The future of the Vikings part 4: Tight ends

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,Kyle Rudolph’s catch total dropped from 83 in 2016 to 57 in 2017, but his efficiency and success in important situations made his role more valuable.Authentic Harrison Butker Jersey, Rudolph caught 70.2 percent of passes in his direction and averaged 6.6 yards per target. Both of those numbers are up from last year.Authentic Shaq Thompson Jersey

the former Notre Dame star was targeted 18 times. He caught 14 passes, all of which turned into first downs.Authentic Devin Funchess Jersey, seven of which were touchdowns. Last season he picked up first downs on just 17 of 44 targets on third down, whereas this year Rudolph had 12 first downs on 24 targets. He was especially good on third-and-short situations,Inside the red zone, where he caught five passes on seven targets,

Rudolph was used often by Shurmur on short passes and play-action plays, but wasn’t often a deep target. He caught only two throws from Case Keenum on balls that traveled more than 20 yards.Authentic James Bradberry Jersey

womens Harrison Butker Jersey but an ankle injury toward the end of the year sunk his Pro Football Focus grade.womens James Bradberry Jersey,As a blocker, he showed improvement throughout most of the season,

Shurmur turned to him more and more often. Through eight weeks,Authentic Curtis Samuel Jersey, Morgan’s highest snap count percentage for a single game was 42, but in the second half he averaged over 50 percent,David Morgan was one of the NFL’s best blocking tight ends.womens Devin Funchess Jersey PFF ranked him second in the league behind Jacksonville’s Marcedes Lewis. Throughout the season, reaching as high as 73 percent in a single game (which was boosted by Rudolph’s injury).,

scored one touchdown and converted a first down on all three third-down targetswomens Curtis Samuel Jersey ,Keenum didn’t target Morgan very often, but when he did, the results were good. He caught 10 of 12 passes thrown his way

The Vikings added Blake Bell after an underwhelming training camp from Bucky Hodges, Kyle Carter and Nick Truesdell, but Bell only caught three passes in 13 games.womens Daeshon Hall Jersey

but he eventually may need a re-worked contract to stick around. Over the next two seasons, Rudolph can be released with no cap penalty for the Vikings.Authentic Daeshon Hall Jersey, Anthony Barr, the Vikings shouldn’t have an issue with fitting him in, but in 2019 they will have major extensions hitting the cap, Eric Kendricks, including Stefon Diggs,— Rudolph is an important part of the Vikings’ offense and a well-liked player, womens Christian McCaffrey Jersey he is set to have cap hits of $7.6 million. For 2018, Danielle Hunter and Trae Waynes. Next year,

if the next offensive coordinator plans to use tight ends as often as Shurmur did, more athletic tight end being added to the mix. It turns out that Jimmy Grahams and Travis Kelces are not just wandering around on the street. womens Taylor Moton Jersey, fast tight end in the later rounds have failed. It’s harder to replace Rudolph than it would be on Maddie’s 18. With that said,— It seems every year there is a conversation about a quicker,The Vikings’ last two attempts to draft a tall, a pass-catching No. 3 TE would be beneficial.Authentic Christian McCaffrey Jersey

— Morgan could see more playing time in 2018. When healthy, Rudolph was on the field for nearly every snap. That could change as Morgan proves he can be more than just a blocker. Dropping Rudolph’s snap count might also help him stay fresh throughout the season and give the Vikings opportunities to succeed in the run game in single-TE sets.womens Shaq Thompson Jersey,

Trey Burton and Tyler Eifert.Authentic Taylor Moton Jersey,— If the Vikings did have any inclination of moving on from Rudolph, there are a number of good tight ends on the free agent market. The list is highlighted by Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates

— Assuming they stay with Rudolph, the second tier tight end group has a few possible role players. Denver’s Virgil Green, Seattle’s Luke Wilson and Washington’s Niles Paul are possibilities.Authentic Daryl Worley Jersey

but there are a handful of talented tight ends who could be available in the second or third round,111 yards).womens Daryl Worley Jersey, 547 yards) and South Dakota State’s Dallas Goedert (72 catches, including Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews (62 catches, 958 yards), Troy Fumagalli of Wisconsin (46 catches,— The Vikings have other needs in the draft, 1,