Three Vikings Signees Make ESPN's List of Top 25 Undrafted Free Agents
The Vikings supplemented their six-player 2023 draft class by signing 15 undrafted free agents, including a few intriguing prospects who had cases to be selected on Saturday. Several of Minnesota's UDFAs could have a real chance to make the 53-man roster as rookies.
Case in point: The Vikings were the only team to have to have three players make the cut in ESPN's rankings of the top 25 undrafted players this year, based on longtime draft analyst Todd McShay's board.
No. 2: Ivan Pace Jr., ILB, Cincinnati
Pace is the biggest standout in the Vikings' UDFA class; McShay has him as the second-best player to go undrafted this year. The Athletic's Dane Brugler gave Pace a fourth-round grade, ranking him as his ninth-best off-ball linebacker. By the analyst consensus board, he should've been a fifth-round pick.
Pace put up huge numbers at Miami (Ohio), then transferred to Cincinnati last season and took his game to another level. He stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 136 tackles, 20.5 TFL, nine sacks, four passes defended, and two forced fumbles in 2022, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was PFF's highest-graded linebacker in the country. Pace is notably undersized at 5'10", 231 pounds, making him a bit of a positional "tweener," which is undoubtedly why he went undrafted. He can also get out of position at times by being over-aggressive. Still, Pace has 4.6 speed, good instincts, and a ton of power for his size.
After the news broke that he was signing with the Vikings, Pace put up a message on his Instagram story: "Y'all done f***ed up."
The Vikings didn't draft a linebacker this year, so Pace will have an opportunity to make the roster and potentially even see the field. He'll be competing with Troy Reeder, Troy Dye, and William Kwenkeu for reps behind projected starters Jordan Hicks and Brian Asamoah. If there's a coach who knows how to use a versatile player like Pace, it's new Vikings defensive coordinator and former linebackers coach Brian Flores.
No. 13: Andre Carter II, OLB, Army
Carter is right there with Pace as the biggest name in the Vikings' UDFA class. The consensus board had him at 101, making him easily the highest-ranked player by that measure to not get drafted. Brugler gave him a 5th/6th round grade.
In 2021, Carter burst onto the scene with 15.5 sacks, second-most in the nation behind Will Anderson Jr., the third overall pick this year. He recorded 59 pressures, earned a 93.4 pass rush grade from PFF, and also had four forced fumbles and an interception that year. Teams then threw a ton of attention at Carter in 2022, and his numbers fell to just 3.5 sacks, 23 pressures, and 7.5 total tackles for loss (albeit in three fewer games).
Carter is a 6'6" edge rusher with long arms, good agility, and solid burst off the line. He just needs to bulk up and get stronger; he weighed in at 256 pounds and only managed 11 bench press reps at the combine. With a 6'6" frame, there's room for plenty of additional muscle mass and power. In college, Carter's lack of power hurt him in the run game and prevented him from effectively countering the double-teams he faced last season.
A focused plan with the Vikings' strength staff should help Carter, who has the length, quickness, and motor to develop into an NFL pass rusher.
No. 24: Malik Knowles, WR, Kansas State
Knowles is another player to keep an eye on. The Vikings drafted Jordan Addison in the first round, but there could be room for a second rookie receiver to sneak onto the roster. After Justin Jefferson, Addison, and K.J. Osborn, the depth chart is fairly open; Knowles and two other UDFA WRs will be competing with players like Jalen Nailor, Jalen Reagor, Brandon Powell, and Trishton Jackson.
Knowles spent five years at Kansas State, breaking out last year with career-highs in catches (48) and receiving yards (725). The 6'2", 200-pound wideout has a versatile skill set. Last season, he carried the ball eight times for 164 yards and three touchdowns, and he had 440 career rushing yards on over 12 yards per carry. Knowles also returned kicks for the Wildcats, taking three back to the house in his career while averaging 27.7 yards per return. He scored 21 career touchdowns in three different ways: 14 receiving, 4 rushing, 3 kick return. Now the electric playmaker will look to make the Vikings' roster.
Three other UDFAs of note are Illinois nose tackle Calvin Avery, Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny, and Southeastern Louisiana QB Cephus Johnson, who is switching to wide receiver at the next level. You can find analysis on the Vikings' entire UDFA class here.
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