Three Vikings Sophomores Looking for a Larger Role
Henrique Gucciardi
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The 2021 Vikings’ draft class was an interesting one, to say the least. In what turned out to be his last draft with the Vikings, Rick Spielman brought in players with upside. Most of the rookies were barely on the field (except Christian Darrisaw). Will they make more of an impact in Year 2?
A couple of rules in this assessment of the sophomores. To be on this list, the player must have been active for at least three games last season. It’s very easy to have a bigger role if you didn’t have a role at all (like the injured Janarius Robinson and Jaylen Twyman). But, the player also couldn’t be a regular starter last season, so no Christian Darrisaw here, as well.
Camryn Bynum, Safety
The cornerback-turned-safety had some very good moments when the team lost Harrison Smith to COVID for a couple of games. For a fifth-round pick, Bynum had a great rookie season, defending 3 passes, intercepting another (a beautiful play by the way), and logging a sack while playing just over 200 defensive snaps. When the team decided to let Xavier Woods walk in free agency, Bynum looked like the starter next to Smith, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted Lewis Cine with the 32nd overall pick. Bynum and Cine are now competing for the starting job; as the starter or primary backup, Bynum showed enough to carve a larger role for himself. There’s also a very strong possibility of Ed Donatell playing all three in some packages, especially considering Bynum’s past as a CB.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Wide Receiver
Smith-Marsette had even less action than Bynum, not even reaching 90 plays on offense in his first year. When drafted, he looked like the team’s next punt returner but lost the job to Dede Westbrook. The Iowa alumni managed to play a little at the end of the season, catching 5 passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nothing spectacular, but I hope that was more of the previous staff not finding a way to use his abilities.
The reports are that Smith-Marsette is more confident going into Year 2. He’s having a good training camp thus far and the WR4 spot is his to lose. In a scheme that puts more receivers on the field, he can have a very strong season, giving the Vikings a scary group for the foreseeable future.
Patrick Jones ll, Edge Rusher
Like Smith-Marsette, Jones failed to reach 100 snaps as a rookie, but he had even less of an impact during his first NFL season. He had only 7 tackles, none for a loss, and didn’t record a single QB hit. Reports from camp show that he is fitting well with the new 3-4 scheme and is quietly building himself to be the primary edge backup. He’s having a lot of reps against Brian O’Neill, which helps to boost his game, as O’Neill is one of the best at his position.
Being in the same room as Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith and practicing against a great OT can only do good things. With a strong August, Jones can solidify himself as the 3rd best EDGE on the team and be an important part of the defense’s player rotation.
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