4 Undrafted Rookies Command Attention
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s third draft class in charge of the Minnesota Vikings includes two major players: J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner. Their development will determine how well the group is ultimately perceived. Late-round picks Will Reichard, Minnesota’s new kicker, and defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez have shown some promise, too.
4 Undrafted Rookies Keep Flashing Talent
In addition to the draft picks, it seems to be a focal point for Adofo-Mensah to acquire strong undrafted rookies. He managed to lure top UDFAs to Minnesota in all three years, and four guys of this year’s crew have drawn praise recently.
Gabriel Murphy
Pass rusher Gabriel Murphy was regarded as this year’s top undrafted rookie by many, and he has shown it through two weeks of training camp.
On Friday, he wreaked a situational one-minute drill led by McCarthy by recording a sack and tipping a pass at the line of scrimmage.
One day later, defensive coordinator Brian Flores talked about his rookie: “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.”
The defender had the college production and possesses the explosiveness to make an impact at the professional level. Flores has proven that he can put players in a position to win despite the lack of size, and Murphy will benefit greatly from that in 2024. He appears to be on the inside track in the 53-man roster race.
Owen Porter
Another pass rusher, Owen Porter, surely didn’t have the same high expectations entering and coming out of the draft. He spent his entire five-year college career at Marshall University and, after two quiet seasons, produced 40.5 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks in his final three campaigns.
On Saturday, SI.com’s Will Ragatz mentioned him in his daily training camp recap: “Deep sleeper time: Vikings undrafted rookie OLB Owen Porter (No. 57) looks like an NFL player to me. He keeps popping in 1-on-1 drills since the pads have come on.”
Indeed, a deep sleeper, Porter doesn’t have a track record like Murphy, but he might carve out a role as a special teamer early in his career. The easiest path to making a 53-man roster is to excel in the forgotten phase. He is a prime candidate for the practice squad.
Dwight McGlothern
Dwight McGlothern is a cornerback, famously one of Minnesota’s most concerning positions. Because of that, there are some openings and a chance for him to make some noise.
One practice rep, filmed by VikingsTerritory‘s Sean Borman, caught some attention.
After a relatively unsuccessful stint at LSU, McGlothern transferred to Arkansas, where his career took off. He snatched seven interceptions in the last two seasons and has the length and the speed to contribute.
Considering Andrew Booth’s struggles and Mekhi Blackmon’s season-ending injury, his continued emergence would be a big win for Minnesota’s defense.
Jeshaun Jones
Wideout Jeshaun Jones also enters a position room with question marks, mainly behind starters Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, of course. His college journey was eventful and lengthy, as he tore his ACL twice, forcing him to sit out a lot of football.
Still, after spending six years at the University of Maryland, he produced over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns. The good news is that he has been healthy recently, playing all 26 games in the last two seasons.
He has been on the receiving end of some McCarthy highlights.
The aforementioned Ragatz also praised Jones in his camp recap: “I’ve already mentioned him in this space, but UDFA WR Jeshaun Jones made a couple more plays today, including a leaping grab on a throw from Jaren Hall. He looks good.”
Nailor and Powell seem to establish the WR3 and WR4 roles, but Jones might sneak onto the roster as a depth player.
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