Vikings Finalize UDFA Class. Get to Know ‘Em.
The Minnesota Vikings acquired six players in this year’s NFL Draft, five with draft picks and one via trade for draft compensation. After each Draft, the Vikings try to find some gems on the undrafted market, something they’ve done remarkably well.
Vikings Finalize UDFA Class. Get to Know ‘Em.
John Randle and Mick Tingelhoff are in the Hall of Fame, and Adam Thielen turned into a superstar. The last to make serious buzz was linebacker Ivan Pace.
This year, the team announced the addition of 19 UDFAs.
QB
- Max Brosmer (Minnesota)
Max Brosmer is staying in the state. He quarterbacked the Golden Gophers last season, completing 66.5% of his passes for 2,828 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions. While his arm strength lacks some oomph, he is a smart quarterback who has some of the intangibles teams are looking for in a backup.
He was the top UDFA QB in Thor Nystrom’s UDFA rankings and in Arif Hasan’s consensus rankings. Brosmer needs to unseat Brett Rypien or Sam Howell for a roster spot.
RB
- Tre Stewart (Jacksonville State)
Tre Stewart’s stats from last season at Jacksonville State don’t even look real. He rushed 278 times for 1,638 yards and 25 touchdowns and added another 234 yards and a touchdown as a pass-catcher.
A lack of ball security and subpar pass protection could drive a coach crazy, but he is a natural runner. He’ll be an intriguing guy to watch in the preseason to determine how well (if at all) his game translates from lower-level competition in college to the NFL. His competition for the Vikings’ roster is Ty Chandler.
WR
- Silas Bolden (Texas)
- Dontae Fleming (Tulane)
- Robert Lewis (Auburn)
Silas Bolden spent four seasons at Oregon State and one at Texas. With only 267 receiving yards at Texas last season, he should be considered a long shot to see the field on offense, but he is a decent special-teams player. Last year, he returned 30 punts for 315 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 41 kickoffs in his college career. The Vikings have an opening at both spots, and he has a realistic chance.
Dontae Fleming played three years at Louisiana and two at Tulane. His most productive year came in 2024 when he recorded 598 receiving yards. He’s another guy with return experience, although not quite as prolific as Bolden in that regard. He will still enter the competition for the return gigs.
Robert Lewis is another transfer, with four years at Georgia State and one at Auburn. In his lone season in the SEC, he secured 16 passes for 155 yards. Lewis didn’t return punts in college but has some kickoff returns on his resume.
TE
- Bryson Nesbit (North Carolina)
- Ben Yurosek (Georgia)
The Vikings drafted Gavin Batholomew in the sixth round and now added two more.
Bryson Nesbit was productive in his North Carolina career, accumulating 1,510 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, including a pair of 500-yard seasons with Drake Maye, and he played a year with new-Viking Howell. He’s not much of a blocker and lacks top speed, but it’s hard to argue against the numbers.
At this point, Nesbit, Bartholomew, and Yurosek will compete for one roster spot behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Yurosek played four years at Stanford, followed by one season at Georgia with career numbers of 1,527 yards and five touchdowns. Strangely, his numbers declined in each of his last four seasons.
OL
- Logan Brown (Kansas)
- Zeke Correll (N.C. State)
- Joe Huber (Wisconsin)
Logan Brown might be the crown jewel of this group. He is an athletic offensive tackle and ranked first among all UDFAs in Nystrom’s rankings and fifth on Hasan’s consensus board (he ranked 143rd overall on the consensus board).
Zeke Correll spent five years at Notre Dame and his final campaign at North Carolina State. He is a center prospect, where the Vikings don’t have much depth.
Joe Huber is another interior lineman and another noteworthy player. Some analysts viewed him as a late-round draft pick. He will likely compete with Correll as well as last year’s late-rounder, Michael Jurgens, and Henry Byrd for one interior depth spot.
DL
- Alex Williams (Middle Tennessee State)
The Vikings already have a stacked DL position group, which is likely why they only grabbed one here. Williams is 25 years old and started his career at Ohio State in 2018. In 2020, he headed to Vanderbilt. In 2022 and 2023, he didn’t play football and spent his final year of eligibility at Middle Tennessee State. He had eight tackles and half a sack in his long college career, and it would be shocking to see him on the 53-man roster in September.
OLB
- Tyler Batty (BYU)
- Chaz Chambliss (Georgia)
At outside linebacker, the Vikings have three safe players and backups Gabriel Murphy and Bo Richter, both of whom were undrafted rookies last year. Beating them would be the direct way to a roster spot.
Tyler Batty produced 224 tackles and 16.5 sacks over five years at BYU. Both Hasan and Nystrom have him in their top 50 UDFAs. On paper, he lacks the explosiveness to play 3-4 outside linebacker and the size to play inside. It remains to be seen how Brian Flores wants to use him.
Chambliss led the stacked Georgia defense with 6.5 sacks last year and was a depth player on two national title teams. He doesn’t have the quickness and length teams are looking for, but his motor and the college production are intriguing enough to give him a chance to make the team.
MLB
- Austin Keys (Auburn)
- Dorian Mausi (Auburn)
The Vikings drafted linebacker Kobe King in the sixth round, and all of those guys will compete with Brian Asamoah for one or maybe two roster spots.
Keys played three years at Ole Miss and one at Auburn. In his two Auburn years, he made 69 tackles and two sacks.
Mausi spent four years at Duke and his final season at Auburn, where he racked up 81 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Special teams will be crucial for the two former Auburn linebackers.
CB
- Keenan Garber (Kansas State)
- Zemaiah Vaughn (Utah)
Keenan Garber was six years at Kansas State and appeared in 59 games, making 52 tackles and two INTs, primarily in his final two seasons. He started his college career as a wide receiver before switching to CB.
Zemaiah Vaughn played safety and cornerback at Utah for five years, making 144 tackles, three sacks, and three interceptions. He’s likely the better bet to make some noise.
S
- Mishael Powell (Miami)
Mishael Powell is another transfer who spent three years in Washington and one in Miami. In his last two seasons, he registered a combined eight interceptions with a pick-six in each year. The Vikings don’t have much depth at safety, so there’s a chance for the ball hawk.
P
- Oscar Chapman (Auburn)
Oscar Chapman is from the International Player Pathway Program. Those international guys often get roster exemptions and don’t count toward the roster total. It remains to be seen if that applies here. He punted for five seasons at Auburn, and his only competition is Ryan Wright, who hasn’t been that good since his rookie season in 2022.
Editor’s Note: Information from NFL.com and Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.