Minnesota Vikings Undrafted Free Agents

After the Annual NFL Draft comes to an end there's a 32-team scramble to sign the college football players that weren't drafted. The Minnesota Vikings signed 15 Undrafted Free Agents.

Player Position  College Height  Weight Jeff Badet WR Oklahoma 6'0" 172 Mike Boone RB Cincinnati 5'10" 205 Curtis Cothran DT Penn State 6'5" 301 Garrett Dooley LB Wisconsin 6'2" 227 Armanti Foreman WR Texas 6'0" 210 Chris Gonzales G San Jose State 6'3" 310 Holton Hill CB Texas 6'2" 196 Tyler Hoppes TE Nebraska 6'4" 245 Hercules Mata'afa DL Washington State 6'2" 254 Trevon Mathis CB Toledo 5'10" 186 Tray Matthews S Auburn 6'0" 196 Kamryn Pettway RB Auburn 6'0"  235 Pete Pujals QB Holy Cross 6'2" 215 Korey Robertson WR Southern Mississippi 6'1" 212 Roc Thomas RB Jacksonville State 5'10" 198 Jake Weineke WR South Dakota State 6'4" 205 Jonathan Wynn DE Vanderbilt 6'5" 265

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The Vikings were a game away from the Super Bowl last season and should be in the mix to make it to the big game this year. They have a talented roster. A roster that will be tough to crack. Offensive tackle Aviante Collins, linebacker Eric Wilson, and defensive end Tashawn Bower made the roster as undrafted free agents last year. So, it can be done. It's just getting more difficult to do. Rick Spielman and company have signed one of best undrafted groups in recent memory. I can pick three of the above that will be tough to cut this year.

Holton Hill
Hercules Mata'afa
Roc Thomas

It wouldn't have been a surprise to see Holton Hill selected at any point after the second round. Until the Vikings selected selected Central Florida corner Mike Hughes in the first round I thought Hill could be a Vikings target. Apparently he was. They just waited until the draft was done. Character concerns kept him from being drafted. If he can keep those concerns in the past he has the talent to not only make the roster but contribute early. Hercules Mata'afa was a one-man wrecking crew on the Washington State defense. He played defensive tackle at 6'2" 254 lbs. It was unusual to see a player his size on the interior of the defensive line but he sure was effective. His positional uncertainty must have been the reason for his not being drafted. That seems like a silly reason as Mata'afa has a place on an NFL football team. The Vikings defensive coaches have to find that place. The Vikings had a running back hole to fill after versatile Jerick McKinnon left for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. They didn't find that back in the draft. They signed three candidates for the job after the draft. Roc Thomas, Mike Boone, and Kamryn Pettway. All three showed intriguing potential in college. Any one of the three could take the job in training camp. Right now, I think that Thomas has the greatest potential but all that could change when everyone gets on the field in pads.

The Vikings pre-draft receiver group looked like this:

Stefon Diggs
Adam Thielen
Laquon Treadwell
Kendall Wright
Stacy Coley
Cayleb Jones
Tavarres King
Brandon Zylstra

Unless something truly surprising takes place, Diggs, Thielen, Treadwell, and Wright will top the 2018 depth chart. That leaves an opening for one, maybe two, receivers on the roster. The competition for those one, or two, spot(s) is likely wide open. Coley might have an edge simply by having been on the team last year. UDFAs Jeff Badet, Armanti Foreman, Korey Robertson, and Jake Weineke have a shot at the roster. They have a real shot at the practice squad. Badet ran a 4.27 at a Pro Day. The Vikings don't have a receiver like that. Weineke has size that the Vikings really don't have. The competition should be fun.

Due to the talent already on the roster and the eight players added in the draft, I didn't really think it possible that the Vikings could add any undrafted free agents with a legitimate shot at making the 53-man roster. They did.