Inside The Vikings

85 Days Until Vikings Football: Can Track Star Dan Chisena Stick in the NFL?

The speedster doesn't have much experience, but he has plenty of athleticism.

Will Ragatz

As we count down the days until the Vikings' opener against the Packers on September 13th, InsideTheVikings will be previewing every single player on the roster. The amount of days remaining corresponds with the jersey number of the player being examined on that day. Today is June 20th, and there are 85 days until kickoff for the 2020 regular season. Our next player preview is a wide receiver with unlikely NFL dreams.

Countdown to Vikings-Packers on September 13th: 85 Days

Player Preview: Dan Chisena (No. 85, Wide Receiver)

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  • College: Penn State
  • Drafted: 2020 UDFA
  • NFL experience: N/A
  • Age: 23 (Birthday was in February)
  • Size: 6'3", 202
  • 2019 PFF Grade: N/A
  • Notable 2019 stats (NCAA): 3 catches, 66 receiving yards, 4 tackles

Three catches for 66 yards. 

Those were the career stats for Vikings receiver Dan Chisena during his time at Penn State. 99.9 percent of college football players with numbers like those are moving on to non-football careers after graduation.

Chisena is a unique case. Why? Because size, speed, and athleticism can sometimes outweigh college production in the eyes of the NFL. And Chisena, who stands 6'3", 202 and ran a 4.32 40 during the pre-draft process, is now the fastest player on the Vikings' entire 87-man roster. He may not have a ton of experience as a receiver, but he has an elite trait that can be directly applied to a specific area of the game.

Chisena grew up in Downington, PA, about 45 minutes west of Philadelphia. He starred in football and track in high school, but his only college football offer came from Delaware, his dad's alma mater. Chisena chose to attend Penn State instead, where he was able to walk on to both teams. After redshirting for the Nittany Lions during his freshman year in 2015, he accepted a track scholarship, even though it meant he had to step away from football.

From 2016 to the spring of 2018, Chisena focused on track and turned into a star sprinter. "I made the decision to help out my family financially and try to excel at one sport instead of be average at two," he told Vikings.com. He was a key piece of Penn State's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that set school records and competed in the NCAA championships.

In 2018, Chisena tore his hamstring and re-evaluated his plans. He wound up deciding he wanted to return to the football team, and head coach James Franklin welcomed him back. Chisena spent that season on the scout team and appeared in just two games, but in 2019 – his fifth and final year of eligibility – he finally seized a role. 

It started in spring practice, where Chisena impressed as a receiver and on special teams. In Penn State's spring game, he hauled in a long touchdown pass and was greeted by Franklin's voice announcing over a megaphone that he had received a scholarship for the season. In a September win over Maryland, Chisena made a highlight-reel 40-yard catch for his first collegiate reception. He would later add a six-yard catch against Purdue and a 20-yarder against Minnesota.

However, most of Chisena's value to the Nittany Lions came as a gunner on their punt coverage team, where his speed and size shined. He made two tackles in a big win over Michigan and recovered a muffed punt against Michigan State. If he's able to stick around in the NFL, his ability on special teams will be the reason why.

Chisena got on NFL radars with a huge performance at the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl in January, a lower-tier showcase game in Florida. He caught touchdown passes of 55 and 69 yards, finishing with five catches for 155 yards, and was named the game's MVP. He later ran a 4.32 40, which would've been the second-fastest time among all players at the 2020 NFL combine.

His speed and size were enough for the Vikings to give Chisena $60,000 guaranteed to sign as a college free agent, the third-most guaranteed money given to any of their 12 UDFAs. During training camp and the preseason, the former track star will battle to earn a spot on the roster or practice squad through special teams.

In a best-case scenario, Chisena could follow the path of Adam Thielen, who went from UDFA to NFL punt gunner to Pro Bowl receiver. The differences there are that while Chisena is an inch taller and much faster than Thielen, Thielen had a highly productive college career at WR.

Size and speed alone aren't enough to last in the NFL (just ask Moritz Böhringer). To earn a spot, Chisena will have to become an ace punt gunner and continue developing as a receiver. But given the guaranteed money he received and his athletic upside, I wouldn't be surprised to see him at least stick around on the practice squad in 2020.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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