Vikings rookie blows team away with another outstanding performance

Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard has been one of the biggest standouts during training camp. The rookie added to his preseason resume when he went 8-for-8 during team drills on Tuesday afternoon and is making a strong case to be this year’s “Mr. Mankato.”

According to Vikings.com writer Craig Peters, Reichard’s afternoon began with a field goal over 50 yards to cap the first-team offense’s opening drive with less than one minute remaining. Reichard followed up by hitting a 39-yard field goal to cap a drive for the second-team offense before moving on to the kicking period.

Reichard put on an even bigger show from there, nailing an extra point from 33 yards and field goals from 41, 45, and 48 yards before hitting two more field goals from over 50 yards, including one that The Athletic’s Alec Lewis estimated was from 58 yards and hit the pole in the middle of the uprights twice.

Minnesota Vikings rookie kicker Will Reichard already exceeding expectations

Richard was a sixth-round pick by the Vikings in last April’s NFL Draft, but Minnesota fans weren’t keen on the selection. Minnesota has a troubled history with kickers, and the last kicker they chose was Daniel Carlson in the fifth round of the 2018 draft.

Carlson’s career began with a rocky start, and he was released after missing three kicks in a tie with the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of the 2018 season, but he went on to become one of the NFL’s best kickers after being picked up by the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings spent the last two years with Dan Bailey and Greg Joseph handling kicking duties but haven’t had a reliable kicker during that time frame.

Meanwhile, Reichard became the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader at the University of Alabama with 547 total points. While his resume sounds similar to Carlson's, who logged 480 points at Auburn, Reichard’s early performance has been encouraging, with ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reporting that Reichard has made 31-of-33 kicks during team drills next summer.

This probably won’t calm the fears of Vikings fans, who watched Blair Walsh blast 10 field goals of 50 yards or more during his rookie season in 2012 before missing a 27-yard field goal in the 2015 NFC Wild Card round. But it is good news for those who thought Reichard would be a flop from Day 1.

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