I already went pick by pick, giving my thoughts on all the Vikings selections but the Vikings have been keeping up the good work in a fast & furious fashion now that the draft's wrapped. Here's the quick look at who's joined up already, with a few of my thoughts to follow.
Vikings Undrafted Free Agent Signings
Jeff Badet WR Oklahoma
Korey Robertson WR Southern Mississippi
Jake Wieneke WR South Dakota State
Tyler Hoppes TE Nebraska
Mike Boone RB Cincinnati
Kamryn Pettway RB Auburn
Garret Dooley LB Wisconsin
Holton Hill CB Texas
Tray Matthews S Auburn
Hercules Mata’afa DT Washington State
UDFA's Invited to Vikings’ Rookie Mini - Camp
Kunle Ayinde DB Minnesota
Matt Linehan QB Idaho (son of former Vikings’ OC Scott Linehan)
Pete Pujals QB Holy Cross
Kobe McCrary RB Minnesota
Brandon Shed WR Hobart
The things that stand out to me immediately are
A) The invitation of two quarterbacks. It's likely just so that all the players can get as accurate an evaluation as possible but who knows, maybe one of em will shine enough to get an extended look. It would take a lot to overtake Kyle Sloter as the third quarterback but as Keenum showed us last year, succeeding as an undrafted player has as much to do with getting an opportunity as anything.
B) A clear intent to make sure the offense stays strong. Wieneke is the top dog in my opinion, which stinks since he comes from the lesser Dakota State U. But make no mistake, he's a good player and may very well be the next Adam Thielen for our favorite team.
The running back's should all have a chance to be more than a one weekend and done in Minnesota.
C) I have a new favorite name of a Vikings player. What does a guy names Hercules have to do to be a success? Bench press Linval Joseph? Go Sandlot on it and scare all the Packers fans away? I don't know if there is one right answer but keep that guy around as long as possible just for the Hercules factor!
Other names may come out as the night runs it's course or even tomorrow but that's a lot of work to get done in the short time since Mr. Irrelevant was announced. On a team that was one win from the Super Bowl, it's not a stretch to think that the Vikings got better this weekend. Maybe one of these guys can even managed to contribute to the continued ascension to champions!