Kwesi Says Vikings’ Late-Round Rookie Has Starter Potential
The Minnesota Vikings selected five players in the draft in addition to snatching backup quarterback Sam Howell via trade. The first three picks are a nice mix of a high-floor talent in first-rounder Donovan Jackson and the raw but intriguing physical tools of Tai Felton and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins.
Kwesi Says Vikings’ Late-Round Rookie Has Starter Potential
In the sixth round, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had two final selections, spending them to bring tight end Gavin Bartholomew and linebacker Kobe King to the Twin Cities.
King could be a sneaky steal, according to the young executive. At his post-draft presser, Kwesi introduced the rookie.
Kobe King, linebacker from Penn State: Really excited to add him. A lot of times in football, we make it harder than it is, but it’s a meat-and-potatoes game in some positions, and linebacker is one of them. You need somebody to tackle the person trying to advance the ball up the field against your team, whether that be special teams with the ball in his hands or defending the pass and he’s somebody that plays with range, tackles, is a really physical knockback-impact tackler.
We’re excited to add him not just to our fourth-down units but also potentially to be a starter one day in this league. Great communicator, was able to move people around in the Penn State defense, a great defense in its own right.
Indeed, a linebacker’s primary job is to stop opposing plays, and King racked up 200 tackles in his career at Penn State, including 97 last season. In his top year in 2024, he added three sacks, nine tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
Later, Adofo-Mensah repeated the starting nugget. He explained the process of identifying him, saying the scouts knew him early, and then the coaches had to get involved because linebackers are tricky to evaluate. He added, “Once our coaches got involved, they thought he had starter potential.”
Adofo-Mensah used the 201st pick. King ranked 176th on the consensus big board, so he got a little steal according to many analysts, but also according to him.
The GM told the story of the linebacker coming up in a simulation, so they did a deep dive and thought, “there’s no way he’ll be there when the projection says he will be. Sometimes you get lucky.”
NFL.com’s draft analyst Lance Zierlein classified him in his profile as a “good backup with the potential to develop into a starter.”
He wrote, “Big, productive inside linebacker who needs to play with good technique to make up for athletic and speed limitations. King is best in the confines of the box, where he can play downhill and utilize his physicality. He’s good with block take-ons and can compress the runner’s workspace. He loses ground pursuing outside runs and falls prey to missed tackles in the open field. King can be exploited on passing downs, but he plays with the toughness and physicality necessary to be a two-down inside linebacker. He has the potential to become a starter.”
King has the size and the skills to be a disruptor upfront, but isn’t particularly good at covering people, which could be the main reason why he was available late in the draft, and it might be what will hold him back in the league.
The first two linebackers remain Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. Behind them, the club signed Eric Wilson in free agency and still employs Brian Asamoah, a former third-rounder who has been limited to special teams work since Brian Flores arrived in 2023.
A UDFA from last year, Max Tooley, and two UDFAs from this class, Austin Keys and Dorian Mausi (both Auburn), also enter the mix for four or maybe five roster spots.
King clearly has fans in the building and could potentially have a shot to outperform his draft status, especially if he can showcase some talent as a special teamer early.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.