Preseason All-Rookie Team? 4 Vikings Made It.
The Minnesota Vikings had a surprisingly good preseason experience in 2024 after losing every preseason contest of the last three years. A flawless record and a couple of dominant exhibitions could be proof of improved depth, something the team lacked in recent seasons.
Preseason All-Rookie Team? 4 Vikings Made It.
That jump can be attributed, at least to some extent, to the rookie class assembled by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, which featured eight draft picks and a big group of undrafted rookies.
Pro Football Focus built an All-Rookie team, and four Vikings made the cut.
Taki Taimani
Nose tackle Taki Taimani might have been the best player in the preseason in general, but among defensive linemen, he stood out. The preseason has a sample size problem. It’s only three games, and players rarely play full games. Taimani logged 66 defensive snaps, while some other defensive linemen eclipsed 100.
Still, Taimani ranked first in tackles (nine) and second in defensive stops (eight). He earned a phenomenal grade of 89.3. No other linemen with at least 50 snaps had a better grade than 80.2. His 17.1 run-stop percentage would’ve ranked him at the top of all defensive linemen in the 2023 regular season.
Nobody viewed him as a candidate to make the team when he signed with the Vikings, but he outperformed Jaquelin Roy and is the team’s top backup nose tackle. He is a monster against the run, and the Vikings could very well use the undrafted rookie out of Oregon on obvious running downs early in his career.
Dwight McGlothern
The cornerback group has undergone a massive transformation since training camp started. With Stephon Gilmore and Fabian Moreau, the Vikings acquired a pair of experienced veterans in addition to a room that already included last year’s starters Byron Murphy and Akayleb Evans, as well as free-agent addition Shaq Griffin.
In all of that experience, an undrafted rookie out of Arkansas made a name for himself, shining in the preseason. The Vikings might have found a gem in all the chaos at the position.
Among all cornerbacks, only first-rounder Nate Wiggins received a higher grade than Dwight McGlothern’s 88.4. He was credited with five tackles and allowed only two of his four targets to be caught for seven yards. He snatched an interception in the second game. Opposing quarterbacks collected an embarrassing passer rating of 16.7 when testing the lanky defender.
He displayed his ball skills and his sticky coverage throughout training camp and the preseason. McGlothern might not have an easy path to the field in 2024, but if his teammates struggle, he might have a shot.
Dallas Gant
Linebacker Dallas Gant is the only one of the four guys who failed to make the 53-man roster, but his preseason was certainly not the problem. In 139 defensive snaps. Gant made 16 tackles and nine defensive stops.
Gant earned an excellent grade of 77.6, and his run defense grade of 89.0 stood out.
The undrafted rookie out of Toledo wasn’t included when the Vikings announced their 53-man roster, but he was signed to the practice squad. Minnesota employs starters Ivan Pace and Blake Cashman and backups Kamu Grugier-Hill and Brian Asamoah.
Will Reichard
Sixth-round pick Will Reichard has been impressive ever since he stepped foot in the Twin Cities. The NCAA’s all-time leader in points scored hit all eight of his extra point attempts in the preseason and seven of his eight field goals. The miss was a blocked kick.
Even in practice, he has been highly consistent. His brightest moments were a game-winning field goal in the first preseason game and, in the third preseason game, when he drilled a 57-yarder, which would’ve been the second-longest field goal in Vikings franchise history if it had occurred in the regular season.
The early results have been extremely encouraging.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF helped with this article.
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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