Ranking Every Minnesota Vikings Player: Very intriguing UDFA defender with excellent production highlights Nos. 70-66

70. OT Leroy Watson IV

Watson is one of the few depth players to have started games in this league. He came into the NFL in 2022, and has played 11 games with four starts, all of which came last season with the Tennessee Titans. Things didn't go well for him, as he posted a PFF grade of 35.1 and allowed nine pressures in 100 pass blocking reps. It's a long road to make the roster.

69. CB Ambry Thomas

Thomas is a really interesting case. He was a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and played a significant amount of games for them, including 1,097 snaps on defense. He broke his arm and that kept him on injured reserve throughout the 2024 season, and he was even waived off of injured reserve by the Indianapolis Colts. Now that he's fully healthy, there is a real opportunity for him to show out and make an impact.

68. DL Elijah Williams

Williams is going to be a player to watch during training camp. He is an undrafted free agent from Morgan State who didn't get a contract with the first wave of the UDFA process. He got one out of rookie minicamp, which makes him nearly four-times more likely to make the roster than a standard UDFA. His production makes him super intriguing, as he notched 33.0 sacks during his career, but they were all at the FCS level. Will that production translate to the NFL? It's always a mystery.

The real intriguing element here is that Williams has a built in mentor with Javon Hargrave. He also came from an HBCU at the FCS level in South Carolina State. Watch Williams throughout training camp.

67. WR Thayer Thomas

The Vikings have done a great job in developing wide receivers over the course of their history, including former UDFA and Pro Bowler Adam Thielen. Could Thomas end up being the next of the bunch? Thomas has shown growth each year with the Vikings and has been good enough to stay on the practice squad. That could end up helping his cause going into training camp, but it's still a long road to get himself onto the active roster.

66. TE Giovanni Ricci

Tight end is going to be really interesting over the course of the next few months. The tight end room is interesting after T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, as it's three rookies with just one of them drafted. Well, it was that way until they signed Ricci. He spent the better part of four seasons with the Carolina Panthers. His experience will be valuable to help develop the rest of the room, but he's a long shot to make the roster.

Previous rankings

• 91-86
• 85-81
• 80-76
• 75-71