7 years agoMinnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, who has progressed sooner than expected from offseason ankle surgery, could flourish under new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo this year. DeFilippo's systems are typically tight end-friendly, as he made Gary Barnidge a Pro Bowler in Cleveland and Zach Ertz a beast in Philadelphia. Rudolph caught eight touchdowns, second to only Jimmy Graham, in 2017. Rudolph has stayed healthy and has played in 52 straight games, but his production tailed off at the end of last year when he battled through his ankle injury. “Boy, he’s a friendly target,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said of Rudolph while mic’d up during spring practice. “It’s like throwing into a mattress.” Rudolph has been a top-10 tight end in the last two years, but he could take his game to the next level in a new offensive system and with a better quarterback. He's not elite by any means, but Rudolph is a safe mid-tier TE1.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune - Andrew Krammer