Vikings Rookie Goes from Dark Horse to Roster Favorite

At this stage, Vikings rookie safety Jacob Thomas has made a strong case for getting onto the final roster (he has a great story, as Lindsey Young explains). Turning back the clock by just two or three weeks wouldn’t have featured such certitude for the undrafted rookie.

Watching Thomas involves seeing somebody who appears unusually confident for a young fella who didn’t get drafted. Thomas, quite evidently, has been working hard behind the scenes. Making things look pretty effortless means having sunk a pile of effort into his craft, a reality that bodes well for his chances of cracking the final roster.

Vikings Rookie Safety Jacob Thomas is Shooting for S4 Job

Right now, the Vikings are working with very few certainties at safety. Josh Metellus is going to start and then there’s room for debate surrounding just about every player afterwards.

Theo Jackson is a long, rangy player who moves well and who is capable of generating turnovers; he appears to be the favorite to start alongside Metellus. Jay Ward has taken a step forward but may not overcome Jackson to secure a starting safety spot. Tavierre Thomas is a tough, speedy veteran who was re-signed for special teams duty; Kahlef Hailassie is a former corner who is now working as a safety (and who did some excellent work near his goal line yesterday).

Losing Jamal Adams stings. And Harrison Smith? Well, that one is still an open question. Who is left to help at safety?

The other options at the safety spot are Jakobe Thomas and Jacob Thomas. Don’t get confused even as it’s easy to get confused. Both are rookie safeties and both boast a similar build. Jakobe gets listed as being 6’1” and 211 pounds; Jacob gets listed as being 6’1” and 212 pounds. Thankfully, the jersey numbers are pretty different, with Jakobe wearing #8 and Jacob wearing #39.

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What has looked different has been their impact.

In fairness, the 3^rd-Round safety – Jakobe Thomas – has been sorting through a back ailment. He has therefore seen his ability to make plays on the field diminished due to needing time to get back to full health.

Jacob Thomas, in contrast, has been healthy. Better yet, he has been playing really good ball.

In Saturday’s preseason game, Jacob Thomas could be found flying downhill for a tackle, walloping a player coming over the middle, and swatting down a ball before it reached the receiver. So, too, could be seen on various special teams units. Clearly, he has impressed a pair of coordinators – both of Brian Flores and Matt Daniels – in a short amount of time.

Kevin O’Connell talked about the rookie safety in his press conference after the game. “He’s really smart, he’s really instinctive,” O’Connell said, “he’s a great communicator. He’s been really good in the deep part of the field.” Shortly thereafter, O’Connell praised Thomas for being someone where “every single day it feels like he makes a play.”

The NFL’s cutdown date is fast approaching. Teams need to get down to 53 players by August 30th, meaning there’s a touch beyond a week before the fateful day.

Look for Jacob Thomas to be kept around.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.