5 Things to know about Vikings draft pick Tai Felton
5 Things to know about Vikings draft pick Tai Felton
After trading down from pick 97 to pick 102, the Minnesota Vikings once again addressed their offense. They selected Tai Felton, the speedy wide receiver from Maryland.
Felton will battle Jalen Nailor for the WR3 job on offense. Nailor is also entering the final year of his contract, so a strong rookie campaign from Felton could make it easy for the Vikings to move on.
Here are five things to know about the newest member of the Vikings.
He's Fast
Felton has speed to burn. He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at the combine, tied for the sixth-fastest time among wideouts. That gives the Vikings another fast option to complement Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson.
Heavy Workload
Felton had plenty of opportunities to show off his talent in 2024. He caught a school-record 96 passes in 2024, which ranked fourth in the FBS. That helped earn him Third-Team All-American.
A Leader
In his fourth year with Maryland, Felton was named a team captain in 2024. He showed his reliability by playing in every game for the third straight season, while starting in every game for the second straight season.
Good Company
Felton's 2,207 career receiving yards rank fourth in Maryland history. The three Terrapins he trailed, Jermaine Lewis (2,932), Stefon Diggs (2,227), and Torrey Smith (2,215) ,all found success in the NFL.
Speaking of Diggs...
The Vikings haven't selected many Maryland players over the years. Felton is only the fourth Terrapin ever drafted by the Vikings, and the first since Diggs was selected 146th overall by the team in 2015.
The first Maryland player drafted by the Vikings was linebacker E.J. Henderson with the 40th overall pick in 2003. Tight end Jeff Dugan was selected 220th overall the following year.
Part of that may have been influenced by Mike Tice, who was the Vikings' head coach from 2002-04 and graduated from Maryland in 1980.
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