Vikings Visits

The 2019 NFL Draft is creeping closer and NFL teams have been bringing prospects to their facilities for visits. Teams are allowed 30 visits but each team handles those differently. The Minnesota Vikings do most of their visits in bulk. They like to see how these soon-to-be professional football players interact with each other. It's a little sociology experiment. The groups of prospects can range from as few as four to as many as 20. Teams rarely release a list of these visits in full so they have to be pieced to together through statements, comments, tweets, etc. from team beat-writers, league insiders, agents, and the players themselves. 22 of the Vikings' visits have been revealed in some fashion. Here are the players that have had a sweet little meet-and-greet or will have a sweet little meet-and-greet with the Vikings coaches at the spectacular Eagan facilities.

2019 Minnesota Vikings Prospect Visits

Noah Fant, TE, Iowa
Devin Ozigbo, RB, Nebraska
Jeff Smith, WR, Boston College
Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M
Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State
Cody Ford, OL, Oklahoma
Greg Little, OT, Mississippi
Nate Davis, OG, Charlotte
Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State
Kaleb McGary, OT, Washington
Luke Gifford, LB, Nebraska
Andrew Van Ginkel, LB, Wisconsin
Ryan Connelly, LB, Wisconsin
Terrill Hanks, LB, New Mexico State
Isaiah Johnson, CB, Houston
Amani Hooker, S, Iowa
John Baron, K, San Diego State
Nick Fitzgerald, QB. Mississippi State
Jamell Garcia-Williams. Edge, Alabama-Birmingham
Andrew Beck, TE, Texas
Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor

Teams can meet with players with local ties and not have them count against the 30-visit limit. The Vikings have had or scheduled visits with two local players:

Donnell Greene, OL, Minnesota
Blake Cashman, LB, Minnesota
Trey Pipkins, OT, Sioux Falls
Robbie Grimsley, S, North Dakota State

I wouldn't mind seeing the Vikings using their eight draft picks on Cody Ford, Jace Sternberger, Nate Davis, Jalen Hurd, Devin Oigbo, Jamell Garcia-Williams, Isaiah Johnson, and Nick Fitzgerald.

These visits are simply a part of the draft evaluation process. The Vikings, and every team, are just checking boxes. Teams use these visits to confirm things, both good and bad. "Who are these kids?" "Do they fit what we're trying to do here?" "Is he really an ass?" All sorts of questions concerning these prospects are out there and not all of them are answered on the field.

Just for giggles here's a look at the reported visits that the Vikings have had the last two years.

2018 Visits

Jeff Badet, WR, Oklahoma
Alex Cappa, OT, Humboldt State
Lorenzo Carter, LB, Georgia
Jack Cichy, LB, Wisconsin
Dallas Goedert, TE, South Carolina State
Matthew Gono, G, Wesley
P.J. Hall, DT, Sam Houston State
Devontae, Harris, CB, Illinois State
Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
Holton Hill, CB, Texas
Nyheim Hines, RB, North Carolina State
Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida
Jordan Lasley, WR, UCLA
Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis
Uchenna Nwosu, LB, USC
Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
Quentin Poling, LB, Ohio
Frank Ragnow, G/C, Arkansas
Justin Reid, S, Stanford
Jaylen Samuels, TE, North Carolina State
Nathan Shepherd, DT, Fort Hays State
Kemoko Turay, Edge, Rutgers
Jake Wieneke, WR, South Dakota State
Connor Williams, OT, Texas

The Vikings selected Mike Hughes in the first round and signed Holton after he went undrafted. Both made a positive impact as rookies and look like they will make an even bigger impact moving forward. Holt's four-game suspension to start the 2019 season isn't a great start to that "bigger impact moving forward." Jeff Badet was signed as an undrafted free agent and spent the season on the practice squad. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract in January.

2017 Visits

Rodney Adams, WR, South Florida
Dylan Bradley, DE, Southern Mississippi
Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State
Dan Feeney, G, Indiana
Worth Gregory, P, East Carolina
Brian Hill, RB, Wyoming
Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo
Josh Jones, S, North Carolina State
Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State
Brendan Langley, DB, Lamar
Elijah Lee, LB, Kansas State
Mitch Leidner, QB, Minnesota
Jack Lynn, LB, Minnesota
Marlon Mack, RB, South Florida
Leon McQuay III, S, USC
Jaylen Myrick, CB, Minnesota
Dare Ogunbowale, RB, Wisconsin
Jonah Pirsig, T, Minnesota
Curtis Samuel, RB, Ohio State
Damarius Travis, S, Minnesota
Drew Wolitarsky, WR, Minnesota

The Vikings drafted Pat Elflein in the third round, Rodney Adams in the fifth round, and Elijah Lee in the seventh round. Dylan Bradley was signed as an undrafted free agent. Jaylen Myrick was also selected in the seventh round but it was the Jacksonville Jaguars that did the selecting. Four days after the Jaguars waived Myrick the Vikings signed him to the practice. He had a yo-yo-like presence on the practice squad throughout the 2018 season. The Vikings signed him to a reserve/futures contract after the season.