VikeManDan Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 19 hours ago, SteelKing728 said: Stashing Knowles and Carter this season might protect their jobs next season, right? I'm leaning towards Carter making the 53, I know he's on the PUP right now. Knowles will have the opportunity to come in and compete next year should they keep him around. I'm not sure how the NFI list works. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 The two rookies had a fairly different path to begin their first training camp in the professional league. Pass rusher Carter hasn’t practiced because of a soft-tissue injury, but Kevin O’Connell expects him to return soon. Inside linebacker Pace, meanwhile, is drawing praise for his performances on the practice field. NFL Network’s Steve Wyche was the latest individual praising him while recapping his long talk with defensive coordinator Brian Flores during Saturday’s practice: "He was saying that the undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati, Ivan Pace, looked really good, he was a stud at the Senior Bowl and has been incredibly impressive. They want to see him with pads on. That’s somebody to really look out for." https://vikingsterritory.com/2023/news/analysis/incredibly-impressive?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 Flores, on Ivan Pace: "I think he has some built-in leverage. You don’t really see that until a day like today (with pads on), but based on his college film, he has some built-in leverage. He’s got speed and quickness. I think he’s another young guy who’s really taking the information and working hard to put it into action." "I’m excited to see him moving forward just like I’m excited to really see a lot of the guys in that room – It’s a lot of competition in that room. But Ivan he’s a young player, he’s got some ability. There’s always that small defensive back that can play, Antoine Winfield comes to mind, small linebackers, small defensive tackles et cetera but they’ve got those instincts that allow them to overcome some of the problems." https://vikingsterritory.com/2023/news/analysis/praises-his-feisty?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted August 2, 2023 Share Posted August 2, 2023 Things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows for Jaren Hall, but he did have the best deep ball during practice. His calling card at BYU was being able to drop the ball in a bucket and he has carried that over in practice. Hall threw three beautiful deep balls in practice, including a corner route to Blake Proehl which went for 50 yards. Teams drills are still tough at times for Hall, but he is working hard and showing real flashes. https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/lists/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-practice-day-6/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2u5-lkKDma0FM58KmfwB1TFFmit30VzSwE2ZEyEaHMnfV3J_B9Hd_oV_k 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 20 minutes ago, vike daddy said: I find the comment funny, as if they have no clue as to why he was not "bulked" up playing at a Military Institution that had little interest in making him into a great NFL player. It should not be a shocker with professional weight training a guy that large can get stronger, he clearly had so little work in his arms and legs shown by his 30" vertical and 11 reps at 225 for a dude that splashed big time athletic ability for being 6-6 1/2" 250+, I assume after a year or two that vertical could increase 5-8" and that bench should double. Nuts, regardless of position I had Andre Carter II and Ivan Pace Jr two of the best UDFA available and the Vikings got them both. Carter I had projected 1st rounder before the season started, ended up having him as a 2nd rounder and Pace Jr a 3rd rounder after at times toying with him in the 1st or 2nd. With the Vikings late round picks of Jaren Hall, Dewayne McBride and the UDFAs in Carter and Pace they had one hell of a end to their draft. With the injury to Mattison McBride could see some increased time if he shows up in the preseason as a much needed power back with size compared to the other backs they got in Chandler and Nwangwu. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 Inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. is having a tremendous training camp. He is explosive, hitting the right gaps and making plays. There isn’t quite enough there for him to be a starter, as he doesn’t stack and shed well enough to be an every-down player, but as we’ve said before, there is absolutely a role on this team for Pace. Don’t be surprised if he gets a high snap share from the onset of the regular season. After passing a physical, outside linebacker Andre Carter II was removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list and practiced for the first time during training camp. He participated in team drills and showed some struggles. He got buried by Vederian Lowe on a rep and ended up walking away from the drill to talk to coaches. Carter is a project, but there is a lot to work with. https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/lists/minnesota-vikings-saturday-training-camp-practice-takeaways/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2Soepn8HYEqLFX5jh7T6-uN6-tncjEpD8GYKwutEssnWJ4zSf7qqgGvTA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted August 8, 2023 Share Posted August 8, 2023 Judd Zulgad: "When you're looking at roster depth and when you're looking at new names who might make this roster, Andre Carter II is 100% one." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelKing728 Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 Still rooting for Calvin Avery and Jack Podlesny to make the 53 man roster, but I'll gladly take them both on the Practice Squad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted August 13, 2023 Share Posted August 13, 2023 Undrafted out of Cincinnati this year, rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. has been getting a ton of buzz this summer during Minnesota's training camp. On Thursday night, Pace was able to show the public why he's probably going to end up on the Vikings' final roster this season. Pace led Minnesota in tackles against the Seahawks with six and he made a number of other notable plays that won't show up on the stat sheet. The Vikings also gave him the green dot on his helmet to begin the game, which meant that he was in charge of relaying the plays to his teammates out on the field. Something like that makes it seem like the undrafted rookie has already earned a ton of trust from Minnesota's coaching staff. https://thevikingage.com/posts/7-takeaways-minnesota-vikings-preseason-loss-seattle-seahawks/2?fbclid=IwAR3Xk2O8vsxR3UaffVYqxZ993s2Tu0wJVKyDwIHM89cD87heGOct1yP76Bs 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 Quote Ivan Pace Jr. has taken that challenge head on, and before the preseason game even began worked his way up to the second team on the Vikings’ informal depth chart – even as the official depth chart listed him on the third team. Pace had a phenomenal game, marred by one coverage mistake on play-action, that saw him bowl over multiple offensive linemen and consistently make plays as a blitzer and run defender. https://twsn.net/2023/08/udfa-rookies-who-shined-in-preaseason-week-1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 Ivan Pace's chances to be a Week 1 starter certainly seem to be increasing by the day, as he's been working with Minnesota's first-team defense for the last few training camp practices in place of linebacker Brian Asamoah, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. O'Connell: "Gold stars all the way around right now for Ivan. As I've challenged him to do, he's not just trying to compete to make our team. Let's see where he can go and possibly help us win football games from the jump." https://thevikingage.com/posts/kevin-oconnell-minnesota-vikings-rookie-ivan-pace?fbclid=IwAR2bLy8loIgF5mpI3_WQvXbCrzph90gidZSg5H-qQxNOmeNVQNJmbJSG_58 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcblack34 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 10 hours ago, vike daddy said: Ivan Pace's chances to be a Week 1 starter certainly seem to be increasing by the day, as he's been working with Minnesota's first-team defense for the last few training camp practices in place of linebacker Brian Asamoah, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. O'Connell: "Gold stars all the way around right now for Ivan. As I've challenged him to do, he's not just trying to compete to make our team. Let's see where he can go and possibly help us win football games from the jump." https://thevikingage.com/posts/kevin-oconnell-minnesota-vikings-rookie-ivan-pace?fbclid=IwAR2bLy8loIgF5mpI3_WQvXbCrzph90gidZSg5H-qQxNOmeNVQNJmbJSG_58 Steal of the Draft. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 (edited) 11 minutes ago, wcblack34 said: Steal of the Draft. Can he be called that when he wasn't even drafted? It's not like John Randle was the steal of the draft (a 12-rd draft nonetheless) in 1990. Edited August 18, 2023 by swede700 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDBrocks Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 8 minutes ago, swede700 said: Can he be called that when he wasn't even drafted? It's not like John Randle was the steal of the draft (a 12-rd draft nonetheless) in 1990. Yeah, they stole him because they didn't spend their draft capital on him 😉 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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