Vikings Reportedly Sign 4 Players on Thursday
The Minnesota Vikings have begun their preparation for the 2025 season. Until training camp begins at some point in July, the players will regularly meet at TCO Performance Center for minicamps and offseason workouts.
Vikings Reportedly Sign 4 Players on Thursday
On Thursday, rookies arrived at the venue in Eagan, MN, for their rookie minicamp. They will take the field in front of reporters on Friday. A usual item on the to-do list is signing the rookie deals at some point during those few days together. And that’s exactly what four of the five members of the 2025 draft class did.
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported on social media: “Per source, the #Vikings have signed four of their five draft picks: Tai Felton, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Kobe King and Gavin Bartholomew, per source. Only first-rounder Donovan Jackson remains unsigned.”
The Vikings confirmed on their website.
Rookie contracts don’t have much wiggle room outside of when the money will be paid, and some details in the language. The salary and the length are set.
Only first-rounder Donovan Jackson has not yet signed. That is no reason for concern whatsoever, as he could still do that at any point. Last season, J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner did it right before the beginning of training camp when folks started to be nervous about it. Because everything is standardized and there’s no way out of it, there’s not really any cause for panic.
But let’s check on those who actually signed their deals.
Tai Felton
It was a big surprise when the Vikings spent the second pick, pick 102, on a wide receiver. Tai Felton, out of Maryland, ran a 4.37 40-yard dash and was productive in college with over 2,100 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in his last three seasons, including a final campaign with 1,124 receiving yards and nine scores.
Last year’s trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor returns for 2025, and free agent signing Rondale Moore could also compete for snaps once he’s healthy. Felton is considered a great special-teams player, especially as a punt gunner; his role on offense is undefined at this point.
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
Many thought the club could add a defensive lineman early in the draft, but GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah waited until round five. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins played a rotational role on the annually stacked defensive line of the Georgia Bulldogs and, therefore, was not a productive football player.
However, he is an upside player due to impressive measurements at the scouting combine. Ingram-Dawkins could be used as an interior pass rusher or a big edge defender.
Kobe King
Linebacker Kobe King was another athletic prospect, and he had 97 tackles and three sacks last year. The Vikings are set with Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr., but behind those, the rookie could have a depth role.
King will compete with free agent addition Eric Wilson and Brian Asamoah, a 2022 third-rounder who is exclusively a special-teams player at this point in his career.
Gavin Bartholomew
Tight ends were a massive need for the franchise that entered the draft with only two tight ends under contract. Gavin Bartholomew, out of Pittsburgh, recorded about 300 receiving yards in each of his four seasons and scored a total of 11 times.
After the draft, the Vikings added Ben Yurosek, another notable tight end prospect. Those two will likely battle for the TE3 spot behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.
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