The Minnesota Vikings are playing chess rather than checkers with their undrafted free agent signing in the form of Logan Brown. The Vikings added him for depth more than anything. Christian Darrisaw should be back at the start of the season, but essentially shattered his knee, tearing his ACL and MCL. He’s the starting left tackle, but the Vikings needed some insurance in the event he’s either not ready at the start of the season or isn’t as productive as they want and they want to make some changes. They signed Justin Skule, though he’ll probably be more of a swing tackle, per ESPN.
Brown received praise from The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner, calling his signing with the Vikings one of the top undrafted free agent fits.
"Frankly, I was surprised to see Brown go undrafted. A 6-6, 311-pounder with near 34-inch arms and good explosion, Brown was a five-star recruit who transferred to Kansas in 2023 after Wisconsin dismissed him for reportedly striking another player during practice. He flashes NFL starter-level traits," writes Baumgardner.
Why The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner is high on Vikings’ UDFA signing Logan Brown
Brown is an intriguing signing because he had a lot of promise coming out of high school, but fizzled out at Wisconsin. He ended up transferring to Kansas and their terrible 2024 season left him as an afterthought. The Vikings are probably signing him as a long term project, but he could eventually be a starter and what better tackle to learn from than Darrisaw.
The Vikings getting Brown was a chess move because he was rated as a fourth or fifth round prospect, per The Athletic and ended up not getting drafted. On NFL.com, he was graded as a backup that could eventually start. That move was key because they get a player they can work with that could end up being an anchor on their offensive line.
Minnesota retooled their offensive line this winter, adding Will Fries and Ryan Kelly. They wanted to sure-up their interior offensive line and did just that. But they knew they’d need a player that could be serviceable if Darrisaw doesn’t end up as good as he was pre-injury.
Brown’s size and athleticism is the one thing The Athletic hyped up about Brown. He’s 6-foot-6, 311 pounds, which is a prototypical size for him. He’s a solid pass protector as well, which bodes well for a team that’s very pass centric.
The biggest knock on him is simply the lack of experience. He had just 14 starts in his collegiate career. That’s why he’ll be a project. But the Vikings have every reason to develop him. They didn’t need a tackle to have an immediate impact right now.
Brown will get a chance to learn from a veteran offensive line and work closely with Darrisaw. It will probably be a few years before we see him in action, if he ever gets the chance. If he does, he could be in the perfect situation to help him develop into an NFL starter.