7 UDFAs With the Best Chance to Make the Vikings' 53-Man Roster

To supplement their nine-player 2026 draft class and add more competitive depth to their offseason roster, the Vikings signed 19 undrafted free agents on Saturday.

Year after year, we see multiple UDFAs make the initial 53-man roster in Minnesota. Last year, there were an unprecedented seven of them. We also saw two make it in 2024 and three in 2023. Players like Ivan Pace Jr., Dwight McGlothern, and Taki Taimani have stuck around for multiple years.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the seven UDFAs in this year's class that, at first glance, have the best chance to earn a spot on the 53 in four months' time.

Scooby Williams, LB, Texas A&M

Coming into the 2025 season, Williams had some buzz as a guy who could be picked somewhere in the middle rounds. He was coming off a '24 campaign where he recorded 7.5 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups, and an interception after transferring from Florida to Texas A&M. Then he missed six games due to ankle injuries as a senior, which hurt his stock. He also didn't test at the combine.

Still, Williams managed to record 4 TFLs, a pick, a sack, and a forced fumble in seven games last season. He's a solid, rangy athlete at 6'2" and 231 pounds who is at his best playing downhill. The Vikings' depth chart also works in Williams' favor. Beyond Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and Pace, there could be a wide-open spot for a fourth off-ball linebacker (if second-rounder Jake Golday is considered an OLB).

Dillon Bell, WR, Georgia

Bell is another recognizable name for SEC fans who has a path to a roster spot in part due to the depth of the room he's entering. The Vikings didn't draft a receiver with any of their nine picks, making Bell their most interesting addition to a position group that lost Jalen Nailor in free agency.

Although he never had more than 573 scrimmage yards or 5 touchdowns in a season at Georgia, Bell is interesting because of his versatility (119 career catches, 51 carries) and his above-average athleticism at 6'1" and 209 pounds. He's got some burst and strength with the ball in his hands.

Brett Thorson, P, Georgia

Sticking with the Bulldogs, Thorson has a real shot to make the Vikings' roster because he's one of only two people competing for a specific job. All he has to do is beat out Johnny Hekker, who was an elite NFL punter for a long time but is now 36 years old and has been below the league average in yards per punt in each of the last three seasons.

Thorson, a 26-year-old from Australia, averaged 45.6 yards per punt across four seasons at Georgia. He's got a big leg. In order to beat out Hekker, though, he'll also have to prove trustworthy as the holder for Will Reichard. Hekker will be the favorite in that battle, but who knows what might happen?

My Brett Thorson agenda begins now

🔨 Best punter in the 2026 draft
🔨 240-pound Aussie who was a field-position weapon for Georgia
🔨 More than half his punts L2Y were downed inside 20
🔨 Has an awesome last name

pic.twitter.com/iq6EZfeF85 https://t.co/DwTuJFkNJX
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) March 9, 2026

Tristan Leigh, OT, Clemson

Money talks. And Leigh, who met with the Vikings on a top-30 visit, reportedly got the maximum amount of guaranteed money for an undrafted free agent ($274,500). He was a five-star recruit out of high school who started at left tackle for three seasons with the Tigers. Leigh has NFL-caliber size and athleticism and could definitely compete for a back-end roster spot.

Delby Lemieux, C, Dartmouth

Sticking on the offensive line, Lemieux is an interesting addition because the only center the Vikings drafted was seventh-rounder Gavin Gerhardt, who ranked lower than him on the consensus board. Lemieux was a left tackle at Dartmouth who was a first team FCS All-American last season but doesn't have the arm length to stick at tackle in the NFL. He transitioned to center this offseason and held up against power competition at the Senior Bowl.

It's not out of the question that Lemieux could beat out Gerhardt and Michael Jurgens to be the Vikings' backup center, although a practice squad spot is more likely.

Tomas Rimac, G, Virginia Tech

Let's stick on the offensive line once more. Rimac played every position but center for the Hokies last year after starting at left for West Virginia for three seasons (including a very strong 2024 campaign). That versatility is notable, but even more notable is Rimac's absurd athleticism for the guard position. Among 1900 guard prospects over the past 40 years, he's in the top 10 in Relative Athletic Score.

Tomas Rimac is a OG prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.97 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 1898 OG from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/gxsVh86M5N pic.twitter.com/9rVlaSW3HY
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 12, 2026

If you consider Walter Rouse and Caleb Tiernan to be tackles, the Vikings' top current backups at guard are Joe Huber and Henry Byrd. That's not a high bar for Rimac to potentially clear.

Marcus Allen, CB, North Carolina

Allen was a three-year starter at UNC who recorded 20 pass breakups and 3 interceptions over those seasons. He's got good length at 6'2" and is an above-average athlete. There are some questions about Allen's tackling and his tendency to get grabby in coverage, but he's an experienced player who has instincts in zone coverage and some upside in press-man. He'll have a chance to compete for a depth spot at outside corner.

Add us as a preferred source on Google