The Minnesota Vikings signed 15 undrafted free agents and a few of them could make a major impact on this team.
The Minnesota Vikings did a lot of work in bringing in undrafted free agents this cycle. After only signing seven in 2022, they signed 15 in 2023, including guaranteeing the second-most money ever for an undrafted free agent to edge rusher Andre Carter II.
What does this undrafted free agent class have? Will any of them make the roster? What about potentially contributing? On the latest episode of Purple Daily on Draft, Tyler Forness and Thor Nystrom discussed just that. They focused on:
After an eventful offseason so far, @TheKevinFielder highlights 4 Minnesota Vikings who could lose their starting jobs this season.
As the Minnesota Vikings begin their transition, multiple players could see their starting spot in jeopardy.
Although the Vikings were quiet in free agency, they did make a few signings that could push incumbent starters out of their spot on the depth chart. The Vikings also drafted six players, including two players in the secondary.
Ultimately, the Vikings’ depth chart can best be described as uncertain because of multiple open position battles that will take place.
Here are four Minnesota Vikings who could lose their starting spot during the 2023 season.
On the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, Tyler and Dave talk about the Minnesota Vikings UDFA class and phase 2 of OTAs.
The Minnesota Vikings have started phase two of their organized team activities. Players hit the practice field for the first time this offseason and got a chance to do some drills. What can we take from these workouts?
Also, we go through a quick synopsis of the UDFA class, which features two of the top players available per Pro Football Focus in Ivan Pace Jr. and Andre Carter II. Who are they and are there any standouts who project well to make the roster?
All of that and more live at 6 pm central or on demand on The Real Forno Show on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.
Pro Football Focus ranked the top 10 UDFA signings and the Minnesota Vikings signed the top two on their board.
The Minnesota Vikings only signed seven undrafted free agents last year. With a larger draft class, they weren’t that aggressive in the UDFA market. With only six draft picks this year, they were more aggressive and signed 15 players after the draft.
Pace was the highest-graded linebacker in the FBS last season, earning a 93.2 overall grade, which included a 90.7 run-defense grade (third) and a 93.3 pass-rush grade (first) that led to 55 pressures and 12 sacks — both the most among linebackers. Pace was one of the smaller linebackers in the draft at 5-foot-10 and 231 pounds and only scored a 5.71 relative athletic score (RAS), but his on-field quickness and blitzing ability should allow for a perfect fit in Brian Flores’ defense.
The Vikings strike again, grabbing the 6-foot-7 and 260-pound Carter, who earned a 93.4 pass-rush grade in 2021 with Army, which tied Aidan Hutchinson for the best in the FBS among edge defenders. In 2022, Carter could not build on his elite 2021 season, which also saw him post 59 pressures and 15 sacks, but he still earned strong pass-rush marks (82.1) and has the size and length to make him worth investing in as a project edge rusher.
Pace Jr. was 113th on PFF’s draft board and Carter II was 121st. They theoretically have a great chance to make the roster, especially Carter II who got $340k guaranteed.
Once the seventh round starts, teams will begin calling players about signing as an undrafted free agent. Teams will offer signing bonuses to convince them to sign. The Vikings entered the weekend with 23 open roster spots and they will likely sign a big undrafted free agent class.
Here at Vikings Wire, we will be tracking all of them leading up to
We’re looking at ten potential undrafted free agents the Philadelphia Eagles could target after the 2023 NFL draft
The 2023 NFL draft is almost complete, and the Eagles are just getting started with filling their 90-man roster for this summer’s intense training camp sessions.
Four eventually found their way onto the 53-man roster at some point.
We reported last week that Philadelphia led all teams with $1.8 million spent in the previous year in post-draft contracts, and Howie Roseman annually is known as one being the biggest spenders after the draft.
Recent undrafted free agents who’ve had game action with Philadelphia include Reed Blankenship, Britain Covey, Josh Jobe, Corey Clement, Sua Opeta, Nate Herbig, Kayode Awosika, Joe Ostman, Jack Stoll, Brett Toth, Greg Ward, Marvin Wilson, T.J. Edwards, and future Hall of Famer Jason Peters, who originally signed with the Bills.
We’re previewing ten prospects Philadelphia could target at the draft’s completion.
Who are the best underrated prospects in the 2023 NFL draft? Doug Farrar runs down the sleepers who could make surprising differences in the NFL.
Several NFL executives have already made it clear that they’re struggling to find as many as 20 prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class deserving of a first-round grade.
That may look like a pull quote, but it’s not entirely uncommon. Drafts like the 2023 one, which starts Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST, are wider than they are tall, which means that while there aren’t a ton of obvious first-round guys, there are second- and third-day players who can make a difference on an NFL roster right away.
And that’s why it’s so important to have your scouting go all the way through all seven rounds and beyond. Ask the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who got their eventual starting running back (Rutgers’ Isiah Pacheco) in the seventh round. Or the Seattle Seahawks, who bagged starting cornerback Tariq Woolen out of UTSA in the fifth. And of course, there were few more interesting rookie stories in 2022 than the tale of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the most relevant “Mr. Irrelevant” in pro football history.
Looking ahead to the most talented sleepers in the 2023 draft class, there are prospects who have been pushed down in loaded position groups, those who need a bit of finishing work to fully unlock their NFL potential, and those who don’t have a total skill set, but who do a few things very well. They are all more than worthy of NFL consideration, and just because they’ll probably hear their names called in the late second or early third day of the draft, don’t automatically discount their NFL potential.
That’s a mistake the smartest NFL teams never make. Here are my most gifted sleepers — the “Secret Superstars” of the 2023 NFL draft.
The Minnesota Vikings aren’t likely to have many day three picks, but there are some gems out there to be had.
The Minnesota Vikings are currently slated to have five picks in the 2023 NFL draft. They are likely to use them as currency to trade up and down in the draft.
What they won’t have is 10 picks on day three to add a lot of depth to the roster. Last year, the Vikings drafted six players in round four or later to add depth that was void due to Rick Spielman’s poor drafting.
This year, I expect the Vikings to pick five or less times on day three. Just because they will have less swings doesn’t mean they can’t find talented players. Here are six defensive targets the Vikings should prioritize on day three.
The longtime Minnesota Vikings employee and equipment manager Dennis Ryan retired after being with the organization since 1975.
Earlier this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings released linebacker Eric Kendricks. That move left a large void in the linebacker room. Brian Asamoah dd show promise as a rookie last season, the linebacker room has a depth issue
The Vikings are not expected to prioritize the linebacker position until late day two at the earliest. This is due to limited draft capital and greater needs at other positions.
Even so, the Vikings still need to perform their due diligence. Let’s analyze potential linebackers the Vikings could target in each round of the NFL draft.
That has now happened. According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Pace had virtual meetings with other teams but visited the Bengals.
Back before free agency, linebacker seemed like a bigger need given the unknown future of Germaine Pratt. The veteran’s return doesn’t totally rule out the team taking a mid-round linebacker, though, and especially not a local one they really like.
🤯🤯🤯@GoBEARCATS LB Ivan Pace Jr. had 137 tackles, 21.5 TFL + 10.0 sacks in 2022! BALL PLAYER.
Recent Zoom meetings for Pace include #Titans and #Eagles. In person visit with #Bengals last week.
