Vikings Keep the Undrafted Rookie Around
It’s been a busy day for Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He is asked to trim his roster from 91 players all the way down to 53. On Monday, he released the first 14 players and placed Dalton Risner on IR with the option to return after the first four weeks of the regular season.
Vikings Keep the Undrafted Rookie Around
Tuesday started with the report that T.J. Hockenson would remain on the PUP list, forcing him to sit out the first four games of the campaign as well.
Promising undrafted rookie Gabriel Murphy joins Risner on IR, completing the duo to be placed on the list before the cutdown deadline. In previous years, teams were forced to use the valuable roster spots if they wanted their players to be able to return later in the year.
Ian Rapoport tweeted on Tuesday morning: “The Vikings will place promising UDFA LB Gabriel Murphy on short-term IR to begin the season, source said. The former UCLA standout flashed early in camp.”
Murphy was the top undrafted rookie, according to various analysts, so Skol Nation already envisioned another Ivan Pace Jr.
Indeed, there were plenty of similarities. Both were highly productive in their final college seasons but fell in the draft because of size concerns. Murphy has almost unprecedentedly short arms but still registered eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss last season at UCLA.
Still, the Vikings liked him. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said about the rookie earlier in training camp:
Super versatile, a guy that can rush on the edges, he rushed inside in the dime group. What’s been really cool is just seeing his impact even in the run game, from a physicality setting the edge standpoint, and he’s got some versatility like what we’ve tried to build in that edge room of guys that can maybe play off the ball as well.
He’s extremely physical and had a few days where he’s had some bumps and bruises but Gabe’s had a great training camp and is in alignment with what we want out of the undrafted free agent class; guys that you’re bringing here to hopefully have a chance to make your 53 (-man roster) and Gabe has put himself very much so in that conversation. It’s going to be competitive all the way down to the very end but Gabe just needs to focus on doing the things he’s been doing and he’ll be alright.
Kevin O’Connell
He entered the conversation to make the roster, but after missing all three preseason games, it was hard to actually make the 53-man roster, so the fact that the Vikings keep him in the building is encouraging.
The rookie will now sit out the first four games and is eligible to return in Week 5.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores also praised his player: “The thing that stands out is just his football IQ. He’s very bright. It’s very important to him. We were in a staff meeting the other day, and (someone) said that Gabe Murphy despises bad football. That’s a good thought for a coach to say about a player. He’s done a [really] nice job. I’m excited to see him moving forward in preseason games. We’ve got a long way to go, but he’s off to a good start.”
Even without him, Minnesota still has outstanding depth at the outside linebacker spots:
OLB1: Jonathan Greenard
OLB2: Andrew Van Ginkel
OLB3: Dallas Turner
OLB4: Patrick Jones II
OLB5: Jihad Ward
OLB6: Bo Richter
The top three ‒ Greenard, Van Ginkel, Turner ‒ will be on the roster. Jones has been a rotational pass rusher for three years, and Ward is a veteran with inside flexibility. Bo Richter has shown flashes and might be a candidate for the practice squad.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt