One bright spot for the Vikings’ special teams has been NaJee Thompson.
This season, despite the Vikings’ general struggles in that area of the game, undrafted rookie NaJee Thompson has been a bright spot for the team.
In terms of special teams DVOA, Minnesota is ranked 28th this year, up from 30th the previous year. Ryan Wright and Greg Joseph have both had disappointing seasons. However, Thompson—who signed out of Georgia Southern only for special teams purposes—has backed up the Vikings’ choice to include him on their opening 53-man roster and retain him there for the duration of the season.
This season, he has participated in all but two games, primarily serving as a punt gunner. In Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Packers, Thompson—who now has seven tackles—made his best play of the year. Running downfield, he forced Green Bay returner Samori Toure to miss a punt, hit him, got up, and recovered the fumble to set up the game-winning touchdown for the Vikings.
Thompson was performing like a pro. He touched 22.6 miles per hour on the play, according to Matt Daniels, special teams coordinator. According to Next Gen Stats, DK Metcalf is the NFL’s fastest ball carrier this season with a top speed of 22.2 MPH (although it’s easier to get there when you’re not carrying a ball).
Daniels remarked, “He just struck a different gear.” “It’s quite likely the best special teams play of the entire season.”
Thompson’s season hasn’t been without incidents. He made the squad and had a strong preseason, but in his first six regular-season games, he had trouble finishing plays. Then in Weeks 7 and 8, he was a healthy scratch. He has been excellent ever since, making six of his seven tackles in the previous eight games.
Daniels remarked, “We had a nice chat about how he did get a little complacent.” “Made the squad, and over the first three weeks, he was showing up but not producing a play. It was then determined to set him down and give someone else a chance to finish. I believe that this allowed him to see the big picture and what he needed to improve on. He grabbed hold of that and ran.”
