4. 119 - Kene Nwangwu, RB, Iowa State

[vike daddy]

Just now, Ozzy said:

Obviously a special teams pick but odd because there were WRs with special teams ability, would almost rather go there.  

maybe we're looking at his durability vs a wr. just guessing.

[Ozzy]

10 minutes ago, vike daddy said:

maybe we're looking at his durability vs a wr. just guessing.

Sure, but just seems like they could have got this dude in the 5th or even 6th round or possibly 7th.  Helping the return game is good though no doubt, and maybe they do view him as a future 3rd down RB as well.  Still would rather see more punt return ability which is far more difficult than just kick returning.

[SteelKing728]

We needed a return man badly and Spielman has always put a premium at that position (Harvin, Patterson and Hughes).

I can't complain with the pick. We might keep Abdullah still as the #3 RB.

[perrynoid]

7 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

Sure, but just seems like they could have got this dude in the 5th or even 6th round or possibly 7th.  Helping the return game is good though no doubt, and maybe they do view him as a future 3rd down RB as well.  Still would rather see more punt return ability which is far more difficult than just kick returning.

Thou doth makest too much sense, milord...

[Worm Guts]

Yeah, it’s tough to keep a roster spot for a guy who’s strictly a kick returner unless he’s super explosive. We’ll see if he’s worthwhile.

[skywindO2]

Jet 2.0?

[vike daddy]

Running back Kene Nwangwu, taken in the fourth round by the Vikings, was a mechanical engineering major at Iowa State. He was asked if that gives him an obvious job path if the NFL were to not work out.

“If you ask my mom, definitely the NFL would be a Plan B,’’ Nwangwu said.

Nwangwu said his parents came from Nigeria to the United States when they were in their 20s. His mother Ogonna has a masters in nurse practitioner and his father Jerome has a business finance degree.

“I always wanted to be an NFL player and I knew I wanted to get my degree,’’ he said. “For me, the NFL was my fall back.’’

https://www.twincities.com/2021/05/01/vikings-to-sign-undrafted-memphis-kicker-riley-patterson/

[vike daddy]

Nwangwu: "I came in as a freshman, and I didn't start playing running back, I started doing kick returns. As the years progressed and I found out that was my role, I wanted to develop my skills as a kick returner and be the best in the nation. I tried to do that and I became the best kick returner at Iowa State. So for me, the way I approach anything is if the Vikings want me to be a punt returner, I'm going to do the exact same thing I did at Iowa State. I'm ready for that."

https://www.vikings.com/news/2021-nfl-draft-takeaways

[vikingsrule]

Worst pick of the draft. But who knows. I dislike having specialists only, 3 should be where the line is drawn at unless you’re getting a generational talent at returner. 
 

I could see a punt returner since it’s been a hard spot to fill since Sherels but a kick returner? That’s become one of the least relevant plays in football. 

[SemperFeist]

4 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

Worst pick of the draft. But who knows. I dislike having specialists only, 3 should be where the line is drawn at unless you’re getting a generational talent at returner. 
 

I could see a punt returner since it’s been a hard spot to fill since Sherels but a kick returner? That’s become one of the least relevant plays in football. 

From listening to Spielman, it was Polamalu standing on table for Nwangwu, not the ST coach. So, I’m guessing they see plenty in him as a running back. 

[battle2heaven]

6 hours ago, vikingsrule said:

Worst pick of the draft. But who knows. I dislike having specialists only, 3 should be where the line is drawn at unless you’re getting a generational talent at returner. 
 

I could see a punt returner since it’s been a hard spot to fill since Sherels but a kick returner? That’s become one of the least relevant plays in football. 

Meh. He’s a sparq monster like McKinnon was, and McKinnon was a third round pick. I’m fine with this pick as they really think he can be a special one cut runner in a zone blocking scheme. 
 

in the mean time, he can contribute on special teams when dalvins healthy. 

[wcblack34]

Our RB coach was apparently very adamant about Kene. That makes me feel good about the pick. I also feel that Spielman and the scouting department had him rated in the 4th round range, otherwise they would have told him that they could get him later. 

[RpMc]

Doubt he’d be just a return guy should he make the roster. With his traits, he could easily be a RB3 type as he develops, a gunner on KO/Punt, and any number of other special teams roles.

is that worth a 4th round pick? Meh, maybe not, but his athleticism is incredibly intriguing. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by RpMc

[battle2heaven]

8 hours ago, RpMc said:

Doubt he’d be just a return guy should he make the roster. With his traits, he could easily be a RB3 type as he develops, a gunner on KO/Punt, and any number of other special teams roles.

is that worth a 4th round pick? Meh, maybe not, but his athleticism is incredibly intriguing. 

 

So I think Kene is a hedge pick. We know Dalvin has an injury history. Of the RBs on the roster if Dalvin goes down, none of them threaten the homerun like Dalvin does. If his running potential in this scheme is as high as the Vikings thinks it is, he's a plug n play complement to Mattison if/when Cook misses time and the offense should theoretically not miss a beat.

Snaps online are limited for him but wow, when he hits a hole, he hits it like a bullet train and he's gone. His burst is soooo impressive. 

[marshpit23]

29 minutes ago, battle2heaven said:

when he hits a hole, he hits it like a bullet train and he's gone. His burst is soooo impressive. 

He is very explosive. In some of his highlights, he looks like Raheem Mostert, RB SF 9’ers.