Keenan McCardell Pounded the Table for Vikings Rookie
Each summer, Minnesota Vikings fans daydream about the upside of the team’s rookie class, often to pass the time before training camp in July. This go-round, there’s evidence to support the optimism, and that’s from wide receiver coach Keenan McCardell.
Vikings WR coach Keenan McCardell went all-in on one rookie from the 2025 NFL Draft — and he ensured his general manager took notice.
The Vikings drafted Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton in Round 3 two months ago, and from the lips of McCardell, well, it was the plan all along.
Keenan McCardell Played the Long Game with Vikings WR Tai Felton
Via Star Tribune this week, onlookers learned that McCardell had his eye on Felton for quite some time, pounding the table for the rookie leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft.
McCardell told Star Tribune‘s Andrew Krammer about Felton’s Pro Day in the spring, “I ran it, basically. It was a really good workout. I told him, ‘Hey, man, you got me thinking now. If I get a chance, I’m going to fight to get you.’ He can play special teams and do a lot of things to help us as a team, first, and then as a receiver. I think he’s going to be a good Viking for a long time.”
That McCardell quote didn’t leave much to the imagination. Felton was “his guy” for quite a while. McCardell played the long game.
A Surprising Draft Pick in Round 3
When embarking on the draft in April, the Vikings had just four picks — a 1st-Rounder, a compensatory 3rd-Round selection, and two 5th-Rounders. The piggybank was tiny because general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah bet it all on a trade for outside linebacker Dallas Turner in 2024.
Therefore, as fans didn’t view the WR section on the depth chart as a weakness, nobody expected a wide receiver to be the pick in Round 3.
Now, however, thanks to McCardell’s comments this week, it makes a little more sense why Felton found his way to the Vikings. Call it a Keenan McCardell special.
Why Keenan McCardell Wanted This Rookie
Tai Felton’s Role in 2025
Training camp is about five weeks away, and when Felton arrives in Eagan, he’s likely in line for WR4 duty. Kevin O’Connell’s offense already features Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor. It’s unlikely that Felton would have the pizzazz to remove any of those three from their existing assignments. There’s also Rondale Moore in the mix, a speedster banking on a reclamation season in 2025.
Still, and if one believes the McCardell hype, there’s a teensy chance that Felton barnstorms the summer or early part of the regular season to swipe Nailor’s job. That’s not impossible. Nailor will enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, and Felton might just be the replacement plan for the long term.
A Pathway to More Playing Time?
Meanwhile, don’t forget about Jordan Addison’s legal saga.
Addison will reportedly go to trial in July — at least one is tentatively scheduled — for a DUI charge in California. If Addison is found guilty or pleads to a similar charge, he could miss the season’s first three games, or so the working theory suggests.
Led by a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy who has never thrown a pass in the regular season, the Vikings could turn to Felton — McCardell’s handpicked rookie — for a WR2 or WR3 trial.
The scenario would make Felton’s acclimation to the big leagues quite memorable.
Janik Eckardt on Tai Felton
Our very own Janik Eckardt opined on Felton’s role this week, “In his final year, the receiver delivered 96 catches for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns. For a player to do that in the Big 10, there has to be some baseline of talent.”
“Jefferson and Addison are in the conversation for the best WR duo in the league. At WR3, the Vikings employ a man named Jalen Nailor, who is just coming off a breakout season with over 400 yards and six touchdowns. However, he has had only one season with that kind of production; injuries have cost him games throughout his career, and he is in the final year of his rookie deal. Addison could also draw a suspension this season.”
Felton is known for speed, his deep-threat prowess, and his ability to notch big plays.
Eckardt added, “All of those items open the door for Felton to make noise early in his career. If last year’s top three receivers are all available, it will still be hard for Felton to get meaningful snaps in his rookie season. Special teams could be an area in which he can contribute early on. His speed makes him a perfect candidate for the punt gunner job, and he might also be in the mix for the return jobs.”
“Felton just turned 22 a few months ago, and he won’t hit the ground running like Jefferson did in 2020 or Addison in 2023. However, he has the physical tools to earn a role in the next few years and help the club win football games. He’ll be a fun player to watch in training camp and the preseason.”
If McCardell signed off on Felton, his career trajectory already has a leg up.
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