For the first time in years, the Vikings acquired a deep and promising rookie class with several candidates for early playing time. Brian Flores, Minnesota’s defensive coordinator in his fourth year, should be especially excited with four top-100 picks joining his unit.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell and his offensive side will mainly focus on veteran additions, but one rookie could enter the lineup sooner rather than later. Undrafted first-year weapon Dillon Bell has been on the receiving end of a ton of buzz early in his Vikings tenure.
The latest evidence comes from ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, who nominated Bell as the player on the team who unexpectedly stood out in offseason workouts.
He wrote this week, “It can be difficult to gauge receiver skill sets in spring practices, when NFL rules prohibit physical coverage techniques. But it was eye-opening to see Bell — an undrafted rookie from Georgia — working extensively with the second team during drills.”
The receiver depth chart is set at the top with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and free-agent addition Jauan Jennings, but it is wide open behind that trio.
Prime contenders for remaining touches are last year’s third-rounder, Tai Felton, return specialist Myles Price and rookie Bell.
Though his addition didn’t require a draft pick, he has quickly made a name for himself.
Seifert continued, “That placement spoke volumes about his initial impression with Vikings coaches, who in essence were putting him in the (early) mix to be the No. 4 receiver behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings.”
Bell is an explosive player and has the size to make some noise at the NFL level.
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com, commented in his pre-draft analysis, “Big, strong, explosive receiver requiring specific usage on the next level. Bell is top-notch with the ball in his hands on reverses, jet-sweeps and quick hitches. He has the ability to create chunk runs after breaking tackles.”
The wideout is a receiver but has all the tools to be a successful do-it-all player, bringing the requisite skill set to the table that allows an offensive coordinator to dial up plays that utilize his talent as a ball-carrier.
In his four collegiate seasons, he caught 119 passes for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding another 373 yards and five scores on the ground. Bell also completed one of three pass attempts for an 18-yard touchdown. He has six kick returns on his resume.
Will Ragatz of SI.com wrote a couple of weeks ago, “The next-biggest winner might just be undrafted rookie wide receiver Dillon Bell, who was one of Murray’s favorite targets over the course of both open practices. Bell had a sequence in the May 27 practice where he caught passes from Murray on back-to-back reps in 7-on-7: an intermediate crossing route toward the sideline and then an in-breaker over the middle.”
The Vikings lost WR3 Jalen Nailor in free agency. Minnesota’s former sixth-rounder signed a lucrative deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. To replace him, physical receiver Jennings was added. Still, no team has ever complained about having too many decent pass-catchers.
Beyond Ragatz and Seifert, Alec Lewis from The Athletic has also gushed about Bell several times. Just last week, he commented, ” Multiple rookies stood out in these practices. Receiver Dillon Bell, a premium undrafted free-agent signing, caught every pass thrown to him and ran routes with smoothness. The Vikings asked him to step in with some of the starters, which is a good sign.”
Bell’s emergence would be a good sign for a squad trying to revive its passing attack after a horrendous 2025 campaign in which none of the three passers excelled through the air. The result was a nine-win season despite the defense’s heroics.
Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy compete for the starting job this summer and the training camp coverage will certainly revolve around those two battling it out. It might be worth keeping an eye on the depth receivers, though.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
