Vikings Sign David Morgan, the Draft’s “Best Blocking Tight End”
Austin Belisle
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As Darren Wolfson reported earlier this week, the Minnesota Vikings should have all of their rookie draft picks signed to contracts by Friday. The team started with Moritz Boehringer on Monday and hasn’t put the cap back on the proverbial pen since.
Seventh-round pick Jayron Kearse signed a four-year deal this morning and sixth-round tight end David Morgan quickly followed suit. Per reports from Chris Tomasson, Morgan will sign his contract tomorrow, which is of the four-year variety and includes a $135,456 signing bonus.
Source: #Vikings sixth-round pick David Morgan has agreed to four-year, $2.47 million contract with $135,456 signing bonus. Will sign Thurs
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 4, 2016
Where does this notion of Morgan as the draft’s “best blocking tight end” come from? Pro Football Focus awarded the UTSA prospect the highest run blocking grade in the FBS last year, calling the 6’4″, 252-pound behemoth an “ox of a tight end.”
After the draft, Spielman was asked to explain why the Vikings used a pick on Morgan in the sixth round. He didn’t hesitate to heap praise on the tight end and elaborate on his potential role in the offense.
[quote_box_center]”A couple things, number one is we felt that he was the best blocking tight end in this draft,” Spielman said, without hesitation. “His ability to make plays in the passing game, especially on underneath routes and the other thing is with Rhett Ellison still coming off that significant injury we are going to have to wait and see where he is at.”[/quote_box_center]
The tidbit on Ellison is probably the most important given Ellison’s importance to the team last season. As a tight end, Ellison did more than just block defensive ends and catch passes in the middle of the field. He lined up in the backfield as a blocker, split out wide as a receiver, and played on nearly all of Minnesota’s special teams units.
Until Ellison fully recovers from his torn patellar tendon, the Vikings will need someone who can do many of those same things. MyCole Pruitt, drafted in the fifth round last year, may be able to do that as some point, but he’s much more “move” tight end than a traditional “Y.”
Morgan is a little more diverse in his skill set, and he should have no problem stepping in at multiple spots on the field when training camp begins.