Vikings UDFA Has “Starter-Level Traits”
The Minnesota Vikings have a pretty strong roster on paper and even improved the unit in the draft, especially by selecting first-rounder Donovan Jackson, who has 55 games and 40 starts for Ohio State on his resume. Most of that came at left guard, which will be his position in Minnesota, and some at left tackle as an injury replacement.
Vikings UDFA Has “Starter-Level Traits”
As a top pick, he is envisioned to make some noise sooner rather than later and steal the starting spot in training camp or shortly thereafter. Other rookies don’t arrive at TCO Performance Center with expectations like that. Undrafted rookie Logan Brown, however, has some fans.
Logan Brown
The offensive tackle of the Kansas Jayhawks signed as a priority free agent.
The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner thinks he’s a guy to watch, writing this week: “Frankly, I was surprised to see Brown go undrafted. A 6-6, 311-pounder with near 34-inch arms and good explosion, Brown was a five-star recruit who transferred to Kansas in 2023 after Wisconsin dismissed him for reportedly striking another player during practice. He flashes NFL starter-level traits.”
Many people were surprised to see Brown drop into the UDFA pool. He was 143rd on Arif Hasan’s consensus big board and therefore should’ve been a fourth or fifth-round selection.
One reason for his fall, perhaps even the major reason, is his incident at Wisconsin. He allegedly hit a teammate, which is obviously a no-go, and he was dismissed. Subsequently, he transferred to Kansas.
Scouting Stuff
Back to the stuff that made him a highly-touted recruit and an intriguing player for draft analysts. Brown is an athletic specimen. People that large shouldn’t be able to move like that. He offers quickness and explosiveness.
Last season, in almost 300 pass-block snaps, he allowed zero sacks and QB hits.
PFF ranked him 150th in this draft class and wrote in his draft profile: “Brown looks and grades like the kind of offensive tackle worth taking a chance on. He has an ideal athletic build for the position with great height, weight and length, and flashes power on contact and fluid movement skills. However, his fundamentals remain a work in progress — he plays too high, lunges into blocks and can misread run fits. Still, those issues appear coachable, making him a developmental tackle with upside.”
Most rookies aren’t finished products, and Kansas’ former right tackle isn’t any different. The Vikings have veteran blockers and experienced coaches who can teach him a thing or two.
Path to the Roster
Those veteran blockers, Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw, aren’t going anywhere, and doing at tackle what Ivan Pace Jr. did in 2023 at linebacker, clinching a starting spot, is pretty much impossible.
However, there will be a couple of backup tackles on the team, especially if Darrisaw isn’t ready for Week 1. Justin Skule, the free agent addition, will probably take one of those. The other one will likely be between Brown and last year’s sixth-rounder, Walter Rouse.
Other Intriguing UDFAs
Besides Brown, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tracked down some other solid undrafted guys. Among those are pass rusher Tyler Batty, who is leading Minnesota’s UDFAs in guaranteed money. He is 26 years old but was productive in college, and the Vikings clearly see something in him.
Wideout Silas Bolden could be a candidate for the punt returning job, which would automatically give him a strong chance to be included when the Vikings announced their 53-man roster in August.
Tight end Ben Yurosek had over 1,500 receiving yards in college and is a solid blocker. Another player with high guarantees, Yurosek, could compete with sixth-rounder Gavin Bartholomew for the TE3 gig.
Even more productive was running back Tre Stewart, who is coming off a season at Jacksonville State with outlandish 1,872 yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns – just in 2024.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.
Vikings Opened the Checkbook for 3 UDFAs