Taylor Heinicke, QB Old Dominion Davaris Daniels, WR Notre Dame Anthony Harris, S Virginia Jordan Leslie, WR BYU Justin Coleman, CB Tennessee Tom Farniok, OL Iowa State Gavin Lutman, WR Pittsburg State Blake Renaud, FB Boise State Bobby Vardaro OL Boston College Jack Sherlock, EDGE South Dakota State Richard Ross, Basketball Player, ODU -- has a minicamp/tryout invite, but negotiating with other teams. Adam Keller, Kicker, NDSU -- has a minicamp/tryout invite and will attend one with the Vikings and the Saints.
Edit:
Here are all of the undrafted free agents the Vikings have come to terms with so far:
Justin Coleman, CB, Tennessee
DaVaris Daniels, WR, Notre Dame
Tom Farniok, C, Iowa State
Anthony Harris, S, Virginia
Taylor Heinicke, QB, Old Dominion
Jordan Leslie, WR, BYU
Gavin Lutman, WR, Pittsburg State
Blake Renaud, FB, Boise State
Jesse Somsel, G, Saginaw Valley State
Bobby Vardaro, G, Boston College
ESPN's Todd McShay ranked Virginia S Anthony Harris as the best prospect who didn't get drafted.
"Harris is a ball hawk at the free safety position, displaying a natural feel for playing in space and big-time playmaking instincts," McShay wrote. "He's solid in coverage but has limitations, as his narrow frame is an issue against bigger wide receivers and tight ends, and he lacks the ideal agility to stick with slot receivers." Harris tumbled down boards due to a series of unfortunate events. Harris missed the Senior Bowl and his pro day while recovering from shoulder surgery, never really getting a chance to impress evaluators this winter. Harris recorded at least 80 tackles in three straight years and led the country with eight interceptions in 2013. He signed with the Vikings on Saturday and has a real chance of sticking on Minnesota's roster. May 3 - 1:22 PM
Source: ESPN.com
Vikings signed Virginia S Anthony Harris.
Harris (6'1/183) made 35 career starts for the Cavs, tallying 11 interceptions, six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Harris was utilized as an "interchangeable" safety in college, but lacks the body mass and tackling ability to become a consistent force in the box, missing a whopping 16 tackles as a senior. Harris will have to be a deep safety in the NFL. He does offer ideal ball skills for the position and ran a respectable 4.56 forty in Indianapolis. May 3 - 3:56 PM
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Daniels (6'2/201) appeared to be a promising prospect at Notre Dame when he posted an 80-1,235-7 receiving line between his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons. He missed all of 2014 due to an academic cheating scandal, but still turned pro. Daniels flashed vertical tools and physical run-after-catch ability on college tape, and ripped up the Irish Pro Day with a 4.53 forty, 39 1/2-inch vertical, and 11-foot-1 broad jump. The son of ex-Redskins DE Phillip Daniels, DaVaris could make NFL noise if he keeps his head on straight. May 3 - 3:49 PM
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Former UTEP senior WR Jordan Leslie is expected to be BYU's go-to receiver in 2014.
The Cougars received quite the recruiting coup when they reeled in this 6-foot-3, 210-pound burner. Leslie spent three seasons at UTEP and earned an engineering degree, which allowed him to transfer penalty-free for his last season of eligibility. Leslie was one of 19 players that had at least two 70-plus yard receptions last season and was tied for second in the nation with four catches going at least 60 yards. The year before that, in 2012, he averaged 19.1 yards per catch, the best mark in the nation of any player with at least 50 catches. Fri, Jul 4, 2014 01:08:00 PM Source: NFL.com
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BYU WR Jordan Leslie has received draftable grades from multiple teams, according to Dane Brugler.
Leslie measured in at 6'1 3/8" and 208 lbs, ran a 4.44 40, and recorded a 36" vert and 10'10" broad jump. The UTEP transfer recorded 55 catches for 779 yards and six touchdowns. Mar 28 - 12:34 PM
Source: Dane Brugler on Twitter
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Tennessee senior CB Justin Coleman improved this season, and his improvement has carried over to East-West Shrine game week, noted NFL Media analyst Charles Davis.
"Davis especially likes Coleman's footwork," wrote College Football 24/7 writer Mike Huguenin. "Coleman had some entertaining and spirited one-on-one battles with Michigan State's Keith Mumphrey and Maryland's Deon Long during East practice Tuesday." The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Coleman is a longtime starter for the Volunteers. CBS Sports' Rob Rang likes his ability to play the slot in nickel situations. Jan 14 - 3:10 PM Source: NFL.com
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East coach Mike Singletary first mentioned Tennessee senior CB Justin Coleman when asked which players had impressed him the most at the Shrine Game.
"The week was an excellent test for Coleman. He was forced to match up with receivers in tight man coverage more often than he did for the Vols. Coleman excelled in those drills. He also showcased excellent ball skills during position work," wrote the Sporting News' Chris Kouffman. Coleman measured in at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, curiously an inch taller and six pounds lighter than we'd previously seen him listed. Jan 19 - 12:38 AM Source: Sporting News
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Iowa State senior C Tom Farniok accepted an invitation to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
The 6-foot-3, 295-pound center is a four-year starter. He possesses a great motor, and is intense and aggressive on the field. Farniok has good mobility, though he can be bullied by massive interior defensive lineman due to a lack of upper-body strength. Thu, Dec 25, 2014 06:32:00 PM
Source: NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Tom Farniok, OL Iowa State
A vocal leader on the offensive line, Farniok wasn't expected to ever start for the Cyclones. Instead, he became one of their best players by his senior year, using his mobility and intelligence to establish himself on the line. Farniok is natural getting out of his stance and can target linebackers on the second level with decent agility and solid positioning. He'll combo-block often to get up to the second level and was also a pulling center for them.
He doesn't generate much push in the run game, unfortunately, both a combination of natural strength and leverage issues, playing too high to win at the snap. He does deteriorate at the end of games and is more likely to be grabby.
The offense couldn't run without Farniok, whose presence on the line correlated immensely with their performance—Iowa State missed him significantly after he suffered an MCL sprain. Farniok wouldn't just call protections, but draw up plays.
The Vikings have made a living with "undersized" but reasonably athletic centers like John Sullivan and Brandon Fusco, and Farniok could be next in line.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Daniels from ND and Harris from Virginia both have a legitimate shot. McShay said Harris was the best player to go undrafted and Daniels was very good at ND until he was busted for cheating and had to sit out last year. This is one of the better UDFA classes I've seen. Heinicke is a sleeper as well
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent and the choices you make will shape your life forever.
-Chazz Palminteri
I'm excited to see Harris in camp. He has good instincts, ball skills, athleticism. Just needs some more bulk and work on his tackling but I like his game a lot.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Went back and took a look at what the success rate has been for our undrafted free agents. With the criteria of being on the 53 man roster here's what I found:
2014: Austin Wentworth
2013: Rodney Smith, Zach Line (ugh)
2012: Chase Baker
2011: Matt Asiata, Larry Dean
2010: None
2009: John Cooper
2008: Erin Henderson (6 yr career; 3 year starter), Husain Abdulla (started 15 games), Darius Raynard, Albert Young
Jury is still out on the 2014 class (hoping Tiny Richardson can come back of knee surgery and make the team).
Pseudo Everything wrote:Went back and took a look at what the success rate has been for our undrafted free agents. With the criteria of being on the 53 man roster here's what I found:
2014: Austin Wentworth
2013: Rodney Smith, Zach Line (ugh)
2012: Chase Baker
2011: Matt Asiata, Larry Dean
2010: None
2009: John Cooper
2008: Erin Henderson (6 yr career; 3 year starter), Husain Abdulla (started 15 games), Darius Raynard, Albert Young
Jury is still out on the 2014 class (hoping Tiny Richardson can come back of knee surgery and make the team).
Info prior to 2008 is a little sketchy.
Goes to show what long shots these guys are.
None of them are John Randle, that's for sure.
I haven't the slightest idea who Rodney Smith is....maybe that's a good thing, but I think(hunch) Zach Line will have a breakout year of sorts. I can see him being used by Turner as well as being exceptional on special teams.
Pseudo Everything wrote:Went back and took a look at what the success rate has been for our undrafted free agents. With the criteria of being on the 53 man roster here's what I found:
2014: Austin Wentworth
2013: Rodney Smith, Zach Line (ugh)
2012: Chase Baker
2011: Matt Asiata, Larry Dean
2010: None
2009: John Cooper
2008: Erin Henderson (6 yr career; 3 year starter), Husain Abdulla (started 15 games), Darius Raynard, Albert Young
Jury is still out on the 2014 class (hoping Tiny Richardson can come back of knee surgery and make the team).
