Vikings see untapped potential in ‘unique’ fifth-round defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

New Vikings defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a South Carolina native who played at Georgia, said he’d never been to the Midwest before the Vikings asked him to come to their Eagan headquarters for a pre-draft visit this month.

That’s when Ingram-Dawkins, the Vikings’ fifth-round pick at No. 139 overall, decided he wouldn’t mind returning.

“Fell in love with it,” he said. “Fell in love with the facilities, the coaching staff, and just the style of play. All in all, I’m very excited to get up to Minnesota and get in that Brian Flores defense.”

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said evaluators see a rare blend of size (6-5, 276 pounds) and athleticism in Ingram-Dawkins, who started just 10 games over four seasons playing for stacked Bulldogs defensive lines.

Whatever he lacks in production — just four sacks in four years — the Vikings see him making up for in potential.

“Somebody that was really intriguing to us in the film process,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Versatility is something we crave for our defense and he stuck out. ... Set the edge, working outside-in, and in the rush game has some ability to win over guard[s]. He has a unique skill set. It’s not refined yet, but there’s some stuff in there that’s pretty unique.”

Ingram-Dawkins made a strong impression on Vikings evaluators at the Senior Bowl, the annual college all-star game in January, before they invited him to TCO Performance Center.

“When you get to meet the person, that’s when you close the loop,” Adofo-Mensah said. “You see he’s incredibly intelligent and self aware. He knows the things he needs to work on and pointed to things he can get better at.”

Ingram-Dawkins hails from the same neighborhood as former Vikings receiver Sidney Rice, who had 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009. He described a close relationship with Rice, who like Ingram-Dawkins graduated from Gaffney High School in South Carolina, and their families.

“Just to know he was part of the organization got me even more pumped,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “Feel like it’s even bigger than me, it’s for the city.”

Vikings coaches and scouts quickly began working the phones on Saturday afternoon, trying to pin down commitments from players who they thought could go undrafted.

“The [college free agency] process is happening right now,” Adofo-Mensah said when there were still 35 draft picks to be made in Saturday’s seventh round. “There’s some people in there we think could compete for a roster spot.”

The Vikings agreed to terms with 19 undrafted players: quarterback Max Brosmer (Minnesota); receivers Silas Bolden (Texas), Robert Lewis (Auburn) and Dontae Fleming (Tulane); offensive linemen Joe Huber (Wisconsin), Logan Brown (Kansas), and Zeke Correll (N.C. State); tight ends Bryson Nesbitt (North Carolina) and Ben Yurosek (Georgia); edge rushers Tyler Batty (BYU) and Chaz Chambliss (Georgia); cornerbacks Keenan Garber (Kansas State) and Zemaiah Vaughn (Utah); running back Tre Stewart (Jacksonville State); linebackers Austin Keys (Auburn) and Dorian Mausi (Auburn); defensive lineman Alex Williams (Middle Tennessee State); safety Mishael Powell (Miami, Fla.); and punter Oscar Chapman (Auburn).

Brosmer reportedly got a strong guarantee from the Vikings ($250,000) to sign, according to NFL Media, indicating Minnesota won a bidding war.

Andrew Krammer and Emily Leiker of the Minnesota Star Tribune break down the Vikings 2025 draft class on the Access Vikings podcast:

New Vikings linebacker Kobe King, a sixth-round pick (201st overall) out of Penn State, has a twin brother, Kalen, who was a 2024 seventh-round pick by the Green Bay Packers.

“When I got the call and we found out,” King said, “he’s like, ‘Man, we’re going to see each other twice a year.’ ... It feels good, we’ve been competing our whole life.”

The Indianapolis Colts selected former DeLaSalle offensive tackle Jalen Travis in the fourth round (127th overall).

Travis is a mammoth blocker (6-8, 339 pounds) out of Iowa State and Princeton with a résumé that might be more impressive off the field. He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 for the Cyclones last season upon transferring from Princeton, where he graduated with a degree in anthropology.

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Iowa defensive tackle Yahya Black, from Marshall, Minn., in the fifth round at No. 164 overall.

Black was honorable mention All-Big Ten each of the past two seasons, in which he amassed 12 tackles for losses, seven pass deflections and 4½ sacks as a run-stopping nose tackle. He was a three-star recruit in the 2020 class who chose the Hawkeyes over other offers that included the Gophers. Few human beings are built like the 6-6, 336-pound defender. Only two other defensive linemen at the combine matched Black’s 35-inch arm length.

The Baltimore Ravens drafted former Apple Valley star Bilhal Kone, a Western Michigan cornerback, at the start of the sixth round (178th overall).

Kone (6-1, 190 pounds) took the long route after playing every position for Apple Valley from kicker to receiver to cornerback. After two years at Iowa Central Community College, Kone transferred to Indiana State and then the Broncos, where he emerged with 18 pass deflections over the last two seasons.

Kone and his older brother, Mohamed, who plays basketball internationally, recently said they remain motivated by their younger brother, Hamza, who passed away from cancer in 2016.

The Las Vegas Raiders picked linebacker Cody Lindenberg in the seventh round with the 222nd pick.

Lindenberg, from Anoka, took part in a team-leading 94 tackles (45 solo) last fall after injury-shortened seasons in 2021 and 2023. He pushed through recovery from December hernia surgery to participate in the Senior Bowl, the annual college all-star game, in January.

Two of his former Gophers teammates, tackle Aireontae Ersery and cornerback Justin Walley, were drafted on Friday. Ersery was a second-round pick by the Texans, and Walley a third-round pick by the Colts.

Other Gophers players who agreed to undrafted contracts with NFL teams: edge rusher Jah Joyner (Raiders), running back Marcus Major (Ravens), cornerback Ethan Robinson (Dolphins), offensive lineman Tyler Cooper (Packers), defensive back Jack Henderson (Panthers), receiver Daniel Jackson (Texans) and defensive lineman Danny Striggow (Jaguars).

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