This time, however, they’re not alone in their interest.
This past week, a German man by the name of Moritz Böhringer participated in the Pro Day workouts at Florida Atlantic University. There was a little bit of buzz surrounding him before things got started, but that increased exponentially as Böhringer absolutely blew away the workouts.
At 6’4″ and 227 pounds, Böhringer ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds and recorded a 39-inch vertical leap. (You can see all of his numbers at the linked story there.) The numbers he put up in the drills would have put him in the top five among wide receivers in nearly every category at the NFL Scouting Combine had he been selected to participate.
According to the NFL Network, the Vikings apparently tried to get in the door early with Böhringer.
The Vikings scout — who met with Boehringer Wednesday night and had introduced himself so Böhringer would remember him after the draft in his pitch to join Minnesota as a free agent — was suddenly reassessing that plan Thursday, understanding the receiver would now likely cost his team a draft pick, maybe even a mid-rounder.
Some of the other teams that are reportedly interested in Böhringer are the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers,Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos.
If that many teams are interested in Böhringer, the odds of him becoming an undrafted free agent wouldn’t appear to be very good. The Vikings are expected to draft a wide receiver (or two) at some point in this month’s draft, but would they use a fourth or fifth-round pick on an unknown quantity like Böhringer?