Vikings UDFA Tracker: Gabriel Murphy, Dwight McGlothern, More
The NFL Draft has come to an end, which means it's UDFA time. Last year, the Vikings landed Ivan Pace Jr. during college free agency, and he went on to emerge as an outstanding starter for them during his rookie season. They'll be active once again in adding to their roster this year, looking for hidden gems who didn't get selected during the seven rounds over the past three days.
Follow along below as we track all of the Vikings' UDFA signings.
Gabriel Murphy, EDGE, UCLA
Source: Matt Zenitz
This is potentially a big one. Murphy, who played alongside first-round pick Laiatu Latu at UCLA, was ranked 111th on Arif Hasan's media consensus draft board. The Athletic's Dane Brugler gave him a fourth-round grade. Murphy began his career at North Texas, transferred to UCLA, and had a huge 2023 season with eight sacks, 16 total TFL, and 61 pressures. He's undersized at 6'2" and 250 pounds, but he has plenty of skill, quickness, and explosiveness.
Dwight McGlothern Jr., CB, Arkansas
Source: Matt Zenitz
McGlothern was also expected to be a Day 3 draft pick. He's a 6'1", 185-pound corner who had seven interceptions and 23 total passes defended over the past two seasons at Arkansas after transferring from LSU. He was an All-SEC player in 2022. McGlothern's anticipation and ball skills are positive traits that help make up for average athleticism and inconsistent technique.
Tyler Manoa, DL, Arizona
Source: Matt Zenitz
Manoa spent five years at UCLA, then transferred to Arizona for his sixth season last year. 6'4", 300 pounds and had a career-high 28 tackles in 2023.
Bo Richter, LB, Air Force
Source: Aaron Wilson
Richter absolutely stuffed the stat sheet with 10 sacks and 19.5 total TFL last year at Air Force, earning All-Mountain West honors. He's undersized, but has quite the motor and is a potential special teams contributor if he can make the Vikings' roster or practice squad.
Trey Knox, TE, South Carolina
Source: Tom Pelissero
Knox is a 6'3" former wide receiver who played four years at Arkansas and one at South Carolina. He had 118 receptions and 11 touchdowns in his college career. He's still bulking up after moving from WR to TE and needs to continue developing as a blocker to have a chance in the NFL.
Dallas Gant, LB, Toledo
Source: Jeremy Fowler
Gant spent four years at Ohio State but didn't have a big role, so he transferred to Toledo and was dominant in the MAC. He had over 115 tackles in each of the last two seasons and was first team All-MAC in both years. He's experienced on special teams.
Doug Nester, OL, West Virginia
Source: Brett Tessler
Nester played right guard and right tackle during his career at Virginia Tech and WVU, starting 52 games over five seasons. He has good mobility at 6'6" 308 pounds.
Taki Taimani, DT, Oregon
Source: James Crepea
Taimani spent four years at Washington and the last two at Oregon. He's a solid run defender who visited the Vikings during the pre-draft process.
The rest of the UDFA class
The Vikings just announced 17 UDFA signings, which include the eight names listed above and nine more:
* Matt Cindric, OL, California
* Spencer Rolland, OL, North Carolina
* Jeremy Flax, OL, Kentucky
* Devron Harper, WR, Mercer
* Ty James, WR, Mercer
* Jeshaun Jones, WR, Maryland
* Donovan Manuel, LB, Florida International
* K.J. Cloyd, LB, Miami
* Owen Porter, OLB, Marshall
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WILL RAGATZ
Will Ragatz is the publisher of Inside the Vikings, an SI.com channel in the Fan Nation network. He's in his fourth season as a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat writer, covering the team at practices, games, and all offseason long. Will posts daily Vikings articles year-round. Not only is he on top of all the latest news, he provides the analysis and context to put the news into perspective. He knows the team inside and out, which allows him to bring depth and quality to his coverage. From free agency to the draft to training camp and the NFL season, Will covers every relevant story surrounding the Vikings. Prior to taking this role in 2019, Will attended Northwestern University and studied at the renowned Medill School of Journalism. As a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball, among other sports, for SB Nation's Inside NU. Will was a co-editor-in-chief of the site during his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned at Sports Illustrated's newsroom in New York City, writing articles primarily on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com. A native of Minneapolis who still resides in the city, Will grew up a diehard Minnesota sports fan. He played baseball at Southwest High School and wrote for the student newspaper.