It's always nice when the Minnesota Vikings can find great value in an undrafted free agent. In the past, the team has found success with Hall of Fame players Mick Tingelhoff and John Randle as well as major contributors like Adam Thielen and Ivan Pace Jr. and more.
It takes excellent scouting or a lot of luck to get production out of an undrafted free agent. Players who aren't drafted can sometimes have a fire burning inside them to prove all the teams that passed on them wrong.
This doesn't mean they aren't good players. Sometimes players can simply slip through the cracks of the draft evaluation process while others get hyped up so powerfully that it can be difficult to live up to those expectations.
Undrafted rookie Vikings defender already getting major reps in practice
It's a little soon to get too excited about any of the Minnesota Vikings' undrafted free agents but that doesn't mean it's not fun to take a look at some of the young standouts from team activities leading up to training camp.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, undrafted free agent cornerback Dwight McGlothern turned some heads at the team's final minicamp practice on Thursday and could be a player to keep an eye on this year.
"“McGlothern spent most of this week with the developmental group, but Thursday, the Vikings tossed him in with some of the starters. Neither size nor length is an issue. He stands 6 feet 2 and is as lanky as [Akayleb] Evans, who is big for the position.""Alec Lewis of The Athletic
McGlothern played for LSU and Arkansas but went unselected at the 2024 NFL Draft. The six-foot-two, 188-pound defensive back had a production score of 75 at the NFL Scouting Combine according to NFL.com, which was eighth-best among all cornerbacks.
Thriving in 2022, Dwight McGlothern had 10 pass defenses including four interceptions in 13 games played for Arkansas as a junior, adding 52 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Surprisingly, McGlothern went undrafted. His production in college alone should have made him worthy of a mid-to-late-round draft pick. Instead, he signed with the Vikings and has an opportunity to show why he deserved to be selected as one of the top collegiate prospects at the 2024 NFL Draft.
Minnesota Vikings fans will want to keep an eye on Dwight McGlothern during training camp and the preseason to see if he can continue to impress and earn a role on the 53-man roster or practice squad for the 2024 NFL season.