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EAGAN. — The Minnesota Vikings have been taking swings at tight ends for years but haven’t invested a high draft pick until Friday night when they grabbed Alabama’s Irv Smith with the 50th overall pick.While the Vikings have sent Kyle Rudolph to the Pro Bowl twice, they have not had tight end that could challenge opponents down field since Steve Jordan. With the Smith selection, they hope to have found a unique weapon.
“We believe Irv is a perfect fit for our new scheme offensively, what they want to do in terms of a mismatch guy, he’s an F tight end who we can move around,” director of college scouting Jamaal Stephenson said. “We can line him up wide, we can line him up tight, we can use him in the backfield, so he has a lot of versatility.”
With the Crimson Tide last season he caught 44 passes on just 57 targets (16.1 yards per catch) for 707 yards and scored eight touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, he rated No. 1 in yards per route run and caught the fifth most passes that traveled over 20 yards in the air of any tight end in the draft class.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared him to Ben Watson. He wrote:
Quote:Smith is still green in terms of overall experience, which shows up in run-blocking and route-running, but he has plenty of talent and is likely to get much better in both areas. He has combination tight end talent but really flashes as a move blocker at fullback or wingback spots. His buildup speed sets him apart as a big, field-stretching option and once he gets rolling after the catch. O.J. Howard was bigger, and a better athlete, but like Howard, Smith offers Pro Bowl potential as a well-rounded tight end prospect.
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...tight-end/
What does Vikings’ decision to draft Irv Smith Jr. mean for Kyle Rudolph’s future?
EAGAN — The Vikings used their second-round selection in the NFL draft Friday night on tight end Irv Smith Jr. The question now is whether Smith and Kyle Rudolph both will be catching passes from Kirk Cousins this season or will Smith’s presence cost Rudolph his job in Minnesota?
Right after the Vikings used the 50th pick on the tight end from Alabama, Daniel Jeremiah said that Rudolph’s name had been “floating around” in trade discussions and added this
https://twitter.com/MatthewColler/status...3662460928&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skornorth.com%2Fvikings-2%2F2019%2F04%2Fwhat-does-vikings-decision-to-draft-irv-smith-jr-mean-for-kyle-rudolphs-future%2F
Rudolph is entering the final season of his contract and carries a cap hit of $7.6 million this season. He is due a base salary of $7.3 million and the Vikings have the ability to cut him with no penalty. Rudolph is still a productive tight end, having caught 121 passes for 1,166 yards and 12 touchdowns over the past two seasons, but the Vikings need to find a way to free up money.
“Kyle Rudolph is here, two different styles, what Kyle does and what Irv can do,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said when asked about Rudolph’s status after the Smith pick. “Two different types of tight end.”
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...hs-future/
It would suck to have to cut Rudy. But alot of that has to do with who he is as a person, not necessarily who he is as a player. And this is a business, after all... :/
They are going to have to make some salary cap room. Where it comes from is anyone's guess.
I don't think the Irv pick will have any bearing on Kyle Rudolph's status with the team this season. As much as I like Smith as a prospect, TE is one of those spots that takes a year or two for a guy to emerge. We'd be asking a lot for him to come in as a rookie and replace Rudolph's production. I just don't think Rudolph is a serious cut/trade candidate for those reasons.
If we've learned anything over the years, Brez and the front office will figure something out to free up some cap space. Like Sticky said, where it comes from is anyone's guess... but I don't think it will be from cutting Rudy (or any other veterans).
My gut feeling is that Rudolph stays for this year and is
not resigned next year. TE’s
historically take a year or two to hit their stride. This team is better off with two weapons at
the TE spot. I don’t think we really
need more cap space to sign more players this year. If we need to get more cap space this year
for a small move or whatnot, we can probably find it by restructuring someone. I can’t imagine cutting a top 10-15 player to
gain cap space for next year. That just
seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Quote: @Wetlander said:
I don't think the Irv pick will have any bearing on Kyle Rudolph's status with the team this season. As much as I like Smith as a prospect, TE is one of those spots that takes a year or two for a guy to emerge. We'd be asking a lot for him to come in as a rookie and replace Rudolph's production. I just don't think Rudolph is a serious cut/trade candidate for those reasons.
If we've learned anything over the years, Brez and the front office will figure something out to free up some cap space. Like Sticky said, where it comes from is anyone's guess... but I don't think it will be from cutting Rudy (or any other veterans).
Agree. This is why I was lobbying so hard to get our OL in the 1st and wait on the TE a round or two. I know you agreed with that. Even if we had taken Hock or Fant, I think folks would've been pretty disappointed in their 1st year impact, while Bradbury's immediate impact should be huge.
We all speculated what the OL cupboard might look like at 50 if we had gone elsewhere in the 1st. Now we know: Lindstrom, Dillard, Howard, McGary, Taylor, Little, Ford, Risner, Jenkins and McCoy...all were gone.
I think this pick acts as insurance for the team in negotiating an extension for Rudolph. If he doesnt want to stay on a very team friendly deal .... we have his replacement (either this year or the next) if he does want to stay... we have a guy that can spell him at times and line up opposite him in TE heavy sets. I dont see this as the end of Rudolph unless Rudy puts money ahead of wanting to stay in Minny.
I really think Rudolph and Smith will co-exist for at least a year, possibly more. Smith has far more speed than Rudolph ever did and can be a slot receiver. Let's face it: Smith is almost certainly faster than Treadwell.
There have been several conversations on radio programs around, "What will the Vikings do with 4 TEs?" I think it's pretty obvious - Conklin will likely be gone.
Quote: @Jor-El said:
I really think Rudolph and Smith will co-exist for at least a year, possibly more. Smith has far more speed than Rudolph ever did and can be a slot receiver. Let's face it: Smith is almost certainly faster than Treadwell.
I think their 40s were about the same. 4.6s. But considering one's a WR and one's TE, that's a big difference. Irv Smith is a funny runner. I don't think he's very athletic. He's got funny short strides when he runs. What I love about him is that he's a really good all around TE. Can block in line or on the move. Knows how to get open, instinctive, separates, catches the ball well, good after the catch.
Not sure what the Vikings will do with Rudolph. Do we really need cap space? Roster is full. We'll need it next year, but it might be nice having the Irv and Rudy Show for a season.
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