By Golly, The Vikings May Have Pulled it Off Yet Again
The 2022 NFL Draft is reasonably regarded as a house of horrors in the Twin Cities. What’s sometimes forgotten, though, is that the Vikings did extract some value out of the event. Nowhere near enough, but the talent haul was present, if only in a modest sense.
An example rests in punter Ryan Wright, who was scooped up as an undrafted talent (read his exclusive interview with VT). The punter was brought to town to compete with veteran Jordan Berry for the top spot. Mr. Wright ended up winning the job. He then worked through the three years on his initial UDFA deal before a single-season contract for 2025. Wright departed in March of 2026 for the promise of meaty money in New Orleans. Does a recent UDFA add follow in Wright’s footsteps? Did the Vikings pull it off yet again?
The Vikings are Pursuing Familiar Punter Path
Incoming punter Brett Thorson offers much to like, but let’s begin with reasons against him succeeding.
Thorson is an older rookie at 26. Ideally, all newcomers will have more youth in tow, but that’s not the case for the Australian punter. A touch concerning is that he didn’t hold for field goals while in college, a sneaky detail that’s usually within a punter’s job description.
Check out the word from USA Today on why he may have gone undrafted: “Thorson was not one of the two punters drafted despite his strong college career. One possible reason Thorson went undrafted is because Georgia uses quarterbacks to hold on field goals and not punters, which limited Thorson’s experience at holding. Almost every NFL team has punters exclusively do the holding for field goals.”
Young kicker Will Reichard is coming off a sizzling 2025 season. Very reasonably, Reichard got named as a first-team All Pro. Whoever is holding the ball needs to ensure that he doesn’t disrupt what has become a very good thing.
Now, consider the inverse: why is Thorson a promising player? Put differently, why will he succeed?
Check out what Lance Zierlein had to say: “Australian punter with adequate drive power and above-average hang time. Thorson gets good leg extension and has the ability to generate consistent lift, allowing the cover team to swarm when punts are returnable. He displayed vast improvement in touch with his coffin-corner kicks in 2025 and checks the boxes to be a Day 3 pick.”
Per Zierlein, Thorson was worthy of being chosen in the 5th. The NFL, quite evidently, disagreed. Instead, the Georgia specialist slipped out of the event entirely, allowing the Vikings to swoop in to give him a chance under the tutelage of Matt Daniels, an excellent coach.
Very wisely, the Vikings brought a veteran to town before the draft: Johnny Hekker. Doing so solidifies the floor, giving Minnesota a predictable starting point to work from as the offseason competition unfolds. The Vikings didn’t need to force anything in the draft, creating the conditions where patience could be exercised.
Quite possibly, that assurance about the in-house talent allowed the Vikings to sink draft picks into other, more pressing needs. But then there was the luxury to sign Brett Thorson afterwards at the cost of just an UDFA deal.
Goodness, there doesn’t even need to be a roster slot used for him since he’s operating under the International Player Pathway roster exemption. Minnesota can carry 91 players rather than the standard 90 since Thorson is from Australia.
In a dozen games in 2025, Thorson launched 46 punts for 2,094 yards. His 45.5 yards-per-punt average is reasonably meaty.
Do remember, though, that the point of a punt is to get excellent field position, not to just send the ball sailing as far as possible. There’s ample overlap — drilling the ball deep is helpful — but one needs to work with the coverage team. Good location and hang time are needed.
Think of punting the ball as being similar to a quarterback being able throw well. Being able to fling the ball deep is helpful but it’s not the sole criteria for being a good passer. Sending the ball deep needs to work in harmony with other needed skills and abilities. The same can be said of a punt.
Oh, and then there’s the holding angle. Thorson will need to prove capable of handling the Andrew DePaola long snap before cleanly placing it for Reichard. Being unable to keep the field goal operation moving is a surefire way to lose one’s job since points are getting taken off the board.
His three-year contract comes with an $890,000 cap charge in 2026. His $90,000 in guaranteed money (OTC) suggests that the Vikings had some competition for his services.
Brett Thorson boasts an impressive build at 6’1″ and 237 pounds.
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