Bobby Felder Impresses In Vikings Camp

If you ask most Vikings fans who Bobby Felder is, they would probably have no idea.  Felder was an undrafted Cornerback in 2012 from Nicholls State University who couldn’t break the final roster.  He made it to the final cuts, but was then released.  The team was lucky enough to then sign him back to the team and place on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.

Felder knows that opportunities aren’t easy to come by.  Since being signed back to the practice squad, he has impressed players and coaches with his hard work and physical ability.  He has even changed up his diet to include more greens and salads in order to be healthier.

Jul 27, 2012; Mankato, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end John Carlson (89) catches a pass as cornerback Josh Robinson (31) defends at training camp at Blakeslee Stadium at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

“I kind of figured out that if you work hard in the weight room and then you go home and you eat a double cheeseburger, that’s just going to defeat the purpose.  It really impacts you. You can even tell just when you wake up. You feel a lot better throughout the day. You recover a lot faster. Like someone told me, put on a 10-pound weight vest and go out there and play with that on, and then take it off and see how quick you’re going to be.”  Felder said.

Felder has learned a lot from his teammates and wants to take the bull by the horns.  As he continues to improve, he will draw more and more attention from the Vikings staff and it will be harder to hide him on the practice squad without having another NFL team signing him to their roster.

 “That’s my goal: to get on the 53 and just try to make the best of every opportunity. I just take it for what it’s worth last year, and even though I didn’t get as many reps in camp last year, I tried to make them count.  As my reps increase, I can just understand the game better and take that and get better as a player. Coming from a small school, you might meet a good receiver every now and then. But out there, I get to work with the ones every day. So, I feel they helped me get a lot better and I see it translating over.”  Felder added.

Felder could turn out to be a pleasant surprise for Vikings fans who are concerned with the team’s depth at Cornerback.  We won’t know until after final cuts what Felder’s fate will be, but we should be happy the team has such intense competition for the position’s final spots.