Edge Rusher with “Muscles on His Muscles” Rolls with the Minnesota Vikings
The top Vikings edge rushers are versatile and talented. All of Jonathan Greenard (in the trade rumors), Andrew Van Ginkel (a cyborg), and Dallas Turner (oodles of potential) offer much to like.
What’s needed is depth.
So, the decision to graft Bo Richter back onto the roster makes a lot of sense. Consider the word coming from ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Vikings tendered exclusive rights free agent LB Bo Richter.”
Edge Rusher Bo Richter Back in the Mix for Minnesota
Mr. Richter has been in the NFL for a pair of seasons. He made the leap from college to the pros after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. At least part of the reason why he didn’t see a selection sunk into him is due to not having the coveted length.
At 6’1″, Richter is shorter than a prototypical NFL edge rusher. An ideal world would have those along the edge being built like Danielle Hunter. Insane muscles while also having super long arms attached to a very tall person.
Possessing that build has many benefits. First, there’s the better ability to wrestle with offensive tackles. Getting one’s mitts into the blocker before the blocker can get one’s mitts into oneself is important. Likewise, long arms help to get in the way of passing lanes (think batted balls at the line of scrimmage, an issue for J.J. McCarthy) and wrap up ball carriers.
Alas, Richter needs to make do with the way he’s built.
Consider how he was described going into his draft year. The NFL’s Lance Zierlein with the analysis: “Richter is an undersized edge defender with short arms, but his athletic profile gives him a chance to compete for a roster spot. He has muscles on muscles and a strong base that allows him to play through edges and maintain balance at contact. He also has plus pursuit speed and racked up impact stats on the other side of the line. His rush is more effort-based than skilled, and that production might not translate as a pro. However, his pro day testing was terrific, and he plays with a nice GPS toward the ball. Richter might need to prove he can play off-ball linebacker, but his traits and special-teams potential should help his chances.”
The draft expert’s opinion is that Richter should have been chosen in the 6th or the 7th.
A few things jump out in the above description. Being a rugged, all-effort player is a good thing, especially since he’s so athletic and explosive. So, too, is it a good thing to have a “GPS toward the ball.” So far, playing off-ball ‘backer hasn’t materialized, but the tidbit about being a special teams ace looks prescient.
Minnesota made him a Viking with the offer of an undrafted contract that had $15,000 in guaranteed money. Even for undrafted players, Bo Richter didn’t demand huge wealth.
Since then, Richter played fourteen games as a rookie and seventeen games as a sophomore. He had 8 tackles in 2024 and 11 tackles in 2025. Plus, there was a fumble recovery in his debut NFL season.
Looking under the hood shows that his two seasons have involved 81 snaps on defense alongside 639 snaps on specials teams. So, a small percentage of the defense’s portion of the pie but darn near the whole pastry for special teams.
The Vikings still have work to do to get the roster to where it needs to be. Re-welcoming Richter back into the mix, though, is a nice move since he’s quietly a piece of the puzzle. The 25-year-old will need to keep earning his spot, but expect Richter to be out there for the Vikings in 2026.
Free agency begins on Monday before the real thing gets rolling on Wednesday, March 11th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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