If you love a good underdog story, then you should be loving what’s going on in Minneapolis with Vikings wide receiver/special teams ace Adam Thielen, who is emerging this offseason and hopefully on his way to some much deserved recognition.
Thielen, a native of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, is a former undrafted free agent in 2013 out of Minnesota State University in Mankato (where the Vikings have training camp) that got a tryout with his ‘hometown’ team and made an impression.
In 2013, Thielen was a member of the Vikings’ practice squad after ‘walking on’ to the team that Spring. It wasn’t until his pre-season performance in 2014 that the coaching staff really had no other choice but to keep him on the 53-man roster. Thielen’s hard work resulted in a prominent role on special teams, where he has developed into quite an asset.
Not only was Thielen named NFC special teams player of the week in week 13, he was also the 2014 Pro Football Focus All-NFC North special teamer of the year.
Watch @athielen19 score on a 19-yard pass from QB Shaun Hill.http://t.co/dT607TJiiz pic.twitter.com/79HzxiPdwR
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 16, 2015
Whether he’s returning punts or tracking down return men, Thielen’s contributions to the Vikings don’t necessarily always show up on the stat sheet, but that might soon change. In the 2015 preseason, Thielen has been doing very well for the Vikings not only as a special teams player but as a receiver, making a couple of key third down receptions in the Hall of Fame game as well as catching a touchdown in their home debut this past weekend.
Offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who would know a thing or two, has commended Thielen’s improved route running as well as his speed. Coming out of Minnesota State, Thielen ran a sub-4.5 second 40-yard dash, and proved that even at 6-2, he could hang with the rest of the athletes in the NFL.
While the Vikings made some significant moves this offseason at the WR position, namely going out and getting Mike Wallace, having Thielen on the roster is a really nice bonus because it gives you stability on special teams as well as a guy who is growing into his role as a young wideout.
Players who work as hard as Thielen to be great deserve a spot on an NFL roster, but for this guy, it must be a dream come true to see his role expanding and his career blossoming with the team he grew up around, and could have watched practice from his dorm room in college.
I suspect this past weekend won’t be the last time we’ll see him reach the end zone this season.