David Morgan gives Vikings another gritty tight end

David Morgan of Texas-San Antonio gives the Vikings another hard-working tight end in the Rhett Ellison mode.

The Vikings have no idea when or if they will ever get TE Rhett Ellison back from the patellar tendon tear he suffered at the end of last season, so they’ve gone out and drafted another player who essentially does Ellison’s job.

With their second pick in the sixth round, the Vikings selected UT-San Antonio tight end David Morgan. Some trades were made before the pick but will get to that later.

First thing’s first: The 6-4, 262-pound Morgan is described as a – wait for it – lunch-pail type player by NFL.com. You know what Pro Football Focus called Morgan? The best run-blocking player in FBS last year. Morgan doesn’t have a ton of speed but he does have the leaping ability necessary to occasionally make a big catch.

So I guess everything adds up. The Vikings are concerned that Rhett Ellison won’t be ready for the season, so they’ve drafted a guy who can basically replace him. A former high school basketball player, Morgan is a good athlete who played H-back and fullback at UT-San Antonio. Cue the inevitable Jim Kleinsasser comparisons.

As side note, David Morgan also likes to hunt and fish. So Minnesota is a good landing spot for him, provided he can adjust to the weather.

Next: Boehringer to Vikings in 6th

The Vikings executed a couple trades before drafting Morgan, sending the 186th overall pick, acquired from Miami on Friday, back to Miami in exchange for Miami’s 196th and 227th overall selections, then moving back up to 188th overall by sending the 196th pick plus the 240th pick to Philadelphia.

Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz.