Vikings UDFA Has “Put Himself in a Conversation” to Make Roster
Only a few things are taken as seriously in Minnesota as the love for undrafted rookies. Vikings fans adore those long-shot players and celebrate them whenever they can establish themselves on the roster. A duo found their way into the history books: Mick Tingelhoff and John Randle, who are both enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Vikings UDFA Has “Put Himself in a Conversation” to Make Roster
Last year, Ivan Pace Jr., Andre Carter II, and NaJee Thompson all made the 53-man roster. This regime around Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell has clearly shown interest in acquiring the top undrafted rookies each year. Outbidding other teams has been smart as it virtually gives the organization extra draft picks.
This year’s group includes some promising players, mainly cornerback Dwight McGlothern, wideout Jeshaun Jones, and pass rusher Gabriel Murphy.
The latter was a topic of discussion during Kevin O’Connell’s media availability on Thursday when the head coach was asked about his rookie.
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
The skipper praises a player who was pretty unanimously viewed as a prospect who should have been selected, according to most draft pundits. Still, he tumbled down the draft board and even landed in the undrafted pool.
Minnesota snatched him up, and he entered a room with some openings after the departure of the top three outside linebackers, Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum, and Marcus Davenport.
In exchange, the Vikings acquired Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency and surprisingly landed perhaps the top pass rusher in the draft in Dallas Turner, with the 17th overall pick. They joined returning depth piece Pat Jones II and freshly signed experienced backup Jihad Ward.
The first unofficial depth chart showed the following order:
Starters: Jonathan Greenard/Andrew Van Ginkel
Backups: Pat Jones II/Dallas Turner
Third-String: Gabriel Murphy/Jihad Ward
Fourth-String: Owen Porter/Andre Carter II/Bo Richter
Murphy has already usurped last year’s UDFA Carter II and is listed ahead of fellow undrafted rookies Bo Richter and Owen Porter. In his final college season at UCLA, the defender racked up 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores said about his player last week: “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.”
Murphy will surely get a lot of work in his first preseason contest on Saturday against the Raiders, and his goal is to make teams around the league regret passing on him.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.
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