Kyle Rudolph Is Earning High Praise

TVA is tired of writing negative blog posts in this lost season. It’s really been an awful one, yet football is a sport that is meant to be celebrated with the highs of winning being so much stronger than the lows of losing. So with what’s left of the last three weeks we’ll try our best to be positive and hope that things improved.

One positive thing that’s not gone unnoticed is how tight end Kyle Rudolph has two folks talking whose opinion matters in the grand scheme of things. This past week wide receiver Percy Harvin said on Rudolph, “Love him. He’s a freak athlete. He’s probably got the best hands as far as catching the ball that I’ve ever seen.”

Yet Harvin was not the only one who admired our rookie tight end. NFL Films Greg Cosell spoke highly of Rudolph’s intermediate & downfield skills and was also complimentary of his running abilities and body control. For those that don’t know Cosell is widely considered one of the best film analysts in the business having once worked under coaching legend Bill Walsh.

Going back to the draft, Rudolph was compared to current Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski with both being picked in the 2nd round after having productive college careers in spite of injuries and possessing a nice combination of size and speed. Re-visiting, could you pass the eyeball test?

Tight End A: 6’6”, 265 lbs, 22 games, 75 receptions, 1197 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Tight End B: 6’6”, 258 lbs, 29 games, 90 receptions, 1032 yards and 8 touchdowns.

For those scoring A is Gronkowski from Arizona and B is Rudolph from Notre Dame.

These comparisons seem a bit steep now with Gronkowski becoming Tom Brady’s favorite target and all but a lock to be named First Team All-Pro this season recently breaking the record for most touchdowns scored in a single season by a tight end. Yet, keep the faith in the Vikings rookie and know we could have someone who could be playing opposite Gronkowski at Pro Bowls within the next couple of years.

Jon Merckle may be followed on Twitter @thevikingpig