Second-year tight end looking ‘really impressive’ during Vikings OTAs

In his second season with the Minnesota Vikings, tight end Tyler Conklin is looking to make a bigger impact for the team’s offense than last year.

For the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, the tight end position has been a hot topic of discussion. Kyle Rudolph has been in an out of the rumor mill pretty much since the 2018 season came to an end and the Vikings only stirred the pot even further when they selected former Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round of last April’s NFL Draft.

Perhaps Minnesota’s reported willingness to part ways with Rudolph this offseason has also been due to a reason that not many have considered. Maybe the Vikings haven’t made extending their veteran tight end this year a bigger priority due to the play of those behind him in the position group?

Along with Rudolph and Smith, the other tight ends on Minnesota’s current roster include Tyler Conklin, David Morgan, Brandon Dillon, and Cole Hikutini.

Some of the younger guys from the position group like Smith and Conklin have been able to get more opportunities during the Vikings’ OTAs this year with Morgan currently dealing with an injury and Rudolph missing some time to attend a charitable event.

Conklin is apparently taking advantage of his increased snaps during OTAs and his teammates have been taking notice. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins recently commented on the play of the second-year tight end during the team’s OTA practices this year.

"“Tyler Conklin looked great. Just throwing routes on air, sometimes you can get a feel for guys and down in the red zone today, I thought Tyler Conklin looked really impressive. (However), our defense did a really good job today of covering routes in the red zone, so it didn’t really give us an opportunity for them to shine.”"

As a former basketball player, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Conklin is finding success in the red zone during the Vikings’ recent practices. He has the height (6-foot-3) and the leaping ability (38-inch vertical) to develop into a nice little weapon for Minnesota’s offense in the red zone next season.

The offensive scheme that the Vikings are currently installing is expected to utilize the team’s tight ends more often. So even with Smith now in the mix, Conklin should be able to get some more opportunities to make plays in 2019 than he did last season.

It’s still a little too early to get excited about the performance of the former Central Michigan tight end this year. But this is also the time for young players like Conklin to showcase their development and earn more snaps for training camp and the preseason.

Judging from Cousins recent comments, Conklin should get plenty of time on the practice field this summer to prove that he deserves a bigger role in the team’s offense for next season.