The Vikings liked Audie Cole at the Senior Bowl and ended up taking him in the seventh round. On Tuesday Cole became the second 2012 Vikings draft pick to have his signing announced. The first, Trevor Guyton, scooped the whole media by announcing his own signing on Instagram. News of the Cole signing comes via the usual route, the Twitter feed of a beat writer (don’t you just love new media?). It’s a four year deal for Cole.
Pro Football Weekly says of Audie Cole:
"Outstanding size and body length. Extremely intelligent — can set the fronts and make all the calls and checks. Has some pass-rush skill — fairly quick off the ball, shows some counter moves and can swim past blockers. Has a 35-inch vertical jump. Very solid production. Highly competitive. Tough and will play through pain. Outstanding character and makeup. Alert in coverage. Shows on-field leadership traits."
Cole pencils in as a back-up OLB and special teams demon, at least in the near-term. In the long-run? Who knows what will happen with Erin Henderson after his one year deal expires. The Vikes may already have their eye on sliding Cole in as the starting Will linebacker if/when Erin moves on. Cole will have to show quite a bit in his first year to make that happen though.
Like The Viking Age on Facebook.
Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter.