NFC North – Undrafted Free Agents
Minnesota Vikings
RB Jhurell Pressley, New Mexico – Slightly undersized back (5’10, 206) who was extremely productive over the last few seasons for the Lobos. I graded Pressley as a 5th-6th round pick at worst, but he surprisingly dropped out of the draft altogether. He played in a spread offense which boosted his stats a little, but Pressley averaged an amazing 8.6 yards per carry over the last two seasons with 23 rushing touchdowns.
Averaging almost a first down per carry is unheard of, but I haven’t watched enough New Mexico games, so I don’t know if there is some other reason Pressley went undrafted. His 4.38 speed, above-average strength (23 reps of 225), elusiveness in the open field, and 23 touchdowns over the last two seasons made him look draftable to me.
It’s odd that a player with Pressley’s impressive 8+ yards per carry isn’t a known-name, but the combination of a lack of competition, less than ideal size, and the fact that he may have stone-hands out of the back-field (just 18 catches in 4 seasons) have kept Pressley off most team’s draft boards.
Signing Pressley isn’t a big risk for the Vikings though as they already have a bell-cow back in Adrian Peterson and a solid 3rd-down option in Jerick Mckinnon, which gives the Vikes almost no risk in rolling the dice on a player like Pressley who has elite potential with the ball in his hands.
Even if he doesn’t pan out as a running back, Pressley has the speed and elusiveness to contribute as a return specialist. This is one of the better low-risk / high-upside UDFA signings in the division and I wouldn’t be surprised if Pressley contributes at some point in the next few years.
QB Joel Stave, Wisconsin – Hahahaha. Despite ideal size (6’5, 236) and arm strength, Stave was the worst QB I watched in CFB last year. Maybe he can be coached up, but he holds the ball way too long, stares down receivers, and routinely over/under throws wide open receivers. I hope he gets some snaps against the Bears at some point.
RB Brandon Ross, Maryland – For a team that already has one of the best running backs in the league (AP) and an explosive backup in Jerick McKinnon, it’s a bit of surprise that they brought in two undrafted running backs with potential. Ross doesn’t have Pressley’s explosiveness, but was very effective when used and faced tougher defenses in the B1G.
For some reason the Terps didn’t utilize Ross often, but he was productive when given the ball. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry last season, putting up just under 1,000 yards (954) on only 150 carries.
Ross lacks the vision of elite backs, but when given just one hole to run through his low center of gravity, quick feet, and border-line elite jump cut lead to a lot of damage between the tackles. Ross has also shown soft hands out of the backfield, but again was barely given a chance to show them with just 40 receptions over four years at Maryland.
He is a bit of an unknown due to his lack of usage, but he flashed legit potential when given a chance from what I saw on tape. With a strong build (5’10, 210) and good speed (4.44 40-time), the tools are there for Ross to become a solid weapon in the run game. I expect the Vikes to let Ross and Pressley battle it out on the practice squad until either AP slows down or McKinnon leaves in free agency.
Other to watch: TE Kyle Carter, Penn St; ILB Jake Ganus, Georgia