https://vikesnow.com/analysis/2026/why-the-vikings-drafted-a-fullback/

Why the Vikings Drafted a Fullback

The Vikings did not draft Max Bredeson in the fifth round to give him the ball 15 times per game. They drafted him to do the work that makes those carries better.

Bredeson, a 250-pound rookie fullback from Michigan, arrived in Minnesota as the replacement for C.J. Ham, the longtime Vikings fullback who retired after a decade in that role. Replacing a popular player is one thing, but replacing a player who spent ten years earning trust as a blocker, special teamer and occasional outlet receiver is another.

So far, Bredeson has done more than simply inherit the position. He has become an early part of the Vikings’ new offensive identity.

“No secrets here,” Kevin O’Connell said at training camp. “It’s becoming a pretty significant part of what we’re doing.”

That is perhaps the clearest indication yet that Minnesota’s commitment to an improved running game is not merely rhetorical. The Vikings changed their offensive staff, adding Frank Smith as assistant head coach and Keith Carter as offensive line coach. They have talked all summer about becoming more physical near the line of scrimmage. They drafted Bredeson, then immediately began using him in a variety of alignments, movements and run concepts.

A fullback does not have to be on the field every snap to change how a defense prepares. The possibility of a lead blocker at the point of attack can force a defense to account for an extra gap, alter personnel and hesitate just enough for a running back to find daylight.

That is the job Bredeson was drafted to do. It is also a job he appears ready to embrace.

More than a replacement for C.J. Ham

Ham was never merely a relic from an earlier NFL era. He was a useful piece of Minnesota’s offense because he could lead through the hole, work in space, protect the quarterback and contribute on special teams.

Bredeson’s résumé offers a similar foundation.

He played tight end, fullback and running back during his Michigan career, appeared in 53 games and became a two-time captain. Bredeson began his college career as a preferred walk-on and was given one year to earn a scholarship. He did, then developed into one of the Wolverines’ most trusted role players.

His route to the NFL was not conventional. Bredeson was a mobile high school quarterback at Arrowhead High School in Wisconsin before moving to tight end and fullback at Michigan. That background is part of why the Vikings see more than a one-dimensional blocker.

Still, he has no illusions about what the position demands.

“I’ve always taken pride in versatility and violence,” Bredeson said. “That’s the name of the game when it comes to playing fullback.”

It is a fitting description. Fullbacks are asked to handle unglamorous work, often against players bigger or faster than they are. They must understand protections, recognize fronts, fit up blocks in space and do it all without the ball ever coming their way.

That is also why Ham has been a resource since draft night.

“He’s a great mentor,” Bredeson noted. “I can’t say enough good about what he’s already done to help me so far. I talked to him as soon as I was picked. He’s been a great resource for me ever since.”

Ham’s retirement created an opening and Bredeson wants to be the person filling it.

The run-game message is becoming clear

O’Connell has made the Vikings’ goal unusually explicit. Minnesota wants its “best run game yet” in his fifth season as head coach.

That does not mean abandoning the passing game or suddenly becoming a run-heavy offense. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and a quarterback who can create outside structure, the Vikings will still make opponents defend the entire field.

The point is balance. The offense wants to make defenses pay for prioritizing its pass catchers, and it wants the line of scrimmage to feel different than it did a year ago.

Bredeson is a meaningful part of that effort.

O’Connell praised the rookie after the first padded practice, saying, “Max Bredeson is off to a really, really good start. I felt his pads popping yesterday at the point of attack.”

That is the obvious part of his job. But O’Connell’s more revealing assessment came days later, when he explained why Bredeson has earned early confidence.

The coach highlighted Bredeson’s mental approach, saying the rookie can absorb information in meetings and apply it without needing repeated walkthroughs or practice reps. O’Connell also pointed to the range of tasks Minnesota has already given him.

“We’re asking him to do a lot of different alignments and movements and things like that,” O’Connell mentioned. “He’s still able, he’s always been really good getting fit in space on blocks, but he’s also been a really physical presence for us to help get runs started.”

That combination matters. Bredeson is not simply lining up directly behind the quarterback and leading through the same interior lane. The Vikings can motion him, shift him, use him from different personnel groupings and pair him with tight ends such as Josh Oliver and Hockenson.

Those looks can make the offense harder to diagnose before the snap. They can also give Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason and rookie Demond Claiborne different types of lanes to attack.

A fullback’s value is often invisible on a box score. It is easier to see in the way a linebacker is displaced, the way an edge defender is sealed or the way a safety is forced to fill a gap a step late.

He can be part of the answer, not just the block

Bredeson will not be confused for an additional star receiver. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was honest when asked about the rookie’s receiving skills.

“He’s got good hands,” Phillips said last week. “He’s a big 250-pound fullback. He’s not going to necessarily wow you with his route running and all that kind of thing, but he’s where he needs to be, catches the football when it presents itself, and that’s really mostly all you can ask for from most fullbacks.”

That is exactly the right expectation.

The Vikings do not need Bredeson to run routes like Hockenson or separate like Jefferson. They need him to be dependable enough that defenses cannot ignore him. If he can leak into the flat, settle into the right spot against a pressure look, or catch a play-action checkdown, he becomes one more player a defense must account for. Ham served in that role for years, as a reliable do-it-all fullback.

He has already shown that ability in camp. O’Connell noted that Bredeson has caught a few passes, and practices have included red-zone work in which he has been used as more than a blocker.

The receiving element should be viewed as a complement to his primary role, not a reason to change it. Bredeson’s first responsibility is still to bring force and clarity to the run game.

Ham’s role on special teams matters, too

Bredeson is not only being asked to replace C.J. Ham’s offensive snaps.

Ham was a core special teams contributor throughout his Vikings career, an assignment often overlooked because of his value as a blocker. He appeared on coverage and return units, brought physicality to the kicking game and gave the coaching staff a reliable veteran they could dress every Sunday.

Bredeson is expected to assume part of that responsibility.

That should help secure his spot on the roster. The Vikings drafted him in the fifth round to play a role they clearly plan to use, and O’Connell has already called the fullback a “pretty significant part” of the offense. But contributing on special teams gives Bredeson another reason to be active on game day and another way to provide value beyond the offensive package built for him.

His Michigan background supports that projection. Before his offensive role expanded, Bredeson made his mark as a special teams player, and the Vikings have seen that same willingness in their rookie class. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels has emphasized the skill sets of his rookie class.

For a player replacing Ham, that work is part of the job description. Bredeson must be dependable when Minnesota needs a lead-blocker, a pass-protector or a checkdown option. He must also be ready when the kicking-game units take the field.

The Vikings are not treating him as a fringe fullback trying to survive an outdated role. They are building a role for him on offense, then asking him to help carry the all-around workload Ham handled for a decade.