Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Here are five things to know about Osborn:
1. Special teams could be specialty
Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman explained after selecting Osborn that he could possibly contribute immediately on special teams.
For the Hurricanes, Osborn returned 16 punts for 255 yards (15.9 average) and 10 kickoffs for 201 yards (20.1 average).
"[He's] a slot-type receiver. I know when our coaches evaluated him, they thought he could continue to improve as a receiver, but his value is going to come as a potential punt returner for us," Spielman said via video conference. "We think he has a legitimate [shot at] winning the punt return and the kick return job with his explosive speed and power."
The Vikings did not have a cut-and-dried punt returner in 2019. The position was most-recently held by Marcus Sherels, who locked down the role from 2011-18. After signing with and being released by the Saints during the 2019 offseason, Sherels was re-signed by the Vikings two separate times last season.
2. Playing for a ring(tone)
You know that recognizable string of notes that plays during the NFL Draft when a team submits its pick?
Yeah, so does Osborn. He knows the tune by heart, having made it his ring tone after transferring to Miami for the 2019 season.
Osborn wanted to keep a reminder of his career dreams close.
"It goes like 'doo-doo-doo dooo-dooo doo-doo.' It never gets old," he told The Miami Herald in early April. "You know how people silence their phones during long group texts? I don't because I love hearing it."