Vikings Draft Profile: Looking at a Tight End in the Big 10
Minnesota and Wisconsin may be rivals on the field, but in this instance, the Minnesota Vikings may benefit from looking to the Wisconsin Badgers program for a prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Ever since 2018, Jake Ferguson has progressively improved as a tight end, and it has made him a viable NFL prospect going into April’s draft. Obviously, Minnesota is looking forward to the return of Irv Smith this season, but should the Vikings draft another player to add to the room?
Statistics
- 2018 (13 Games): 36 Rec, 456 yards, 4 TDs
- 2019 (14 Games): 33 Rec, 407 yards, 2 TDs
- 2020 (7 Games): 30 Rec, 305 yards, 4 TDs
- 2021 (13 Games): 46 Rec, 450 yards, 3 TDs
Strengths
Above all else, playing at Wisconsin has helped Jake Ferguson develop his blocking abilities. With a run-first offense based around stellar running backs like Jonathan Taylor and Braelon Allen, the tight end has been put in plenty of situations where he’s needed to be a run-blocker. He’s not half-bad in pass protection either although he’s mostly used as a play-action receiver in passing downs.
While he will never be considered a vertical receiving threat, Ferguson brings some sneaky athleticism to the table as a pass catcher. His catch radius is larger than you’d expect because of terrific ball skills, especially on passes to his back shoulder. He’s a bit slippery after the catch too which is surprising given his 250-pound frame. Less surprising, he’s got a feisty side, and he’ll lower his shoulder to get a few extra yards when necessary.
Ferguson can make an impact at any place on the field, but his most impressive play has always been in the red zone. He’s a typical wide target near the goal line at 6’5 and can create mismatches against defensive backs. Throw it up, and Ferguson will probably come down with it.
Weaknesses
Before we get into any of the physical limitations, the biggest question mark about Jake Ferguson has to be how versatile he can be in an NFL scheme. He landed in the perfect spot to thrive with the Badgers with dynamic running backs in the backfield.
Because of all the attention that had to be given to Taylor and then Allen in 2021, nearly every passing down came as a result of play action. This forced defenses to come up to the line of scrimmage and freed up a ton of space for Ferguson to work the middle of the field. It’s questionable as to whether he can translate the same amount of production as a receiver to the NFL.
As for his actual play, Ferguson is not the twitchiest athlete on his routes. As mentioned, he won’t be much of a threat as a deep ball guy, nor is he a terrific route runner. Additionally, while his run blocking is quite good on the line, he needs to do better at finishing plays in pass protection when he’s not running a route. Overall, Ferguson has the potential to be a starter as a Y-tight end, but he needs to continue working on some of the fundamentals.
Jake Ferguson’s Fit on the 2022 Vikings
Tyler Conklin took the majority of the targets out of the tight end position for the Vikings in 2021. Because of that, he may be looking at a generous pay day when free agency rolls around. The Chris Herndon experiment ended up being a failure as well. This leaves just Irv Smith as a proven receiving tight end for Minnesota, and unless an extension is reached, he is set to be a free agent after the 2022 season.
Obviously, Ferguson isn’t going to be the most dynamic receiver at the position coming out of the gates. That production likely ends up being similar to Conklin, especially the 2020 version. However, with Dalvin Cook in the backfield, Ferguson could continue to thrive in a play-action passing scheme in Minnesota. The learning curve would be a lot lower in Minnesota than in other organizations. If he’s available in day three, it makes a lot of sense for the Vikings to jump on a chance to take him.