Vikings lose sixth-round rookie to waivers after just six months

Cutting a sixth-round rookie isn't totally unheard of; the Vikings landed current starting safety Theo Jackson when they poached him from the Titans' practice squad in 2022. Still, even if it's a minor one, this is the latest example of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's widely-discussed struggles to find impact production in the draft.

King had appeared in in five games this season, playing 77 snaps on special teams and three garbage time snaps on defense. He was a healthy scratch in Week 7 and then was waived a few hours before kickoff on Thursday.

At Penn State, King stood out as a throwback run-defending linebacker with some thump to his game. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection last season after recording 97 tackles, including nine for loss and three sacks.

Here's what Adofo-Mensah had to say about King after selecting him with the 201st overall pick:

"A lot of times in football we make it harder than it is, but it's a meat-and-potatoes game in some positions, and linebacker is one of them. You need somebody to tackle the person trying to advance the ball up the field against your team, whether that be special teams with the ball in his hands or defending the pass. He's somebody that plays with range, tackles. He's a really physical, knock-back, impact tackler. And we're excited to add him, not just to our fourth-down units but also potentially to be a starter one day in this league. A great communicator, was able to move people around in the Penn State defense, a great defense in its own right."

King came into this season clearly behind Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and Ivan Pace Jr. on the Vikings' depth chart at linebacker. He was also seemingly surpassed by undrafted rookie Austin Keys, who remains on the active roster. The Vikings have veteran LB Sione Takitaki on their practice squad.

The Vikings' other sixth-round pick, Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew, will miss his entire rookie season due to a back injury. He's on IR.

That leaves first-rounder Donovan Jackson, third-rounder Tai Felton, and fifth-rounder Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins as the drafted rookies currently on the Vikings' roster. Jackson is a starter on the offensive line and Ingram-Dawkins is a rotational player on the defensive line. Felton is a gunner on special teams who doesn't play on offense. The Vikings also have seven undrafted rookies on their 53-man roster: Keys, Max Brosmer, Elijah Williams, Joe Huber, Tyler Batty, Chaz Chambliss, and Myles Price.

The Vikings' 2024 draft class, led by J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, remains largely unproven at this point, although Will Reichard and Levi Drake Rodriguez have cemented themselves as late-round values. Of the 16 players the Vikings drafted in 2022 and 2023, only three — Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, and Jay Ward — are currently on the roster. A fourth, Ty Chandler, is on IR and could return this season.