Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. is coming off a rookie season that has led to some thinking he might need a bigger role in 2020.
We broke down why that might happen. Bleacher Report listed Smith Jr. as the best sophomore tight end in the NFL.
But what about Kyle Rudolph? He has been a Vikings mainstay tight end since 2011. It’s been hypothesized that Smith Jr. could take the reigns as the main option at tight end, while Rudolph begins to only play in two tight end sets.
However, former Minnesota linebacker Ben Leber still thinks Rudolph is a major factor in the Vikings offense.
Here’s what Leber said to Vikings.com’s Gabe Henderson about Rudolph:
“You look at stats and you talk about his down year. It’s the lowest receiving totals he’s had since 2014. Numbers are numbers, but he’s had some pretty iconic catches last year, one of which goes down in the history books. He shows this ability that he can make tough catches in traffic, showing off those big mitts.”
Leber went on to say that Rudolph is one of the most reliable pass catchers in the NFL. It’s not just Leber who highly rates Rudolph. Sports Illustrated recently named him the Vikings most-underrated player.
