Report: Vikings to meet with another talented 2019 tight end prospect

The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly scheduled to meet with former Texas A&M tight end Jace Sternberger as the 2019 NFL Draft quickly approaches.

In each of the last four years, the Minnesota Vikings have used one of their picks in the NFL Draft to add a tight end to their roster. However, none of these tight ends have been selected by the Vikings with anything higher than a fifth-round pick.

In fact, there has only been two instances since 1999 in which Minnesota has used a draft selection during the first four rounds on a tight end. One of these two players, Kyle Rudolph, is still a member of the Vikings’ current roster.

Rudolph is now approaching his 30th birthday and he’s also heading into the final year of his contract with Minnesota. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when reports begin to come out that reveal the Vikings’ interest in a number of tight end prospects from this year’s draft class.

We have previously reported on Minnesota meeting with former Iowa tight end Noah Fant at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. Now it appears that the Vikings are expressing interest in another top 2019 tight end prospect.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson on Sunday, Minnesota is one of a handful of teams that will be meeting with former Texas A&M tight end Jace Sternberger during the near future.

Sternberger, who played just one season at Texas A&M after transferring from Kansas, measures in at 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds. At the combine this year, the big tight end clocked in with a 4.75 40-yard dash time.

In 2018 with Texas A&M, Sternberger finished with 48 catches for 832 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games. His performance was good enough to be named a consensus All-American and also be selected to the All-SEC First-Team.

Sternberger is not projected to come off the board in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. So the Vikings could potentially use a second or a third-round selection on him if he’s still available when it comes time for them to make their pick.

If Minnesota is thinking about moving on from Rudolph after his contract runs out, Sternberger may be a guy they look at as a potential replacement for the veteran.