Rookie Report: Minnesota Vikings vs Detroit Lions in Week 4
By Adam Carlson
How did the Minnesota Vikings rookies perform in Week 4 of the 2017 season in a 14-7 loss to the Detroit Lions before the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium?
In order for a team to succeed in today’s NFL, growing your own talent is very important. While a lot of attention comes from trades, free agents, and first-round draft picks, making great players out of later picks can make or break a franchise like the Minnesota Vikings.
In Week 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings faced off against the Detroit Lions where Minnesota fell 7-14 to their division rivals. Still, there were plenty of reasons to be hopeful for the future after watching the rookies play.
Here is how the rookies for the Minnesota Vikings played against Detroit, including their snap count from the game according to Scout.com and their stats shared on the official ESPN website:
Pat Elflein, center – 56 snaps
The Minnesota offensive line did a great job in keeping the Detroit Lions pass rush in check for most of the game, but most surprisingly very little of the pressure seemed to come up the middle against Elflein and the guards.
So far, Elflein seems to be improving each week, and that is important for the development of a rookie in this league regardless of position played.
Ben Gedeon, linebacker – 40 snaps
If this number of snaps seems a little high, that’s because he got a lot of action on both defense and special teams. Defensively, he saw his count go up to 19, while he also got 21 special teams snaps.
Once again, Gedeon did nothing to draw attention to himself in a negative way. Plus, he got his a tackle for loss during the game, which helps hammer home that point that no bad and some good is a great combination.
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Dalvin Cook, running back – 27 snaps
If he hadn’t been injured, odds are that Cook would have seen a significantly large amount of action for the rest of the game. However, in those 27 snaps, he carried the ball 13 times for 66 yards and the game’s only Vikings touchdown while adding one catch on 3 targets for 8 yards.
Cook’s 5.1 yards per rushing attempt was more than any other ball carrier in the game. Going forward, the Vikings will miss his production while he has surgery and recovers from his knee injury to prepare for 2018.
Eric Wilson, linebacker – 17 snaps
Regulated to special teams work against the Lions, Wilson didn’t make any flashy plays but also didn’t do anything that made him look bad. Wilson continues to earn the trust of the team by being a solid member of the special teams unit, meaning his role could increase at any given time.
Next: 3 takeaways from Week 4 vs Detroit
What did you think of the play from the Minnesota Vikings rookies in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions? Who do you think needs a smaller or bigger role going forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.