Bleacher Report Pounds the Table for Unsung Vikings Rookie
The Minnesota Vikings have rapidly developed a reputation for finding the market’s top undrafted free agents, largely due to Ivan Pace Jr.’s emergence in 2023.
Bleacher Report labeled one Vikings UDFA as the most likely to make the active roster. The underdog rookie is doing the thing in the court of public opinion.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a process, paying coveted UDFAs top dollar while forming a relationship with such men before the draft.
And according to Bleacher Report, the next man up in the UDFA arena could be offensive tackle Logan Brown.
Bleacher Report Wants You to Keep an Eye on OT Logan Brown
The new Viking may have a fast track to the active roster.
Logan Brown Gets His Flowers from Bleacher Report
BR’s Brent Sobleski uplifted one UDFA apiece from each NFL team with the best chance to make the September roster, and for the Vikings, Brown got the nod.
“The Minnesota Vikings made the offensive line a priority this offseason and rebuilt the squad’s entire interior. Offensive tackle is a different story. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill were already in place,” Sobleski wrote.
“The team signed veteran Justin Skule to be its swing tackle. From there, it gets interesting. Walter Rouse remains on the roster after being a sixth-round pick in last year’s class. Logan Brown signed as an undrafted free agent, yet he has the type of traits to possibly be a starting option down the road.”
Brown ranked No. 160 on the Consensus Big Board this offseason, meaning he probably should’ve been drafted by a team in Round 5 or so. No such luck.
Sobleski continued, “Brown originally entered the Wisconsin Badgers program as a 5-star recruit. In 2022, he was dismissed from the team following an ‘internal incident.’ After transferring to Kansas and joining the Jayhawks, the offensive lineman dealt with injuries during the 2023 campaign before finally becoming a full-time starter last year.”
“He displayed good movement skills and pop upon initial contact.”
Already a Lock for the 53-Man Roster?
These are the Vikings’ offensive tackles with training camp underway:
- Christian Darrisaw
- Brian O’Neill
- Justin Skule
- Walter Rouse
- Logan Brown
- Leroy Watson IV
Minnesota generally keeps four or five offensive tackles, meaning Brown should be in a good spot for 53-man roster contention. If it tosses him on the practice squad in five weeks, another team can somewhat easily steal Brown.
Insurance for Christian Darrisaw
The team’s franchise cornerstone LT, Christian Darrisaw, is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last October. Recent momentum suggests that Darrisaw could be ready for Week 1, but if that steam is premature, Brown could be an automatic lock for the active roster, at least out of the gate next month.
Justin Skule would take over LT1 duties if Darrisaw misses the season’s first few games, yet roster depth would be required, and Brown is precisely that.
Even if Darrisaw is fully ready for Week 1, the Vikings arguably need depth like Brown can provide.
David Quessenberry = Gone
Last year’s primary depth tackle, David Quessenberry, no longer works for the purple team.
The Los Angeles Rams scooped Quessenberry in late May, giving the veteran a fresh start on Sean McVay’s team and opening a roster spot for a player like Brown or Joe Huber (a guard).
No one will complain too loudly if Minnesota has “too many” productive OT options.
More Logan Brown Context
A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness profiled Brown earlier this month: “The Vikings have kept eight UDFAs during the tenure of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. So far, all of them have been on the defensive side of the football, but this could be the year they get one on offense.”
“Brown is one of the better UDFA signings that the Vikings have landed, as he was 143rd on Arif Hasan’s consensus board. Why did he go undrafted out of Kansas? It was likely because he got kicked out of Wisconsin for allegedly beating up a teammate.”
All things considered, Brown might face an “easy” path to the September roster.
Forness added, “Now, as a talent, Brown was a five-star recruit and the top offensive tackle in his recruiting class. With OT4 being up for grabs, Brown being that guy isn’t out of the question.”
Fans will gather in Eagan for the first time this Saturday in 2025 for training camp, and an unofficial depth chart for the Vikings is expected to be released in approximately 11 days.
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