Unsung Vikings Rookie Turns Heads
For rookies, the Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 festivities have begun as minicamp got underway in Eagan over the weekend.
One Vikings rookie accounted for some big plays at rookie minicamp over the weekend.
The club selected five men in the 2025 NFL Draft, signed approximately 20 undrafted rookies, and offered tryouts to around 15 others. A full house at Vikings headquarters.
And one unsung rookie has started to stand off the page — linebacker Kobe King from Penn State, who logged a pick-six at minicamp.
A Round 6 Hopeful
The Vikings entered the draft with just four picks on tap and ended up with five. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah conducted a couple of trades in later rounds, leading him to King in Round 6.
Of course, players chosen from Round 6 rarely pan out, but the Vikings will hope King is the exception, and he’ll have a sweet supporting cast for tutelage, including Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
It’s worth noting that King has good size for an inside linebacker at 6’1″ and 236 pounds. He’s a bit larger than Ivan Pace Jr., who went undrafted two years ago because of his small stature.
Proceedings at Rookie Minicamp
Vikings.com Rob Kleifield wrote about King on Friday, “Standing in a skin-tight Purple long-sleeve T, after peeling off his white jersey, with a black skull cap and silver chain around his neck, sixth-round rookie linebacker Kobe King wiped sweat and caught his breath.”
“In one sequence, and right after UDFA cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn got his hands on the football, King intercepted a short pass in the hook/curl zone and trotted the other way for his first practice pick six.”
King is from Detroit and turned 22 in January.
Kleifield added, “It was a welcome sign for a player who prides himself on thwarting the run and is keenly aware he can dial more into his pass assignments. The successful snap, also, didn’t stop King, who realized his NFL dream almost exactly two weeks ago, from doing more.”
“The sturdy 6-foot-1, 236-pound linebacker pushed his conditioning at the end of practice, getting in additional sprints while some retreated to air conditioning, and thus standing out as an E.W.G. (Extra-Work Guy).”
From Kobe King Personally
King told reporters after Friday’s practice, “I’ve been embracing the process, trusting in my building, my training, you know, it’s a process. But it ain’t been as rocky as people would expect. It’s been a smooth process for me, really.”
“My goal is to go out there, show my teammates and the club that they can trust me, that they can have confidence in me, and just, you know, evolve my pass-game effectiveness. I’m very effective in both aspects of the game, but, you know, there’s still areas to improve.”
King has a clear path to a regular season roster spot, especially with veteran Kamu Grugier-Hill unsigned this offseason.
He concluded, “But I’m a dominant player. I approach the game the right way. My demeanor is the right way. And when it’s time to be counted on, guys can count on me.”
Role with the Vikings
At the top of the ILB ticket, the Vikings employ Ivan Pace Jr. and Blake Cashman. After that tandem, veteran Eric Wilson returned to the Vikings in March, and fourth-year defender Brian Asamoah will hope to make the 53-man roster.
Folks will monitor summer activities to see if King ousts Asamoah for a roster spot, which feels likely as of May.
King is also a special teams asset, and that may be his claim to fame in the NFL as a rookie. It’s more evidence to suggest he could earn a roster spot over Asamoah.
The worst-case scenario for King is the practice squad, but fans should expect that as the last resort.
Vikings GM on King
Adofo-Mensah said about King after the draft: “Really excited to add him. A lot of times in football, we make it harder than it is, but it’s a meat and potatoes game at some positions, and linebacker is one of ’em. He’s somebody that plays with range, tackles, he’s a really physical knock back, impact tackler.”
King also noted on his skill set: “It looks like hunger. It looks like anger. It looks like the eye of the tiger when you line up against me. It looks like I’m vicious out there. Sometimes, I take it as disrespect when guys do run the ball my way or when they do pass my way. But when they do, I make an impact on it.”
The guy might be the Vikings’ new ILB4.
Former Viking Already on the Hot Seat
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