Many Vikings fans were thrilled when the team drafted tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was a dynamic receiving tight end who has the build of a wide receiver.
In his first season, Smith caught 36 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns.
We can probably expect a bigger year from Smith in his second season.
Smith played 684 snaps as a rookie compared to Kyle Rudolph’s 895 snaps. Per Pro Football Focus, Smith had a better run blocking grade (65.3 compared to 57.3) and a better pass blocking grade (64.3 to 59.3) than Rudolph.
Rudolph had the edge as a receiver, but considering he played 200 more snaps than Smith, his stats aren’t a great reflection of that. Rudolph had just 39 catches for 367 yards and six touchdowns.
There’s also a pretty significant chance the 2020 season will be the last for 30-year-old Rudolph unless his contract is restructured. Rudolph has a $9.45 million cap hit in 2021 but the Vikings can get out of it for a penalty of $4.35 million.