A Trio of Practice Squad Vikings with Extreme Attributes
The wise NFL front office invests in extremes when adding talent to the fringes of the roster.
Consider, for instance, C.J. Ham, someone who was a practice squad Viking initially before becoming a fixture. He’s unusually gifted in his leadership and he’s someone who works very hard while offering great versatility. A team could add someone who is uniquely fast, strong, huge, or (fill in the blank) to justify giving a player a shot. Does Minnesota have any of those guys?
The 3 Practice Squad Vikings with Fascinating Attributes
Player No. 1 — Caleb Etienne, Offensive Tackle
The depth large lad is huge. More specifically, he stands at 6’7″ and weighs 329 pounds.
The sense one gets is that he’s raw. Fine, work on solving the rawness. He has upside due to having such an imposing frame. By definition, NFL offensive linemen are massive people, but Etienne stands out as unique even among this group of talent.
Working alongside the offensive tackle in the coming months makes a lot of sense. If everything clicks, Etienne could someday be a nice depth option.
Player No. 2 — Joaquin Davis, Wide Receiver
Every offensive coach likes having super fast, tall receivers to play along the outside. Mr. Davis is that player.
The pass catcher stands at 6’4″. He ran a blistering 4.36 forty (RAS). In other words, Davis is taller and faster than every receiver on Minnesota’s roster.
Of course, being tall and fast aren’t the lone things that someone needs to play NFL receiver. But, to be sure, those attributes do help. Proving to be a burner who can threaten to take the roof off the defense appears to be his path toward a job on offense. Being a menace at gunner could similarly be very helpful.
Player No. 3 — Gabriel Murphy, Edge Rusher
Gabriel Murphy made the team last season. He was seemingly a lock to do so again coming into the season. After all, his final college season contained great production: 8 sacks alongside 16 tackles for loss.
Partner those numbers with the preseason effort (some robust stats there, too) and he stood out for offering unusually promising production. Oh, and the athleticism he displayed pre-draft — such as his elite vertical and forty time — set him apart as being unique (RAS).
But then the roster trim down occurred; Gabriel Murphy was allowed to escape. Why didn’t the great production turn into a job? Clearly, there’s a sense that the potential upside on defense didn’t justify a coveted spot. Tyler Batty and Bo Richter have been the EDGE4 and EDGE5, seldom earning snaps for Brian Flores but often being leaned on by Matt Daniels.
Going into next season, Mr. Murphy will look to prove capable of functioning as a strong EDGE4. He’s slippery but undersized. Helping on specials while having the capacity to hit passers is what he’ll need to show.
