Scouting report
Irv Smith, Vikings tight end
Information for this report was obtained from NFL scouts.
Irv Smith, 6-2, 242 pounds, is in his second season with the Vikings, who drafted himout of Alabamawith theNo. 50 pick in 2019.
He potentially is a bigger part of the offense with veteranKyle Rudolphout with a foot injury that forced him to miss lastweek’s game against the Buccaneers, ending a streak of 93 consecutive games played.
Smith stepped in and caught four passes for 63 yards against the Bucs, including his third touchdown of the season. He has 19 catches for 245 yards (12.9 average).
“I liked him coming out of Alabama,” the scout said.
“He’s a little tight-hipped, so he will struggle sometimes to bend at the top of the route. But he’s a better athlete than a lot of people give him credit for. He has movement traits almost like anH-back or amove tight end. That fits what they’re doing so much because they’re in two or three tight ends so much.
“He can impact the pass game. Rudolph is a better run blocker, but that is something you expect to come with time. This kid isn’t going to become a dominant run blocker, but he can wall off people, and that is something you have to be able to do in that system.
“He’smore of a straight-line speed (guy), but he’s got the juice to turn an out route into a first-down play, and they will scheme him up a little. But when they’re taking their shots downfield, it’s Justin Jefferson or Adam Thielen. Some people thought hewas going to get drafted higher, but thatwas a product of playing in a ton of big games and wearing that Crimson Tide uniform. He wasn’t freaky when hewas tested. Good player, but he doesn’t have the upside thatO.J. Howard, who is bigger andmore athletic, did coming out. But Irv Smith is a good player. He can be that move tight end, and that’s what the outside-zone teams are looking for.”