Undrafted Vikings Rookie Primed to Contribute in 2026
Undrafted rookies have a long history in the Twin Cities, starting with Hall of Fame center Mick Tingelhoff in the 60s, and continuing through Adam Thielen, who starred for his childhood team.
This year’s group also includes some promising players, but no one is more likely to earn a roster spot than punter Brett Thorson. All he has to do in the summer is to beat out one 36-year-old.
Sure, Johnny Hekker has all the accolades, but he’s coming off a slow season, while Thorson was regarded as one of the premier punting prospects in this year’s draft class. He ended up going undrafted, while two other punters heard their names called.
Thorson is already 26. The Australian arrived at the University of Georgia in 2022. He played Australian Rules Football until joining the American college ranks. Minnesota’s new punter quickly assumed the starting job and served as Georgia’s punter for four campaigns and won the Ray Guy Award after his last season, the award for the nation’s top punter.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein thought he was a draftable prospect, writing ahead of the draft, “Australian punter with adequate drive power and above-average hang time. Thorson gets good leg extension and has the ability to generate consistent lift, allowing the cover team to swarm when punts are returnable. He displayed vast improvement in touch with his coffin-corner kicks in 2025 and checks the boxes to be a Day 3 pick.”
Ultimately, the Vikings got him without spending a draft pick.
Last year’s punter, Ryan Wright, left after four years. He signed a massive deal with the New Orleans Saints, paying him $14 million over four years, with $8 million guaranteed.
As a replacement, Johnny Hekker was hired. Hekker agreed to a one-year, $1,487,500 contract. Due to his guarantees, a release wouldn’t free up any cap space.
At 36, he has lost some of his magic. After spending his first ten NFL seasons with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles, he has been a journeyman since, with a three-year stint with the Carolina Panthers from 2022 to 2024 and a one-year stint with the Tennessee Titans in 2025.
Among the 32 punters with at least 25 punts, Hekker ranked 23rd in PFF grade, 20th in yards per punt and 25th in net average (with returns). He also had a high touchback rate and his hangtime ranked 21st.
The four-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro is no longer unbeatable.
It’s also noteworthy that Hekker is at best a stopgap solution for the specialist job, while Thorson, though an older rookie at 26, could occupy the position for years to come. That’s especially intriguing for kicker Will Reichard. The 2025 All-Pro could get used to a single holder rather than having to get to know a new one every year. Reichard is set to sign a monster deal next offseason if he can repeat last season’s heroics. Continuity on special teams is crucial.
That element could present a problem for Thorson, though, as he didn’t hold on field goals at Georgia. The Bulldogs use quarterbacks for that job. Hekker is known to be one of the best in that niche business and it will be his best asset in a competition versus the younger opponent throughout training camp.
Thorson certainly has the leg to win that battle. If he can prove that he can be a sure-handed holder, he’ll be the starting punter for the 2026 Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.