Tag: Gabe Brkic

Highlights and notes from Week 2 Vikings OTAs

Another week in the books for the Vikings

Another week is in the books for the Minnesota Vikings’ organized team activities.

Last week was all about integrating the rookies and veterans on the field together in helmets and shorts. This week consisted of more drills and an attempt towards putting a pretty bow on everything by seeing new concepts in action.

You still have to be careful to not overreact to some of the things emanating out of OTAs since it’s still so early in the process. We’ll have a real sense of where players are at once they’ve actually had time to digest things and the pads come on.

But the buzz in Minnesota right now is undeniable. There’s a different level of excitement surrounding this Vikings team—and for good reason. The hope is that big things are ahead under the guidance of head coach Kevin O’Connell, who knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl. And it all begins with preparation.

Here are some highlights and notes from Week 2 of OTAs.

Make no mistake, Gabe Brkic could take Greg Joseph’s job

Brkic is the real deal

Gabe Brkic isn’t just some camp body the Minnesota Vikings randomly plucked out of the list of undrafted rookie free agents. No, he’s legitimate competition for current starting placekicker Greg Joseph.

The new guy on the block could be here to stay.

Cade York was the only kicker taken off the board at the 2022 NFL draft, and Brkic was believed to be the second, if another team made the decision to add a kicker to their roster. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had the former Oklahoma Sooner ranked as the second-best available kicker in the draft.

If anything, Brkic’s mere presence should light a fire under Joseph, who was up and down last season. Things started to come together towards the end, but there was clearly some turbulence early on.

Meanwhile, Brkic has shown signs of a player with ice for veins. There wasn’t a single player better than him in the country from 50 yards out in his final collegiate season. He was ranked No. 1 in most 50-plus yard makes (5) with his longest kick being two separate 56-yarders against Tulane and Western Carolina.

In his entire college tenure, he has booted 159 of 160 extra points through the uprights and 57 of 69 field goals.

Joseph signed his $2.4 million restricted free agent tender in free agency, but it’s important to note none of that money is guaranteed.

So the Vikings will approach this as a real competition to see who the better kicker is at this point.

“I think the biggest thing, you look at Gabe and the career that he had [at Oklahoma] and he really showed up in pressure situations—a lot of game-winning field goals,” special teams coordinator Matt Daniels told the media on Tuesday. “…There will be a full-on kicker competition and punter competition. That’s why we brought in guys like Gabe Brkic and Ryan Wright is to really push those veterans that we have.”

If Joseph isn’t careful, Brkic could end up pushing him right out the door.

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Oklahoma Sooners Kicker Gabe Brkic signs with Minnesota Vikings as UDFA

Another Sooner has made it to the NFL. Oklahoma Sooners All-American Kicker Gabe Brkic has signed a three-year deal with the Vikings.

Another Sooner has made it to the NFL. Oklahoma Sooners All-American kicker [autotag]Gabe Brkic[/autotag] has signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. He’s the most accurate kicker in Oklahoma history and one of the first kickers to have a NIL deal.

Brkic had a very successful career with the Sooners, hitting 57 of 69 field-goal attempts with only a single missed PAT in three seasons. Minnesota does have an incumbent starter in Greg Joseph, who was solid last season but seem to want to bring in some competition at the kicking position.

Brkic was a very reliable weapon for Oklahoma’s special teams, able to hit field goals from anywhere. Brkic is tied for the most 50-yard field goals hit in a single game with three.

While he can be hot and cold, when he’s hot he is unstoppable. Being able to play indoors for more than half of the season is a very attractive thing for kickers: At least eight games indoors in Minneapolis, and then at least one more at Ford Field in Detroit. The Vikings have 11 games indoors in 2022.

The Brkic was a crowd favorite during his time with the Sooners and seems like a perfect fit with the Vikings.

It’s a good thing Mexican food isn’t very popular in Minnesota. Keep him away from burritos and the Vikings might have their franchise kicker.

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Vikings waive DT Jordon Scott to make room for new signing

The Vikings are bringing in serious camp competition.

The Minnesota Vikings have released defensive tackle Jordon Scott to make room for the reported signing of undrafted free agent kicker Gabe Brkic, per the team’s official website.

Scott, a 2021 undrafted free agent signing, never got on the field in his rookie season. With the Vikings already sitting at the 90-player offseason limit on their roster, they needed to make a corresponding move in their decision to bring in Brkic as camp competition.

That should immediately send up red flags for kicker Greg Joseph, who recently signed his restricted free agent tender with the Vikings. So he isn’t guaranteed a spot on the roster or the agreed upon $2.4 million if he gets beat out for the job and released.

Brkic only whiffed once on extra points throughout his collegiate career, kicking 159-of-160 attempts through the uprights. He finished with an 82.6 field goal percentage (57-of-69) in four years at the University of Oklahoma.

There’s nothing like some good old-fashioned camp competition, and Brkic will come in looking to outperform the veteran and eventually take his job.

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Sooners to the NFL: Where did Oklahoma’s draft prospects end up after the 2022 NFL draft?

Where did each Oklahoma Sooners draft prospect end up after the 2022 NFL draft weekend?

The Oklahoma Sooners had seven players taken in the 2022 NFL draft. That was tied with Alabama for fifth-most draft picks in this year’s draft. Georgia led the way with 15 picks while the SEC continued its dominance of sending players to the draft. They had 17 more draft selections than the Big 10 and 40 more players picked than the Big 12.

The Sooners didn’t hear a name called in the first round, which wasn’t surprising based on the way the players were ranked or being selected in mock drafts leading up to this weekend.

It was a long wait but finally, with the last pick of the second round, Nik Bonitto came off the board to the Denver Broncos. That last pick of the second round also happens to be the same pick in which the Kansas City Chiefs selected Creed Humphrey the year before. Will Bonitto have a similar impact in his rookie season?

In total, 11 of the 12 Oklahoma Sooners prospects have found new teams. Seven draft picks and four as undrafted free agents. The only one left without a new home at the moment is Gabe Brkic. An NFL team will likely bring him in for a tryout in the next few weeks or during training camp to compete for a kicking job.

Let’s look at where each Sooner will be making their new home.

Where Oklahoma Sooners prospects rank heading into Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft

After Nik Bonitto and Brian Asamoah were taken on Day 2, there are several Sooners still available for the final day of the 2022 NFL draft.

Heading into Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft, several Sooners have yet to hear their name called. The only real surprise is Perrion Winfrey, who was projected to go in the top 100 picks by nearly every mock draft we’ve evaluated over the last four months.

Whoever takes the talented defensive line prospect is going to get a steal.

But the Sooners have several really good players remaining on the board that could impact teams in Year 1. [autotag]Isaiah Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag], [autotag]Marquis Hayes[/autotag] and [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] would provide solid depth and could develop into starters at the NFL level.

[autotag]Gabe Brkic[/autotag] could kick for a number of NFL teams, but kicker is one of those positions that doesn’t always get drafted. The same goes for [autotag]Jeremiah Hall[/autotag]. He could be a starting fullback in the NFL, but will teams value the position enough to spend a draft pick.

[autotag]Michael Woods[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyrese Robinson[/autotag] can help some teams, but they may have their choice of teams as undrafted free agents.

Let’s take a look at the remaining Oklahoma Sooners draft prospects, and how they ranked according to Dane Brugler, Matt Miller and Bleacher Report.

Which Oklahoma Sooners made ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller’s top 300 for the 2022 NFL draft?

As the 2022 NFL Draft approaches ESPN Draft Analyst Matt Miller released his top 300 prospects with nine Oklahoma Sooners making the cut.

Draft season is about to come to a close when the 2022 NFL draft kicks off next Thursday night. The Oklahoma Sooners will be well-represented over the three day event with anywhere from six to 10 players getting their name called.

Over the last few weeks we’ve looked at where Dane Brugler of The Athletic has the Sooners draft prospects ranked in his draft guide “The Beast” and where they went in his full seven-round mock draft.

CBS Sports followed that up with their own seven-round mock draft and as many as seven Sooners were selected in each of the pre-draft projections.

It’s that time of year where teams and analysts finalize their big boards. What’s notable with Oklahoma prospects is the diversity of thought that’s come to pass on certain prospects. Others have seen a decline or rise in value. In particular it feels like Nik Bonitto and Perrion Winfrey have settled into a mid second to early third round picks.

Brian Asamoah and Isaiah Thomas on the other hand have a wide range of potential outcomes depending on how the draft falls.

Delarrin Turner-Yell looks to have made himself a draftable asset with his work in meetings with teams. His name continues to pop up in rankings and mock drafts. He might be a late-round selection, but he’ll get picked.

Today, we’re taking a look at ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller’s Top 300 prospects for the 2022 NFL draft. Nine Sooners were  ranked inside his top 300.

7 Oklahoma Sooners selected in CBS Sports 7 round mock draft

Led by Nik Bonitto to the Atlanta Falcons, 7 Oklahoma Sooners were selected in CBS Sports’ latest 32-team 7-round mock draft.

The 2022 NFL draft gets underway next Thursday night and draft analysts across the industry are getting in their final mock drafts. Last week, Dane Brugler of The Athletic provided a seven-round mock draft for all 32 teams, with seven Oklahoma Sooners selected in the draft.

This week, it’s Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports that takes a stab at projecting the seven rounds of the draft. Again, seven Oklahoma Sooners are selected in the mock draft.

What’s noticeable between the two mocks is that [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag] has been left out. A player who amassed three 1,000-yard seasons and averaged 7.0 yards per carry for his career doesn’t hear his name called. Sure, running back has been devalued by the NFL due to their longevity in the league, but he’s a player that should get drafted. He was too productive.

The player that was in Brugler’s mock that didn’t show up here is [autotag]Gabe Brkic[/autotag]. Kickers are always a mystery when it comes to the draft. Teams feel like they can get one in undrafted free agency. Teams typically prefer to use their late-round draft picks on players they don’t want to compete with in undrafted free agency.

The other surprise is that the first Oklahoma Sooner doesn’t come off the board until No. 74 overall, which is in the middle of the third round.

Let’s look at where each Oklahoma player is heading in this mock draft.

Trio of Sooners among top 106 players in the 2022 NFL Draft according to ESPN

Where did Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey, Brian Asamoah land in ESPN’s Todd McShay and Steve Muench tiers rankings?

The Oklahoma Sooners aren’t expected to have a lot of activity in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft  later this month in Las Vegas by ESPN’s Todd McShay and Steve Muench.

Of the 12 Oklahoma Sooners that declared  for the 2022 NFL draft, only 3 landed in ESPN’s 6-tiers of the top 106 players (ESPN+). [autotag]Perrion Winfrey[/autotag] landed at 51, [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag] at 56 and [autotag]Brian Asamoah[/autotag] was No. 106. Winfrey and Bonitto are both in tier five while Asamoah is in tier six.

There’s a lot to unpack from this list. The top tier was left completely empty.

Personally, I think Bonitto is a little low and would definitely put him above Winfrey. No one in FBS had a better pass rush win-rate% than Bonitto did this season, but this is an extremely loaded class of edge rushers, so I can see how a smaller one like Bonitto could slip through the cracks.

I don’t think anyone embodied “Speed D” as much as Brian Asamoah. The speedy linebacker can absolutely fly, but like Bonitto, is undersized. That speed could be very tempting to some teams in the later rounds.

It’s just strange to see what was a [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] coached team have all defensive players for its best draft prospects in a draft class. Who’s the best offensive player in this draft class for the Sooners? [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag]? McShay and Muench didn’t seem to be high on many for this season as there are only three on the entire list. All of whom are in the bottom three tiers.

There are a few notable Sooners who did not land on the list at all; Kennedy Brooks, Delarrin Turner-Yell, and Gabe Brkic.

Kennedy Brooks will make whichever team that takes him on day two or three of the draft very happy. He’s my favorite sleeper pick in this draft.

[autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] is an interesting one. It was very noticable when Turner-Yell missed time last season. His presence in the defensive backfield just seemed to make the defense significantly better. That, however, is the problem with him: his health. Can he stay healthy for a full season and is he worth drafting over some of the other day two or three safeties in this class?

I don’t know what to expect from [autotag]Gabe Brkic[/autotag]. He did declare, but kickers aren’t drafted very often to begin with, and Brkic had a rough end to his season. He’s not even considered to be the best kicker in the draft class; that would be Cade York of LSU. I love Brkic, but he probably goes undrafted.

The bottom line here: Don’t expect to hear any Sooners’ names to be called in the first round of the draft. Don’t get me wrong, I do expect some of these guys to do good things in the NFL, but this definitely isn’t a sexy draft class for the Sooners.

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Where did Oklahoma Sooners fall on NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper’s positional top 10?

Several Oklahoma Sooners find themselves in Mel Kiper’s positional top 10 ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.

The NFL just finished a fantastic weekend of divisional-round play, culminating with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills fantastic overtime game on Sunday night. With just three games left in the NFL season (conference championship games and the Super Bowl), draft season is just around the corner and several Oklahoma Sooners figure to hear their names called in the seven-round player selection weekend at the end of April.

Nik Bonitto and Perrion Winfrey are the players being projected the highest. Recent mock drafts have them going in the top 50, which would land them in the second round. While most will be selected in rounds four through seven, the Sooners could have as many as 11 players selected in the 2022 NFL draft.

Mel Kiper, an NFL draft analyst for ESPN, recently released his latest round one mock draft but also included his top 10 at each position and several Oklahoma Sooners found their way onto those positional top 10’s.

Jeremiah Hall was the highest-rated player at his position, coming in as the No. 1 fullback/h-back according to Mel Kiper. Missing the top 10 at their positions were Michael Woods, Tyrese Robinson, Isaiah Thomas, Brian Asamoah, and Delarrin Turner-Yell, though it’s very early in the draft process and with a strong Senior Bowl for those participating, Pro Days, and the NFL Draft Combine, those guys could work their way up NFL team draft boards before it’s all said and done.

Listed below are each of the players that made Mel Kiper’s positional top 10.