In 2026, The Vikings May Boast a Freebie of a Draft Pick
Tight end Gavin Bartholomew got scooped up in the 6th Round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He then had to nurse an injury that robbed him of his rookie season.
The Vikings are working through a new era. Most notable, of course, is the quarterback competition that’s taking place in the Twin Cities. So, too, does the presence of GM Nolan Teasley give Minnesota football that new car smell. Behind the scenes, perhaps, has been Mr. Bartholomew. Maybe the young tight end surprises some people as a sophomore.
The Vikings are Cheering for Gavin Bartholomew
Some basics on Mr. Bartholomew.
He’s a 23-year-old pass catcher who played his college ball at Pittsburgh, the same university where Brian O’Neill and Jordan Addison were able to become better football players. He’s listed as being 6’5″ and 250 pounds. He is, in other words, closer in his build to T.J. Hockenson than Josh Oliver. Whether he can successfully blend their abilities — catching a pass or two while being a sturdy blocker — remains to be seen, but it would be a good outcome for the No. 202 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Check out what draft wizard Lance Zierlein had to say.
The blurb on the league website: “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.”
Losing a season of on-field work isn’t ideal. What’s nevertheless possible is that Mr. Bartholomew turned that negative into a partial positive.
Being able to slowly learn the scheme could be a good thing. After all, there’s no shortage of players willing to admit that the Kevin O’Connell scheme is a beast that isn’t easily wrestled into submission. Giving a young lad plenty of time to digest the playbook could therefore be somewhat helpful.
Likewise, it’s plausible that a year working out of TCO will have helped to improve Gavin Bartholomew from a strength and conditioning standpoint. At minimum, he no longer needs to adjust to training to run a forty, do a high jump, and other tests at the NFL Combine. Instead, he’s able to do the specific things that are required to be a great TE3 for the Minnesota Vikings.
A basic assumption in the Twin Cities is that T.J. Hockenson alongside Josh Oliver are going to be on the final roster (Oliver is more secure in his roster spot). Whoever wins the TE3 job will need to emulate what Johnny Mundt could do: block with great effort, catch the occasional pass, and be used all over special teams.
Last year, UDFA tight end Ben Yurosek didn’t do too poorly in the TE3 job. Bryson Nesbit was kept around on the practice squad for all of 2025 before getting brought back for 2026 to compete yet again. More recently, Nolan Teasley brought in Marshall Lang to compete, as well.
A bit overlooked has been the ongoing presence of Gavin Bartholomew, a draft pick of the 2025 cluster of talent who has been somewhat forgotten due to his health issues. Now healthy, Bartholomew will look to show he’s ready to a Sunday job in Minnesota.
