Written by Chris Schad
Kyle Rudolph has been a Rubik’s Cube for the Minnesota Vikings. Although he has the measurables and athletic ability to become one of the elite tight ends in the National Football League, his stats throughout his three-year career have been average.
Why hasn’t this breakout happened yet? It could have been because Christian Ponder was his quarterback. It could have also been the lack of imagination from the previous coaching staff. Whatever it is, Rudolph has surpassed the 30 catch mark just once in his career.
Despite this, the Vikings were undeterred and signed Rudolph to a massive five-year, $35 million contract extension prior to training camp. This means they know the potential is there, but 2014 could be the year that he finally makes the leap into the elite.
When talking about Rudolph, you have to mention his measurables. As a red-zone monster, he stands at 6’5” and weighs 265 even after losing 15 pounds in preparation for the upcoming season. By comparison, he stands toe to toe with other dominant tight ends such as Jimmy Graham (6’7”, 260 pounds) and Rob Gronkowski (6’5”, 265).
Of course, if size were all it took to be a tight end, teams wouldn’t be giving out the massive contracts that have been recently doled out to the game’s top tight ends. They have to have a nose for catching the football.
That’s been a specialty for Rudolph as he’s caught 15 touchdowns in 39 career games. Most of these came in 2012 where the Notre Dame product was second in the NFL with nine touchdowns. That earned him his first Pro Bowl trip where he exploded for 122 yards and a touchdown to win most valuable player honors.
A lot of that might have been because of the non-existent defense and the natural upgrade of having Drew Brees and Eli Manning throwing the ball rather than Ponder. However, such a performance shows the talent was there. Rudolph just needed the right situation to flourish.
That situation may have arrived last February. A lot has been made about new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s work with tight ends and that alone is reasons for optimism. The list of career years recorded includes some familiar names such as Antonio Gates and Jordan Cameron, but also includes lesser players such as Randy McMichael and Jay Novacek.
Turner treats his tight ends like larger wide receivers. Last season, Cameron was featured heavily in Cleveland Browns offense while lining up in the slot over 60 percent of the time (according to Pro Football Focus). By comparison, Rudolph lined up in the slot on 40.2 percent of his snaps.
You can also take it to the bank that Rudolph will see plenty of end zone looks. Cameron was third among tight ends last season with 19 targets in the red zone. With no competition to speak of, Rudolph may not only set career-highs across the board with a slew of touchdown opportunities, he might become the best receiving option on the team (that’s including wide receivers Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson).
With Rudolph taking this opportunity to heart by dropping weight and studying film of fellow Turner disciples, he has looked like one of the most impressive Vikings this preseason. It seems like he’s been in the league forever, but at age 25, he’s entering what could be an extremely productive prime of his career.
 |
Chris Schad contributes to 105 The Ticket and has had his work featured on the Bleacher Report and Yahoo Contributor Network. He serves as the Vikings Lead Writerfor Pro Football Spot. Find him on Twitter @crishad. |