Irv Smith Jr. Reshapes the Tight End position for the Vikings.

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Apr 27, 2019

On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings used their second round pick to select Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. For the first time under head coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings have invested a first, second, and third round draft pick on the offense. Scouts describe Smith Jr. as a “move” tight end, meaning he has the ability to move off of the offensive line and play as an upright receiver. Smith Jr. can also put his hand in the dirt and makes blocks in the run game. Although he struggles with that task compared to some other bigger tight ends, he is surely more effective than a smaller wide receiver blocking in the slot.

After Smith Jr’s drafting, all eyes immediately shifted to incumbent veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph came into this offseason with a chip on his shoulder. He lashed out at fans on twitter who wanted to replace him, and wore a “lots of game left” sweatshirt to the opening day of offseason workouts. Additionally, he has been outspoken about wanting to alter his deal to add more years to his contract with Minnesota.

But the drafting of Irv Smith Jr. leaves us with some questions. The team obviously really values the young tight end from Alabama. Despite getting lots of trade requests, the Vikings held at pick 50 to land their guy. Internally, scouts were excited that Smith Jr fell to them. When looking at how eager the Vikings were to acquire draft picks in the third round, where they traded down a total of four times, the team’s decision to not trade down in round two looks notable. Irv Smith Jr. must be a notable tight end.

It is not hard to imagine what Smith Jr can look like in the 2019 Vikings offense. He and Rudolph are very different tight ends. The Vikings could surely use both at the same time. In 12 personnel, Smith Jr. can move off the line, acting more like a big bodied slot receiver while Rudolph plants next to a tackle and Thielen and Diggs work the outside. Stefanski could also design trick plays with the two tight ends. Both would be out of the field, where Rudolph could act as a run blocker while Smith Jr. sneaks out for a completion using play-action.

But it is also not hard to imagine the Vikings moving on from Rudolph after investing so much in Irv Smith Jr. Rudolph only has one year on his deal, and the Vikings need cap space to use as a cushion during the season. As it stands now, the Vikings don’t have space to sign free agents in the middle of the season. Just last year, the Vikings signed kicker Dan Bailey after cutting Daniel Carlson in September.

The Vikings have reportedly been fielding trade offers for Rudolph. If they do trade him, they could receive some cap space help while keeping their offense similar to 2018. Last year, the Vikings used formations with one tight end and three wide receivers 71% of the time. If they like him enough, the Vikings could move into 2019 with Irv Smith Jr as their top tight end.

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