3 Rookie Vikings Looking to Turn a Great Preseason into Expanded Roles
K. Joudry
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Make no mistake: every rookie is looking to earn a large role in the upcoming season. What’s a realistic scenario, though? Jaren Hall may play excellently, but he’s not overcoming Kirk Cousins. The same idea can be applied all over the roster.
In other words, the rookie Vikings to watch are ones who have a reasonable path toward playing time once the season hits. Jordan Addison is the name that everyone will have in mind since he plays such a prominent position and is an opening-round selection, but let’s move beyond just the upside receiver. By no means an exhaustive list, our focus rests on a trio of players (a pair of defenders and an offensive player) who could steal away snaps from veterans as early as Week 1.
3 Rookie Vikings to Watch Against Seattle
1) Ivan Pace, Linebacker, #40
Basically anyone who has seen a live training camp practice comes away with the same impression of Mr. Pace. The rookie is impressive.
The UDFA linebacker has been getting quite a bit of time with the 1s (shout out to Sam Ekstrom), a notable development considering that every single NFL team passed on him in the draft. Apparently, the linebacker wasn’t good enough to be included among the 259 players who were snatched up during the 2023 NFL Draft. Pretty wild stuff when we remember that he had 137 tackles, 21.5 TFLs, and 10 sacks playing for Cincinnati last year.
Look for him to be aggressive and decisive, moving all over the field with great urgency. Seeing Brian Flores send him on a blitz or two would bode well for Pace’s chance of earning snaps in the regular season.
2) Mekhi Blackmon, Corner, #11
In truth, no one really knows what the Vikings will do at corner beyond Byron Murphy. I happen to be a believer in Akayleb Evans, but the sophomore still has much to prove. What about Mekhi Blackmon, a defender who has also had some reps with the 1s (shout out to Will Ragatz)?
Blackmon, the 102nd pick, has a real chance to get snaps early and often. He’s a bit smaller, standing at 6’0″ and weighing just 178 pounds (per the Vikings website), so there’s some concern that he could be bullied by receivers like A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf. Showing off something similar to Duke Shelley — a fearless, scrappy competitiveness — will go a long way in assuaging those concerns.
Given his stature, Blackmon will likely be in consideration for slot duty. If he can hang inside, Blackmon will get onto the field. He had 3 INTs and 12 PDs for USC last year.
3) DeWayne McBride, Running Back, #37
A bit lost in the shuffle, McBride still has a path toward playing time in 2023.
At this point, a lot of Vikings fans are familiar with the former UAB runner. Ultra productive in college, McBride lasted until the 7th round at least partly due to his lack of success as a pass catcher. McBride was on the field to run the football, not catch swing passes coming out of the backfield.
In Minnesota, McBride could find himself in a similar spot. Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler, both blazingly-fast RBs, could handle a pass-catching role. Moreover, Alexander Mattison has some surprisingly silky mitts, but what about a thumper with great balance to play some bully ball? Could McBride partner with Josh Oliver and C.J. Ham to bulldoze the defense?
Demonstrating some great explosiveness and physicality in preseason action may foreshadow how the Vikings can use DeWayne McBride during the 2023 season. His final college season featured 233 carries for 1,713 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB helped with this piece.
