Former Vikings WR Dazzles on American Idol
The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason is firmly underway, six weeks removed from an end-of-season loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Former Vikings WR Dazzles on American Idol
NFL free agency begins in three weeks, and the NFL Draft is 66 days away.
But some non-football news hit the Vikings’ stratosphere on Sunday night, with former wide receiver Blake Proehl auditioning for American Idol. Proehl nailed the audition and is evidently heading to Hollywood.
Ryan Seacrest tweeted Sunday night, “Sometimes when one dream ends, another begins … Blake Proehl, you’re going to Hollywood!”
Here’s some of the performance:
And promo material beforehand:
Proehl, currently a free agent, last played for the Vikings in the summer of 2023 but was waived in August ahead of roster trimdowns.
The East Carolina alumnus is most famous for his bloodline. His father, Ricky Proehl, also a wide receiver, played for six NFL teams in 17 years from 1990 to 2006. Vikings fans tend to love sons of former players. An undrafted discovery in 2021, Proehl has yet to play in a regular season game. He was injured before the 2021 regular season and did not play for the Vikings as a rookie or in 2022-2023. He’s known for speed — a 4.47 40-yard dash at the 2021 NFL Combine — and football lineage. As a Pirate in college, Proehl grabbed 130 receptions for 1,576 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Vikings fans universally applauded Proehl’s American Idol showing on X. @skolkille tweeted, “I’m over here bawling my eyes out over Blake Proehl‘s American Idol audition like he’s one of my kids. He was amazing! I’m so proud of him and so excited for him!”
“Blake Proehl is going to go far on American Idol. Vikings Twitter going to create an army to vote for him,” @SkolBros posted on Sunday night.
Blake Asciutto added, “Ok nvm Blake Proehl is that guy, he is going to be in the top ten easy.
Proehl told the aforementioned Seacrest on Sunday night, “I went through a really tough injury … I tore a bunch of stuff. They said hey it’ll be a success story if you’re able to run again in general.”
He added, “My grandma is the reason why I’m here. She’s the reason why I have any confidence at all to be in this room.”
Proehl turned 28 last month.
A Look at the Vikings’ 27 Free Agents
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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