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- Mar 19, 2019
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In the lead-up to the 2020 NFL Draft, Vikings.com is taking a position-by-position look at prospects who have garnered a range of attention from national outlets. The series will include rankings by national outlets, stats and background information for multiple prospects. We'll also include comments that experts shared during interviews.
Vikings Status at the TE Position
Minnesota is returning four of its five tight ends from the 2019 season: Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith, Jr., Tyler Conklin and Brandon Dillon. The Vikings released 2016 draft pick David Morgan.
The Vikings inked Rudolph to an extension in 2019 to keep the veteran tight end in Minnesota, and he made splash plays in multiple key games last season, including the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime in the Wild Card game at New Orleans.
After Minnesota selected Smith in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the rookie stepped in and made an impact throughout his first pro season. His first pro touchdown occurred in Week 11 and helped spark Minnesota's late-game comeback victory over Denver.
A fifth-round draft pick in 2018, Conklin primarily contributed on special teams in his first two seasons but did see an uptick in offensive participation in 2019.
The Vikings signed Dillon as an undrafted rookie out of Marian University (Indiana) last spring. He played seven snaps in Minnesota's season opener against Atlanta before being added to the practice squad, where he remained for the rest of the season.
About the expert
For tight ends, we reached out to NFL Network analyst Brian Billick, who coached tight ends for the Vikings from 1992-93 and served as Minnesota's offensive coordinator from 1994-98. During that time, the Vikings made six playoff appearances and in 1998 set a then-NFL record for most points scored in a season (556) and a team record for touchdown passes (41).
Billick then transitioned to head coach of the Ravens; he held that role from 1999-2007, during which he led Baltimore to a Super Bowl XXXV win.
Prior to Billick's coaching career, he played tight end himself at Brigham Young University, where he earned All-WAC honors in 1976.
Follow him on Twitter @CoachBillick for his expert analysis.
While the Vikings don't have a pressing need at tight end, we asked Billick for his thoughts on one prospect who likely will be one of the first off the board and another prospect who could add some value for a team on Day 2 or 3. Billick's evaluation of Notre Dame's Cole Kmet and Florida Atlantic's Harrison Bryant are included below.
We also asked Billick to provide his thoughts on the 2020 tight ends draft class as a whole. He emphasized that the tight end position is "becoming more and more marquee" and that a team needs to have a talented one to be at its best offensively.
"They are a premium; they're more and more athletic, because they're asked to do more and more now, as opposed to the point-of-attack tight ends. As the game has changed, they seem to have increased in value," Billick said. "And this is a good, solid class. … I don't know if there's as many guys in the first round as we've seen [in past drafts]. And I don't know how that goes. Everybody's going to have their different opinions in how they view that.
"But this group, for whatever reason, it doesn't seem to have as strong a group," Billick added. "I'm not sure any of these guys right now – they could work themselves into it – are going to be a first-round selection. And that could change."
He said that all of the touted tight ends in this year's class have degrees of athleticism teams are seeking.
"That's the element everybody's looking for, to have that size and have that ability either with their speed or their body position to be able to come up with the ball," Billick said. "That's what you're looking for. Because your tight end is likely to be the best matchup on the field for you – whether they try to put a safety on him or maybe a bigger corner … that's going to be your best matchup on the field."
Position Rankings
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah currently has just one tight end in his overall Top 50: 41. Cole Kmet
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., did not list a tight end in his overall Top 25.
PFF included five TEs in its overall Top 100: 36. Hunter Bryant, 53. Brycen Hopkins, 86. Adam Trautman, 96. Kmet, 97. Cheyenne O'Grady
Positional rankings by NFL.com's Bucky Brooks, ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., analytics site Pro Football Focus and The Athletic's Dane Brugler impacted the players listed for this series. Rankings by each are noted under each prospect.
Tight Ends