Undrafted Vikings OLB Bo Richter is a crazy athlete and a potential steal

Richter was one of the Vikings' most impressive players in the preseason opener.

Vikings OLB Bo Richter / Images Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

No. 98 in purple was hard to ignore during last Saturday's preseason opener at U.S. Bank Stadium. That's undrafted rookie outside linebacker Bo Richter, who was one of the Vikings' most impressive players in the game against the Raiders.

Richter played 20 defensive snaps and finished as the Vikings' highest-graded defensive player by PFF. He had a sack, an additional TFL, and five total tackles. He also tied for the team lead with 20 snaps on special teams, which is an important part of his case for a 53-man roster spot.

Coming off a massive season at Air Force, Richter has an interesting profile for a UDFA. In 13 games last year, he had 10 sacks, 19.5 total TFL, and 3 forced fumbles, earning first team All-Mountain West honors. Much like fellow rookie OLB Gabriel Murphy, Richter went undrafted because he lacks NFL edge rusher length (he's 6'1" with sub-31" arms). Where he can make up for that is with skill, effort, and athleticism.

Richter is a crazy athlete at 248 pounds. He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash, benched 24 reps of 225, and recorded a 40-inch vertical jump and a broad jump north of 10 feet at his pro day. Those are elite numbers.

Bo Richter's Relative Athletic Score. / Kent Lee Platte and ras.football

Even if you list Richter as a defensive end, his RAS is still above 9.

That athleticism was on display against the Raiders. Watch how Richter uses his quick burst to get inside of the left tackle and take down Anthony Brown Jr. for a sack.

Very quick inside move by Bo Richter to beat the LT who overset for the sack. He's already the best player from a service academy on the team. pic.twitter.com/hvGberXE8J

— Matt Fries (@FriesFootball) August 13, 2024

Richter later got to Brown again when he looped inside untouched on a stunt. It was initially ruled a second sack but later changed to a tackle for loss on a Brown rushing attempt. "Those don't exist," Kevin O'Connell joked when informed after the game that the play was ruled a QB run.

Short arms aside, Richter has an unusual combination of quickness, power, and motor. He's explosive and relentless to the ball, which are traits that could be valuable on special teams if he finds his way onto the Vikings' roster as a rookie. Down the line, he could theoretically even carve out a role on defense as a rotational OLB who thrives off of stunts and good old-fashioned hustle.