Vikings Rookie Singled Out with “Sleeper” Status
The Minnesota Vikings pulled five rookies from the 2025 NFL Draft: guard Donovan Jackson, wide receiver Tai Felton, defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, tight end Gavin Bartholomew, and linebacker Kobe King.
CBS Sports labeled one Vikings rookie as a 2025 sleeper — and it’s a selection that will turn heads.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had so few picks because of an expensive trade in the previous draft for outside linebacker Dallas Turner.
So, this time around, the Vikings need a sleeper or two to emerge from the rookie class, and according to CBS Sports, that man is Tai Felton, a 3rd-Round selection from Maryland.
Vikings’ Rookie Sleeper? WR Tai Felton, per CBS Sports
CBS Sports‘ Chris Trapasso identified one rookie sleeper from each NFL team last week, and Felton got the call for the purple team.
Trapasso observed about Felton, “Impressive stat to know: Ran 4.37 at 183 pounds at the combine and forced a missed tackle on 28.4% of his career catches in college.”
“Felton is fast and sudden — the desired combination at the receiver position today. At Maryland, he forced 44 missed tackles on his final 144 receptions with the Terrapins, and he spent time as a big-play threat (in 2023 when he averaged 15.3 yards per snag) and a volume producer (in 2024 when he caught 96 passes).”
Most fans didn’t have a wide receiver on their draft bingo boards at home, at least not in Round 3, so the Felton choice was a pleasant surprise.
Trapasso added, “Yes, Justin Jefferson is the man. In my view, the best receiver in the NFL. Jordan Addison is no slouch at WR2. The Vikings needed a long-term answer at WR3, and they got it with Felton.”
How Far Down Vikings Depth Chart?
For now, because the Vikings have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor on the roster, the first three WR jobs are all sewn up, barring injury.
Felton profiles as the team’s WR4 in 2025, with an immediate promotion on deck if Jefferson, Addison, or Nailor miss any game action.
Heading into the draft, NFL Draft Buzz claimed Felton was a “crafty separator who sells his breaks with exceptional head-and-shoulder fakes that leave corners flat-footed in man coverage,” and a playmaker who could “display exceptional spatial awareness working the sideline, routinely getting both feet down where lesser receivers drift out of bounds,” with “elite timed speed [that] shows up on the tape.”
Keep an Eye on Jordan Addison’s Legal Matters
What’s more, Felton could enjoy an enhanced workload, depending on Addison’s legal resolution. The WR2 was arrested last summer for an alleged DUI in Los Angeles, and his trial awaits in July.
Star Tribune‘s Emily Leiker tweeted Monday, “Online Superior Court of California records indicate Vikings WR Jordan Addison’s jury trial for his summer 2024 DUI arrest in LA will take place July 15. That date was set in a hearing this morning. Addison has pled not guilty.”
If convicted, Addison could miss the first three games of the regular season, prompting a de facto promotion for Felton out of the gate.
Other Sleeper Rookies for the Vikings
A sleeper case can be made for the Vikings’ other three rookies: Ingram-Dawkins, Bartholomew, and King. Overall, Bartholomew probably owns the scene for an alternative sleeper because he’s in line for a TE3 job as a rookie if he plays his cards right.
Last year’s TE3, Johnny Mundt, left in free agency for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Vikings lost Nick Muse to practice-squad theft by the Philadelphia Eagles late last season. Bartholomew could see some targets in the Vikings’ offense, particularly if T.J. Hockenson or Josh Oliver miss any time.
Fellow NFC North Sleepers
From the Detroit Lions, Trapasso remarked that guard Miles Frazier could turn some heads: “Frazier is the classic SEC mauler at guard bound for a starting gig sooner than later. And sooner than later we’ll be wondering why he was a fifth-round selection. At nearly 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds, he has room to grow into his already powerful frame, and is a balanced pass-protector right now.”
“The Lions will be able to sustain their standing as one of the most devastating offensive lines in football given Frazier’s selection despite losing some interior pieces from the blocking unit the past two offseasons.”
And for the Chicago Bears, Trapasso chose defensive lineman Shemar Turner and explained, “Of the Shemars on Texas A&M’s roster in 2024 (Turner and Stewart, the latter a first-round pick), the player the Bears selected in the second round was the better football player in college. Hitting that 10% threshold for pressure rate at defensive tackle was a sign of Turner’s diversity as a rusher on the inside.”
“At 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds with a wingspan over 81 inches (70th percentile), he has the ideal frame to get skinny between gaps and disrupt on a regular basis, which is precisely what he did on a regular basis in the SEC. No Bears defensive tackle hit 40 pressures a season ago. Turner was drafted for a very specific reason.”
It’s worth noting that the Vikings are starved for non-Round-1 rookies to contribute at a high level — the last example from Round 3 or later might be safety Camryn Bynum, who was drafted four years ago and now works for the Indianapolis Colts. Jalen Nailor, too, was a Round 6 commodity in 2022.
You must be logged in to post a comment.