Minnesota fans have bad memories of the Vikings drafting kickers out of college. The Vikings drafted Blair Walsh (Georgia) in 2012 and while he started off strong, fans won’t forget his playoff miss against Seattle. Then Minnesota took Daniel Carlson (Auburn) in 2018. The Vikings waived Carlson early, and he turned out to be a good enough kicker for the Raiders.
In the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Vikings took Alabama kicker Will Reichard. Minnesota has all but said Reichard is the unquestioned starter, which could scare some fans, but he was as good as they come in college.
And he continues to impress the Vikings as the preseason rolls on.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, Reichard made all five field goals in Thursday’s joint practice with the Cleveland Browns. He also boomed in a 52-yard field goal, and most of the kicks he made were from longer distances. While practice is a different atmosphere than gameday, Viking fans should be excited about what they could have in Reichard.