NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Minnesota Vikings: 3 Early breakout candidates on offense in 2020

By Mitchell Hansen

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 17: Irv Smith Jr. #84 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates his first NFL career touchdown with Dalvin Cook #33 in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 17: Irv Smith Jr. #84 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates his first NFL career touchdown with Dalvin Cook #33 in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images /

2. Irv Smith Jr.

Another player who the Minnesota Vikings could see become a larger part of the passing game and the offense in general throughout the 2020 NFL season is young tight end target Irv Smith Jr.

Smith came into the league before last year after he was selected by the Vikings out of Alabama in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Smith Jr., who entered the NFL at the age of 21 years old, was pegged with the task of serving primarily as a backup to Pro Bowl veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph on the depth chart in Minnesota.

The fact that he was mainly a backup halted the level of exposure and incorporation within the offense that we were able to see out of Smith during his rookie season. A player who is set to turn just 22 years old in August, he could see a more expanded role at tight end during his second professional season.

During the 2019 campaign, Smith ended the year with 36 catches for 311 yards receiving and two touchdowns, appearing on the field for a total of 60 percent of Minnesota’s offensive snaps.

While proving to be a solid red-zone target, much like Rudolph, while also providing the Vikings with a player who can pass protect and open up holes for the running game, Smith will once again play a part in the offensive game plan for Mike Zimmer’s offense with the purple and gold.

In terms of where Smith ranks in NFL history for performance out of rookie tight ends at the age of 21, he is tied for fifth among tight ends since 2017 for the number of receptions a player was able to record in their first year. Ahead of him on that list is Chris Herndon, Noah Fant, George Kittle and Evan Engram. That’s at least one bright spot when evaluating Smith’s rookie campaign.

Much like what was mentioned in the slide earlier on Olabisi Johnson, Minnesota will be looking all over the depth chart for players to step up now with the likes of Stefon Diggs absent from the team this season and into the future after he was traded to the Buffalo Bills this offseason. Smith could be a player who is up for the challenge of stepping up and producing.

With Rudolph likely in the final few years of his time in Minnesota and possibly in his NFL career in general, you would think the Vikings will try and continue to incorporate Smith into the offense in 2020 while grooming him to eventually take over at tight end.

Smith is a player and a name to certainly keep an eye on this season, as he could be poised to have a breakout year in Minnesota.

Home/Minnesota Vikings