Vikings sign fourth-round RB Kene Nwangwu to rookie deal

The Vikings have signed their sixth draft pick. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the team has signed fourth-round running back Kene Nwangwu. It’s a four-year pact worth $4.23M, including a $752K+ signing bonus.

Nwangwu didn’t really emerge on the NFL radar until the completion of his 2020 season. While the 6-foot-1, 210-pound running back didn’t put up crazy counting stats (only 361 yards from scrimmage and four scores), he still had a solid 5.6 yards per rushing attempt (down a bit from his eye-popping 7.2 mark in 2019). Nwangwu was also productive on special teams during his college career, returning 92 kicks.

In Minnesota, the rookie will likely compete with Ameer Abdullah for the third spot on the depth chart behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. His real opportunity for playing time will be in the return game, where he’ll compete with Abdullah and rookie wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

The Vikings still have five of their draft picks unsigned, as our NFL Draft Results page shows:

Round 1: No. 23 (from Seahawks through Jets) Christian Darrisaw, OT (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 3: No. 66 (from Jets) Kellen Mond, QB (Texas A&M)
Round 3: No. 78 Chazz Surratt, LB (North Carolina)
Round 3: No. 86 (from Seahawks through Jets) Wyatt Davis, G (Ohio State)
Round 3: No. 90 (from Ravens) Patrick Jones II, DE (Pittsburgh)
Round 4: No. 119 Kene Nwangwu, RB (Iowa State) (signed)
Round 4: No. 125 (from Bears) Camryn Bynum, CB (California) (signed)
Round 4: No. 134 (from Bills) Janarius Robinson, DE (Florida State)
Round 5: No. 157 Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR (Iowa) (signed)
Round 5: No. 168 (from Steelers through Ravens): Zach Davidson, TE (Central Missouri) (signed)
Round 6: No. 199 Jaylen Twyman, DT (Pittsburgh) (signed)