Connect with us
DAPA Banner
DAPA Coin
DAPA
COIN PAYMENT ASSET
PRIVACY · BLOCKDAG · HOMOMORPHIC ENCRYPTION · RUST
ElGamal Encrypted MINE DAPA
🚫 GENESIS SOLD OUT
DAPAPAY COMING

Sports

The Vikings May Have Found Their Next Big Surprise

Published

on

Advertisement


The Minnesota Vikings are known for their receiving corps, headlined by standout receiver Justin Jefferson, who’s on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory. He’s flanked by Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings in arguably the best trio in all of football. Behind those three, however, the Vikings don’t have any other established wideouts. Someone who has never played in the NFL could be the beneficiary.

Joaquin Davis, a 2025 undrafted free agent, has the type of physical tools that make him a player to watch this summer. He initially joined the club toward the end of last season, signing with the practice squad in December and later earned a futures contract for 2026.

Jul 23, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Joaquin Davis (80) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Davis signed with the Broncos after going unclaimed in the 2025 draft and turned heads throughout the offseason and in training camp. He’s primed to do that, given his Randy Moss-looking body at 6’4″ and 195 lbs with 4.3 speed.

Of course, not every tall, fast receiver is Moss; in fact, the history of the NFL is full of draft busts who had Davis’ measurements, but it’s still worth something.

Advertisement

Despite his tools, he went undrafted, which should tell us about his raw skill set.

NFL draft scout Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile, “Height, length and speed are all check marks in Davis’ favor. His rare blend of length, elite speed and foot quickness will be enticing to a team late in the draft or as a priority free agent. He’s still very unrefined as a route-runner and needs to improve his play strength and catch consistency. While there are issues to work through, his ability to separate and stretch the field creates an intriguing ceiling.”

Davis spent his college career at North Carolina Central, tabulating 1,211 yards and 12 touchdowns over three seasons of actually seeing the field on offense.

vikings joaquin davis
Aug 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Joaquin Davis (80) pulls in the ball in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Davis was a standout in training camp. Broncos reporter Andrew Mason posted on social media last July, “Joaquin Davis, if the Broncos can give him time, could really be something special. The ball just sticks in his hands. Like Velcro when it hits. His wingspan, his stride, his vertical, his speed … man, this dude has some tools. The NCCU product has got serious potential.”

The jump from an HBCU to the NFL is hard, but not unprecedented. The Athletic’s Jason Jones wrote during Davis’ pre-draft journey, “Davis considers that added motivation, as he is well aware of the legacy of HBCU wide receivers who have had memorable careers in the NFL. Among the names are Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State), Charlie Joiner (Grambling State), Bob Hayes (Florida A&M), Harold Carmichael (Southern) and John Stallworth (Alabama A&M).”

Advertisement

Every year, the Vikings have an undrafted receiver who’s turning heads but never gets into a game. For Denver, Davis was that guy. His preseason exposure led to a pair of catches for two yards.

He’ll never become Moss, but if the Vikings can teach him some fundamentals and use him in a certain way, he could be a sweet situational downfield threat for Minnesota.

Vikings wide receiver Tai Felton returning the ball against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Tai Felton (13) fields the ball and turns upfield during first-quarter action against the Green Bay Packers, Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Felton accelerates into space as Minnesota looks to generate early momentum in a key division matchup at home. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

Behind the top trio, the Vikings have to pick between last year’s rookies Tai Felton and Myles Price, who both starred on special teams but barely played a role on offense, as well as undrafted rookies Luke Wysong, Marcus Sanders Jr., Shaleak Knotts, and Dillon Bell. Last year’s practice-squad players, Jeshaun Jones and Dontae Fleming, complete the group.

As always, for end-of-the-roster players, playing on special teams is key. Though his time in the Twin Cities might never amount to anything, freak athlete Davis will be a player to watch this summer.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFFOver The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.

Advertisement
avatar
Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

Insider expects VGK to retain 2nd round pick

Published

on

The Vegas Golden Knights could still avoid losing their second-round pick despite the NHL handing down major penalties following the team’s playoff media access controversy.

NHL insider Andy Strickland suggested the league may eventually reduce that part of the punishment during the appeal process.

“Don’t be surprised if the NHL decides to remove the 2nd round pick as part of the penalty in Vegas appeal process,” Strickland wrote on X. “Bill Foley will make a call, if he hasn’t already. Can’t see the league making them lose a 2nd round pick, possibly a blue chip player down the road, because of a poor decision by Torts and the PR staff. Expect the 100k to stick.”

Advertisement

That prediction comes after the NHL announced that Vegas would forfeit its second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft while head coach John Tortorella was fined $100,000. Vegas still has the option to appeal both penalties during an in person hearing scheduled for next week in New York.


What led to Vegas Golden Knights’ punishment from the NHL

Vegas Golden Knights advanced to the Western Conference Finals after beating the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 in Game 6 on Thursday night to win the series 4-2. But after the game, attention quickly shifted away from the result when head coach John Tortorella did not speak with reporters.

Under NHL playoff rules coaches are required to be available to the media following games. The NHL later explained the punishment in an official statement.

“The National Hockey League announced today that, as a result of flagrant violations of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Media Regulations following Game 6 of their Second Round series against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, May 14, the Vegas Golden Knights will forfeit a second-round pick in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft,” the league said.

“In addition, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella has been fined $100,000. The imposition of these penalties comes after previous warnings were issued to the Club regarding their compliance with the Media Regulations and other associated policies.”

Neither Vegas nor Tortorella gave much explanation afterward about why the postgame media session was skipped. However Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported that frustration over Brayden McNabb’s one-game suspension for interference may have contributed to the decision. Tortorella also avoided getting into details when asked about the situation later.

Advertisement

“We put out a statement as an organization,” Tortorella said. “We’ll go by that.”

Vegas Golden Knights will next face the Colorado Avalanche as the franchise continues its push for another Stanley Cup after winning its first title against the Florida Panthers in 2023.