A Former 5-Star Recruit Could Make Some Noise in Vikings Camp
NFL players come in all shapes and forms. Some were superstar players in high schools, others walked on to find their way onto college rosters. The Vikings employ players from various backgrounds, too.
A Former 5-Star Recruit Could Make Some Noise in Vikings Camp
One of the more gifted athletes is offensive tackle Logan Brown, a five-star college recruit in 2019. He was listed as 247Sports’ top offensive tackle in the country ahead of guys like Charles Cross, Evan Neal, and Darnell Wright.
Despite all the hype coming out of high school, Brown went undrafted a few years later. The Vikings hope they can unlock some of that potential and get his career back on track.
Shortly after the draft, The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner wrote: “Frankly, I was surprised to see Brown go undrafted. A 6-6, 311-pounder with near 34-inch arms and good explosion, Brown was a five-star recruit who transferred to Kansas in 2023 after Wisconsin dismissed him for reportedly striking another player during practice. He flashes NFL starter-level traits.”
Many people were surprised to see Brown drop into the UDFA pool. He was 143rd on Arif Hasan’s consensus big board and therefore should’ve been a fourth or fifth-round selection.
One of the top UDFAs, Brown potentially fell in the draft because of the incident at the University of Wisconsin, when he allegedly struck a teammate and was dismissed. He then transferred to Kansas.
Back to on-field play, Brown is an exciting athlete, and he showed that prior to the draft at his athletic testing.
In the 2024 campaign, he allowed zero sacks in north of 300 pass-blocking snaps.
PFF ranked him 150th in this draft class and wrote in his draft profile: “Brown looks and grades like the kind of offensive tackle worth taking a chance on. He has an ideal athletic build for the position with great height, weight and length, and flashes power on contact and fluid movement skills. However, his fundamentals remain a work in progress — he plays too high, lunges into blocks and can misread run fits. Still, those issues appear coachable, making him a developmental tackle with upside.”
There’s undoubtedly some work to be done in terms of technique, and the Vikings would likely turn elsewhere if they needed someone else to start at tackle. Justin Skule is expected to slide into the starting lineup for as long as Christian Darrisaw is out. He is an experienced swing tackle backup, and the Vikings hired him for that exact role.
Another tackle candidate is Walter Rouse, a 2024 sixth-rounder. He had a redshirt year in 2025, but with David Quessenberry no longer around and some practice reps on his resume, the sophomore hopes to stick around on the roster and perhaps even jump up a spot or two on the depth chart.
There’s likely one spot available for Rouse and Brown, although there could be room for both if Darrisaw misses the start of the year.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.