There Are Two Vikings UDFAs That Could MAKE The 53-Man Roster…

Are the Minnesota Vikings the best in the National Football League at finding UDFAS? Two had major games on Saturday and they could be on their way to the 53man roster. The Minnesota Vikings have done a great job of finding undrafted free agents after the NFL draft. It’s been one of strengths ever since he became the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. Over the course of his three-year tenure, and this being his fourth, eight players have made the active roster the year they were signed as a UDFA. It was one in 2022, three in 2023, and four last year. A significant amount of talent the Vikings have been able to find in that undrafted free agent process, including starting linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. Now, there’s one that was there in 2024 who never got a chance to play in the preseason and one this year that stood out in a huge way. Let’s start off with the one from last year, Gabe Murphy. He was all the talk of camp before he ended up injuring his knee and missing multiple months and he played just 35 snaps in his rookie season because he he ended up on injured reserve to start the year. Now, with Murphy, he’s a very interesting guy. 92.9 relative athletic score which means he’s about a 93rd percentile athlete and he’s got great burst and good size at 61 and a half 251 lbs. The problem is he has 30.5 in arms which is like sixth percentile. Oof. That is a huge huge red flag when it comes to trying to beat offensive tackles who often have 34 to 36 in arms. So, when you’re a guy that has that kind of deficiency, how do you win? Simple speed and quickness. He does a great job of being able to get to the quarterback with those kind of elements. And he showed that getting around the edge on Sunday with one and a half sacks with Bo Richtor, another UDFA from last year, who ended up getting the other one. Now, the UDFA from this year that’s making waves is a guy that I told you to keep an eye on. Elijah Williams, the defensive tackle from Morgan State. Yes, Morgan State, the FCS H.B.CU. He had 33 sacks and 52 tackles for loss over the course of his career. That kind of hyperproductivity raises a big red flag in a good way because if he has that kind of production, why did he stay there? Why didn’t he get a call to go somewhere else? Or did he just love being at Morgan State that much? He did not get signed as an undrafted free agent, but he got an invite to rookie mini camp and he earned a contract. Those players are nearly four times more likely to end up getting on the roster because they show something when they have nothing and all the guys that participate in rookie mini camp have not practiced with the team before. So, we’re not looking at a place where he is all of a sudden just wowing compared to guys who’ve already been around. Yeah, there are like six guys who were UDFAS the year before, but otherwise it’s a fresh crop of rookies. That matters. And he has proven himself. He got four pressures on 15 pass rush reps, just 21 snaps on defense overall. And he was in the back field at 63, 270 lbs. You would think that there would be a strength deficiency, but he was holding his own. On wide zone, he was not allowing the offensive lineman to scoop him and get on that outside shoulder. He was able to make the tackle. He was able to use his hands really well in the pass rush to be able to move the offensive lineman back and keep the advantage throughout the entire rep. Those are things you really like to see. Are they going to translate one to one against firstteamers? No. But you’re looking for reasons to keep and develop a guy. And considering the FCS level sometimes has facilities that are bad enough to be that of like a Texas 6A high school program or worse. Well, imagine what he could do with a year of NFL coaching, NFL strength and conditioning and nutrition. That’s what they did with Levi Drake Rodriguez who went to Texas&M Commerce whose facilities were not great. Elijah Williams could be the next one. And the Vikings continue to find these guys where they can grow, nurture, and develop them and make them into something special. I’m Tyler Froners with AD Sports. It’s called Vikings.

Tyler Forness talks about 2 UDFAs for the Minnesota Vikings who had standouts performances over the weekend in the preseason, that could be heading to a spot on the 53-man roster now.

*There Are Two Vikings UDFAs That Could MAKE The 53-Man Roster…*

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