Tag: Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Top 5 Iowa Hawkeyes to use in EA Sports NCAA Football who never got a game

EA Sports NCAA Football was last released in 2013. Let’s look at the Hawkeyes who didn’t get a game that would be the most fun to play with.

Almost a decade to the date since the best video game of all-time was released, college football fans will soon be rejoicing as the momentum towards a new EA Sports NCAA Football game is full steam ahead.

NCAA Football ’14 released on July 9, 2013, and is still played to this day by many avid fans as it was the final college football game released amidst conversations of compensating players in the game for usage of their likenesses.

Fast forward to now, it appears that EA Sports will be bringing back NCAA Football in July of 2023. The 10-year wait for fans of all ages is almost at an end.

It has been rumored that EA Sports already has 120 FBS schools on board with the game and have begun working with them to get realistic stadium noises, music, and even chants. These schools will be paid out on a tiered basis depending on their top-25 finishes.

All of that said, there was an era from 2014-2021 that saw no NCAA Football games released. There is a large group of big time players that never saw themselves in a game. Joe Burrow from LSU’s title run in 2019, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray in Norman, Okla., Christian McCaffrey at Stanford, and many more.

The Iowa Hawkeyes also had some guys who were like real life video game characters. Who would be the five most fun Hawkeyes to play with in NCAA Football that never got a game over the past decade? Let’s discuss!

Highlights and notes from Day 1 of minicamp

The last major spring practices are underway

After closing the curtains on organized team activities, the Minnesota Vikings finish things off with mandatory minicamp this week.

They kick-started the festivities on Tuesday with the team gathering on the practice field for another week of work. This is the time where we get the best glimpse of where things stand ahead of training camp later this summer.

The pads haven’t come on yet. So these practices are still more about drilling positioning and technique. But it doesn’t mean things aren’t getting competitive out there between the offense and defense, along with the ongoing position battles on the roster.

Here are some notes and highlights from Day 1.

Highlights and notes from Vikings final week of OTAs

The Vikings wrap up OTAs

The Minnesota Vikings closed out the final stretch of organized team activities last week with confidence and some concerns.

On one hand, the team is excited about the potential they have to turn things around immediately.

They have responded well to Kevin O’Connell as the head coach, and overall, there seems to be a much more loose and exciting vibe from the team, as opposed to how they looked towards the end of the Mike Zimmer era.

However, on the other hand, they’re being reminded of how quickly things can change on the football field. It takes more than talent to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Injuries have put countless championship teams in the grave before they even started.

Here are some observations as the Vikings wrapped up OTAs.

Injury forces WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette out for rest of spring practices

A tough early blow for the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings have been dealt an early blow with second-year wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette being knocked out of the rest of the spring practices with a lower-leg injury.

According to coach Kevin O’Connell, per the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, Smith-Marsette suffered the injury at a recent practice.

It’s a disappointing turn of events for the former fifth-round draft pick, who is expecting to build on the flashes he showed as a rookie in 2021. The hope now for the team is to have him back on the field at some point in the summer.

There truly aren’t a lot of spring practices left with organized team activities winding down and mandatory veteran minicamp right around the corner.

The Vikings recently had veteran receiver Dede Westbrook in for a visit on Tuesday, and after he reportedly turned down a contract offer, they pounced on an opportunity to sign former Miami Dolphins wideout Albert Wilson.

Smith-Marsette was fourth on the depth chart behind Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn.

The Athletic’s Chad Graff claimed the Vikings’ belief in his talent and development was one of the reasons why they didn’t take a receiver with one of their top picks in the 2022 NFL draft.

There’s still plenty of time between now and training camp for Smith-Marsette to hopefully heal up and get back on the field. In the meantime, Wilson will slot in nicely as the fourth option in one of the league’s most formidable receiving corps.

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Highlights and notes from first week of Vikings OTAs

Week 1 of OTAs is in the books

The Minnesota Vikings put on their shorts and helmets before hitting the field for the first week of organized team activities this week.

Players were participating in a variety of drills and workouts, which will continue over the next couple of weeks ahead of mandatory minicamp in June.

There have been plenty of fun stories coming out of the early practices, including running back Dalvin Cook calling linebacker Za’Darius Smith “crazy” for his work ethic and the way he pushes his teammates. Even Smith himself admitted coach Kevin O’Connell had to tell him to take it down a notch, during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.

The regime change in Minnesota has seemingly brought a new energy to the team as they work to end a three-year playoff drought this season. Here are some of the highlights and notes from the first week of OTAs.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette reportedly impacted Vikings’ draft strategy at receiver

The future at receiver might already be in Minnesota

When everyone was still playing Sherlock Holmes to general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft philosophy, there was a lingering thought that the Minnesota Vikings might use their No. 12 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft on a receiver.

The thought of pairing another high-end offensive playmaker with a skills group that already had Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn was the stuff of NFL dreams.

And maybe—just maybe—it would have been a reality if the group wasn’t already so deep. Justin Jefferson is one of the best receivers in the league, and Adam Thielen is a two-time Pro Bowler with plenty of juice still left in the tank. And Osborn is coming off an incredible season—50 receptions, 655 yards and seven touchdowns.

But truly, the real driving force behind the Vikings’ decision to stick with what they already have was second-year receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette. According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, the former fifth-round draft pick out of Iowa is part of the reason why the team didn’t draft another receiver early.

After watching practice at OTAs, Graff wrote:

“Ihmir Smith-Marsette came down with an impressive catch during one drill. He’s part of the reason the Vikings didn’t feel the need to add a wide receiver early in the draft. The Vikings are excited to see how the 2021 fifth-round pick progresses after impressing the previous coaching staff in training camp last year.”

Smith-Marsette flashed last season when hauling in three receptions for 103 yards and one touchdown against the Chicago Bears in Week 18.

The Vikings were wise to use their draft picks on legitimate trouble spots, while giving their young players a chance to actually grow in the offense. Smith-Marsette’s surging talent could obviously lead to him getting more opportunities in coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

At the end of the day, the Vikings came to the rightful conclusion that there’s no use in searching for another diamond when one might possibly already exist on their roster.

Whether that player is Smith-Marsette or not remains to be seen. But there are those every now and then plays that give pause and make you think that it might be.

It makes you wonder if maybe the future is already here.

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Vikings 2022 offseason preview: Where does Minnesota stand at WR?

The firepower at receiver is unreal

For the Minnesota Vikings, the 2021 season was a teaser to what should be one of the best receiving units in 2022 and beyond. It doesn’t matter who starts under center—Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, a rookie or some veteran free agent the Vikings decide to bring into the fold.

Some quarterback will be playing with the Infinity Gauntlet of offensive firepower.

The opportunity will clearly be there for the Vikings to morph into one of the most explosive teams on the field with an offensive-minded head coach like Kevin O’Connell leading the charge.

They aren’t going to be a team afraid to take risks, and they’re going to consistently push the ball downfield. You can also expect plenty of pre-snap movement in order to bait and confuse opposing defenses.

Grab a cold beverage, a bowl of popcorn and pull up a chair. Things are about to reach new levels of excitement in Minnesota.

Here’s where the Vikings stand at wide receiver.

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Vikings have just one inactive player

Here are the inactives for Rams-Vikings:

Minnesota’s roster is depleted.

The Vikings have dealt with injuries to key starters such as DE Danielle Hunter and OL Mason Cole. The team also had to place RB Dalvin Cook in COVID-19 protocol recently. He is out for Sunday.

Despite that, the Vikings ruled just one player inactive for their game against the Rams on Sunday: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette. I guess when you have so many players on IR, you don’t need to worry about a lengthy inactive list.

Smith-Marsette had a touchdown reception against the Bears last week. He also serves as a kick returner. However, WR Adam Thielen is expected to play this week. And return man Kene Nwangwu is of course ready to go. That makes Smith-Marsette’s role less important for Week 16.

The Rams have QB Bryce Perkins, S JuJu Hughes, OLB Chris Garrett, OLB Terrell Lewis, RB Cam Akers as inactive for the game against the Vikings this week.

Vikings PFF grades: Worst offensive scores from the loss to the Cowboys

The Vikings offense struggled on Sunday night.

The Cowboys offense, without their starting quarterback, carved up the Vikings defense. I’d say that was the biggest reason why Minnesota lost the Week 8 game.

However, the Vikings offense did not look great. Minnesota had the potential to pick apart a defense that is capable of allowing big plays. The Dallas defense held Kirk Cousins and company in check on Sunday night.

Minnesota needs to do better on offense in Week 9. Here are the lowest-graded players on offense from Week 8:

Vikings’ game vs. the Panthers: Week 6 inactives

See the Week 6 inactives for the Vikings’ game against the Panthers:

The Vikings got some good news on the Friday injury report.

The team had just DT Michael Pierce and TE Ben Ellefson on the report, after a week practice where a plethora of important Vikings players sat out at times.

Pierce, Ellefson and others are inactive for the Week 6 game against the Panthers. Here are the Vikings and Panthers players who definitely won’t see action: