Vikings Rookie Has Had a Bad Offseason
The Minnesota Vikings selected only five players in this year’s draft class because GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah lost his draft capital in past moves. At the top of his class is guard Donovan Jackson, who is benefiting from Will Fries’ continued absence, getting first-team reps in his place.
Another rookie hasn’t had that good of a start.
Gavin Bartholomew was forced to work individually.
After picking wideout Tai Felton on day two, Adofo-Mensah selected three players on day three in addition to acquiring Sam Howell via trade: Defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, linebacker Kobe King, and tight end Gavin Bartholomew.
Bartholomew was selected to be the successor to the departed depth piece, Johnny Mundt, who had left for Jacksonville in free agency after three years in purple. Mundt, a long-time student under Kevin O’Connell, could be higher on his new depth chart than in Minnesota, where he was listed behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver without any chance to move up.
Unfortunately, the rookie hasn’t gotten much work done recently, as he’s dealing with the injury. SI.com’s Will Ragatz wrote in his latest 53-man roster prediction: “For the time being, I’ve still got Bartholomew winning the TE3 job, given that he was drafted. But he was off the side rehabbing an injury during the offseason program, while both Yurosek and Nesbit were making plays in 7-on-7 action. That’ll be a real competition. Ricci, who was signed recently, has some experience that will give him a chance.”
As long as he’s not involved in team practice, he can’t show that he’s deserving of that vacant TE3 spot.
College Career and Draft Profile
Bartholomew spent his entire college career at Pittsburgh, catching 105 passes for 1,257 yards and 11 touchdowns in 50 games. It is fascinating that he logged between 283 and 326 yards in each of his four campaigns.
Draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about the sixth-rounder: “Tight end prospect with a broad upper body, muscular arms and adequate demeanor to block. Bartholomew will primarily function as an in-line tight end but can be set in action as a move blocker when needed. He’s unspectacular as an athlete with soft hands and an average catch radius. His block aggression is admirable, but Bartholomew will need to get stronger and improve his block sustain to make a roster.”
Most of his colleagues in the draft community share the belief that he needs to put on some weight and strength for improved blocking. From a receiving standpoint, he possesses the necessary athleticism to become a long-time TE3 in the NFL who can catch between 15 and 20 passes a year, like Mundt did for the Vikings.
In May, head coach O’Connell said about his rookie: Gavin, you know, it’s always a position that sometimes between the film evaluation, the Pro Day, seeing the tape of it, you just hope they show up and look the way you hope they look. And Gavin definitely did.”
He couldn’t bring the momentum from May into June.
Other Contestants for Vikings’ TE3 Job
If Bartholomew can’t go, it will open the door for three other tight ends to snatch that spot. The Vikings also signed two undrafted rookies right after the draft and recently added Giovanni Ricci.
Ben Yurosek was one of the top money-getters among UDFAs this year. He played four years (he hardly played in the first one) in Stanford’s subpar offense and still managed to catch 108 passes for 1,342 yards and five touchdowns. Last season, he moved to Georgia and caught 15 passes.
His production at Georgia was underwhelming, but he is a decent athlete and a good blocker. PFF regarded him as a mid-round pick: “Yurosek didn’t see heavy usage in 2024, but he brings adequate all-around NFL ability for the position (best as a move tight end), especially if he can put on five-to-10 pounds. He can be a versatile TE2 in basically any offense as a mid-round pick.”
Bryson Nesbit, meanwhile, is an intriguing prospect because he was pretty much North Carolina’s slot receiver and was productive there with 1,510 yards and 13 scores through four seasons. In two of those, 2022 and 2023, both with Drake Maye throwing him the ball, he eclipsed 500 yards each year and scored a total of nine times.
The aforementioned Ricci has been a special-teams player in the league with the experience of 36 NFL games. He has caught 12 passes for two different teams but hasn’t played in a game since 2023.
Bartholomew is the favorite for a roster spot simply because he was drafted, and that investment gives him an edge, but if one of the other rookies is better, the Vikings won’t care about that sixth-rounder and continue to employ someone else.
O’Connell also said in May when he was talking about Bartholomew: “We hope the other two are pushing right there to either make it a hard decision on keeping four, or [go to] the practice squad and all those things.”
The tight end competition could be fun to watch in training camp and the preseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.