4 best undrafted Vikings players during the Rick Spielman era

Eric Wilson – LB

Mr. Wilson keeps making our lists here at The Viking Age, and that is probably a good thing. Eric Wilson played college football at the University of Cincinnati from 2014 to 2016. There, he made a couple of all-conference teams (American Athletic Conference) and he was projected as a late-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. This draft was heavy with linebacker talent and the logjam drove Wilson’s stock southward.

Ultimately, he was not selected by any team in the league. Instead, he fell into the lap of the Vikings after the draft.

Since that acquisition, Wilson has played in every single Minnesota game. Regular season, playoffs, you name it, Wilson has been on the field.

In the early portion of his career, he was utilized more on special teams. But he has since switched to the role of the Vikings starting weakside linebacker. Which is, you know, a big deal.

Wilson especially earned Minnesota’s trust when he replaced fellow linebacker Ben Gedeon who was concussed twice last season and missed substantial time.

Before that point, Wilson had only played on defense for about one-third of the time. His defensive snaps spiked down the stretch of the 2019 season. His increased playing time last year is also a reasonable indicator that he will be named the starting weakside linebacker for Minnesota this season.