setting a goal at just 8 years old — by writing it on a whiteboard — of making it to the NFL.

"The amount of community, the army it takes to put a young kid through sports is real," Levi said. "Not having the best shoes, the best clothes, the bat, gloves, whatever it was, but making do what we had to progress. Hispanics in general deeply love and value family. And I'm not saying other races don't, but just from experience, my culture is so tightknit, close together."

When the Vikings selected Levi in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, he excitedly spoke with media members via videoconference and sought to find a quiet corner in his family's 980-square-foot home filled to the brim with family, friends and neighbors.

"We had that sucker packed," Levi laughed two years later. "We had 80, 90 people. My dad literally said, 'Hey guys, don't be jumping. We might go through the floor. Be careful.' "

More than two years have passed since that day.

Levi has continued to affirm the Vikings decision to draft him — from appearing in two games as a rookie, to playing in 16 games last season (including two starts) and this year expanding his role for Minnesota.

He's wholeheartedly embraced his new home, consistently giving back to the community that supports him. Levi has a passion for youth in general — but the heartstrings are especially pulled when visiting local children's hospitals and meeting youngsters battling cancer the way his father did. Levi and Elijah Williams this summer spent time at Children's Minnesota, where they connected with and prayed for 8-year-old Viola, battling neuroblastoma, among other patients.

"These kids should be running outside, having fun, not tied to all these machines," Levi said. "So seeing that and providing smiles to people in situations like this, bringing them joy — it's humbling."

He recently shared a touching moment with Arthur, also 8 years old, who visited the Vikings facility and helped break down the team huddle following a September practice. A cancer survivor, Arthur lost all but 5-10% of his vision during a grueling treatment process.

"Hey, buddy, I'm to your left," Levi introduced as he knelt beside the young fan. "My name is Levi. Levi Drake."

When he takes the field with his long, dark ponytail flowing behind, Levi is filled with gratitude and honored to represent his family's legacy.

"I just thank the Lord," he said. "I've always said I wanted to impact people, and I didn't know the extent of that until I got here. … Being able to make an impact, to bright light, to bring love, it's awesome. That's what fuels me. It's also what brings me peace. This platform is so cool, and you've gotta use it while you can."

View the Vikings 2026 Schedule.

See future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.

See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.