The Vikings Strike Again
Undrafted players have a long tradition in the Twin Cities. Mick Tingelhoff and John Randle have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In the last decade, Adam Thielen became one of the best wideouts in the NFL, and C.J. Ham has starred on Minnesota’s offense. On the other side of the ball, Ivan Pace Jr. is doing his best to become the next big thing.
The Vikings Strike Again
Since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took charge of the organization in 2022, the Vikings have pivoted from Rick Spielman’s strategy to select a bunch of seventh-rounders towards just signing the top undrafted players right after the draft.
They might miss out on some of the guys they could’ve landed with Spielman’s strategy, but it’s not like they have failed to attract the top UDFAs. The Vikings have clearly opened the checkbook, and when the top guaranteed money for those guys is reported, the purple franchise always has a few of them at or near the top of the list.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter ranked undrafted rookies by position, and three of the purple newcomers rank pretty highly.
QB Max Brosmer
The Minnesota Golden Gopher went undrafted, but the Vikings hosted him for a pre-draft visit, and he signed with the local team shortly after the draft. Reuter lists him as the second-best signal-caller on his list behind Seth Henigan, who joined Nick Mullens in Jacksonville.
Brosmer played one season for the Gophers, where he completed 66.5% of his passes for 2,828 yards. 23 total touchdowns and six interceptions.
He’s a smart quarterback who excels on medium throws, especially in the middle of the field. While he lacks fancy physical tools, which probably limits his ceiling, he brings some backup QB qualities and could develop into one over time. His competition is Brett Rypien and trade acquisition Sam Howell. A year or two on the practice squad under the wings of Kevin O’Connell isn’t the worst step for an inexperienced passer.
OT Logan Brown
This one is a real star among undrafted rookies. Reuter ranked him second on the OT board, but other undrafted rookie lists have him near the top of the entire group regardless of position.
Brown spent five seasons at Wisconsin, redshirting one season and being a reserve in the others. His final year came at Kansas, where he started at right tackle and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors.
Many viewed him as someone teams could and should select in about the fourth round, but he tumbled despite recording excellent testing numbers in the pre-draft process. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill have a chokehold on the tackle spots, but backup swing tackle is a valuable position. This year, Justin Skule has that gig. Brown will compete with last year’s sixth-rounder Walter Rouse and a couple of practice-squad guys from last year for a roster spot.
EDGE Tyler Batty
BYU’s pass rusher, Tyler Batty, was the top-ranked EDGE on Reuter’s board.
A 6-5, 271-pound defensive end, Batty has the size of someone who could sneakily move inside and compete there for a pass-rushing role, but staying outside is possible, too. He produced 16.5 sacks in college and 34 tackles for loss.
Batty will turn 26 next month, and it can be questioned whether he can learn what he lacks, but a high motor and solid power at the point of attack are two things coaches can work with.
His competition for a roster spot at OLB is Gabriel Murphy and Bo Richter from last year’s UDFA class, as well as fellow undrafted rookie Chaz Chambliss.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.
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