Do the Vikings have the best tight end corps in the NFL?
When Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell took the podium on Saturday, he did his usual bit of making sure everyone on the team got credit for their performance during Thursday's preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
But as O'Connell continued through the roster, he stopped on an unusual name – tight end Johnny Mundt.
"I don't want to cause any major headlines but I believe Johnny Mundt is the best [No. 3] tight end in the National Football League," O'Connell said. "If there was a category for that, Johnny would certainly get that in my opinion."
While hardcore football fans are dreaming about a competition between No. 3 tight ends filled with neck rolls and backboards, O'Connell's comments were just as much of a compliment to the entire tight end room as they were to Mundt.
The Vikings have plenty of depth at the tight end position heading into this season and with several different skill sets, it's possible that the NFL's best tight end room resides in Minnesota.
It starts with T.J. Hockenson, who arrived at last year's trade deadline. After being a solid but inconsistent receiver with the Detroit Lions, Hockenson was used in more of a possession role in 10 games with the Vikings, catching 60 passes for 519 yards and three touchdowns.
If we project Hockenson's numbers over a full 17-game season, he would have caught 102 passes for 882 yards and five touchdowns with the Vikings.
While Hockenson's actual season numbers (86 catches, 914 yards, 6 TD) reflect that, it also compares to other top tight ends such as Baltimore's Mark Andrews (73 catches, 847 yards, 5 touchdowns last season), Jacksonville's Evan Engram (73 catches, 766 yards, 4 TD) and San Francisco's George Kittle (60 catches, 765 yards, 11 TD).
Those numbers present the Vikings with an issue at the negotiating table as they look to extend Hockenson, but either way it's still a luxury to have one of the league's top tight ends – especially when you consider what's behind Hockenson.
A lot of Vikings fans were confused when Josh Oliver was signed to a three-year, $21 million contract last spring, but his presence has more to do with the running game than it does as a receiver.
Oliver was graded as Pro Football Focus's No. 2 run-blocking tight end among qualifying tight ends (min. 100 snaps) last season and the only player ahead of him was his Ravens teammate Isaiah Likely.
With Hockenson sitting out Thursday's preseason opener, Oliver's prowess was on full display against the Seahawks, grading third among all tight ends in run-blocking heading into Sunday's action.
This doesn't mean that Oliver is strictly a blocking tight end. The 26-year-old was a receiving specialist during his collegiate career, catching 56 passes for 709 yards and four touchdowns during his senior season at San Jose State. leading O'Connell to believe he can add an extra dimension and free up some of the other weapons in their offense.
“We feel like one of the ways we can help [Justin] Jefferson is by using our two tight end package, by using C.J. Ham and Josh or T.J. to apply pressure to the defense because they’ve gotta defend all the different variations of formations and ways you can take advantage with some of those bigger groupings on the field, on those early downs," O'Connell told Gabe Henderson of the Vikings Entertainment Network in April.
"We want to use that tight end position to apply pressure and that’s what it’s all about.”
That's where Mundt comes in as a player that may not be noticeable when watching a broadcast. Mundt probably isn't going to head to a Pro Bowl or command a high pick in your fantasy league, but O'Connell believes his real value lies in his versatility.
"The variety of jobs he can do on all three downs...[He] doesn't get enough credit for how he runs or blocks," O'Connell said. "Then when you get a chance to pair him with Josh in some of those looks, you guys probably saw a few times where it felt a little different at times last year just because of Josh's ability in the run game and Johnny's now doing the complementary roles."
For what it's worth, Mundt ranked 41st out of 48 tight ends in PFF's overall grades from the first week of the preseason and fellow Viking Nick Muse, who caught a touchdown in the preseason opener, graded 35th entering Sunday's action. But that also shows how much depth the Vikings have in the tight end room and why O'Connell and his staff have a good problem with Mundt on the roster.
"When Johnny gives us just so much versatility [and] depth to pair him with a premiere player like T.J....we really see all of those guys having a major role for our team," O'Connell said. "We can not feel better about the tight end position."
