Vikings offensive coordinator says Irv Smith, Jr. is ‘playing fast’
By Bryan Perez
Former Alabama tight end Irv Smith, Jr. is already making his mark at OTAs with the Minnesota Vikings.
The future of Minnesota Vikings veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph is very much up in the air right now. Both he and the Vikings are interested in a long-term contract extension, but with Minnesota’s back against the salary-cap wall, they simply haven’t been able to offer Rudolph the kind of deal he’s looking for.
If no deal is reached, Rudolph is a prime trade candidate. The New England Patriots, for example, had expressed interest in him in May, but no fire ever came from the smoke.
The Vikings should consider moving on from Rudolph if he maintains a hardline stance. First, he isn’t a dynamic game-changer along the lines of Travis Kelce (Chiefs), George Kittle (49ers) or Zach Ertz (Eagles.). And unless you have the kind of impact those players make week in and week out, it’s unreasonable to demand a payday among the most compensated at the position.
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Rudolph played in all 16 games last season and had just 634 yards and four touchdowns. Hardly earth-shattering.
Instead, Minnesota may be better off rolling the dice on second-round pick Irv Smith, Jr. in 2019. He has the pass-catching ability to at worst produce the same numbers as Rudolph as a receiver, and his upside projects more like a Delanie Walker-type weapon for Kirk Cousins.
According to Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, Smith is off to a really good start at the club’s offseason team activities.
“I am just impressed by the kid,” Stefanski said. “He breaks the huddle, most of the time he knows what to do. He is playing fast. I could see a kid where he is young but I can see this kid developing into a veteran who knows what to do every single time.”
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Smith began the 2019 draft process as the top overall tight end in the country but was leapfrogged by Iowa’s dynamic duo of T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. And while both Hawkeyes will make their mark sooner than later in the NFL, it’s Smith who could end up being the most pleasant surprise of the bunch this fall.