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Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said he showed his entire team a block that this guy made. O’Connell then said he “can’t wait” and was “really looking forward to seeing” this young buck play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium.
This player’s name is …
Ben Yurosek.
Um, who?
Ben Yurosek.
Undrafted rookie tight end. Got a guaranteed $254,000 as a priority post-draft signing. That’s $38,176 more than the guarantee the Vikings gave fellow rookie tight end Gavin Bartholomew as a seventh-round draft pick.
Bartholomew was the preferred choice to be the No. 3 tight end behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. A bum back has ruined that plan into the foreseeable future with Bartholomew still on the physically unable to perform list.
Yurosek, meanwhile, chose to come here to compete with Bartholomew, another undrafted rookie named Bryson Nesbit and little-used four-year veteran Giovanni Ricci.
“You live to hear your name called during the draft,” Yurosek said. “But at the end of the day, the seventh round is unfolding and there’s some benefit, some power to being able to go undrafted and pick where you want to play. I had a lot of other options. But the coaching staff, the culture, this opportunity, is what you want.”
He spent four years as primarily a receiving tight end at Stanford, averaging 15.3 yards per catch — third-highest among Power 5 conference tight ends — as a sophomore.
Then he spent last year as primarily a blocking tight end at Georgia, catching only 15 balls but living up to the Bulldogs’ reputation for having quality brute-force tight ends.
“That’s what really caught our eye,” said O’Connell, referring to Yurosek’s transformation, which illustrated against SEC competition the kid’s potential to be a complete tight end at the next level.
The 6-4, 245-pounder caught KO’s eye again earlier this week. So much so that the coach showed a clip to the team.
“It was a highlight of Ben going against Dallas [Turner], who is having a really good camp at edge,” O’Connell said. “We ran a wide zone [run play]. It’s the toughest block in football.
“It was a heck of a battle. Ben threw his hands, threw his hat in the right location. Footwork, technique, fundamentals, matched with play style, it was a true pro rep by both guys.”
Turner is a 2024 first-round pick out of Alabama with huge expectations. Yurosek is a guy with zero outside expectations because, well, he’s …Ben Yurosek?
His dad, Derek, played football at the University of Colorado and was the second-best athlete in his marriage.
“My mom [Kellie] was one of the fastest 11- and 12-year-olds in the country, so she’s the best athlete in the family,” Yurosek said. “She ran the 400 at junior nationals in Bakersfield [Calif.], where we live. Then she played volleyball at Colorado.”
Ben grew up playing whatever sport was in season. He was a two-way football star who probably was a better defensive end than tight end. His senior year at Bakersfield Christian, he caught 49 passes for 741 yards and 11 touchdowns while posting 22 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and an interception.
“Half my offers for college were to play defensive end/outside linebacker,” Yurosek said. “Notre Dame, Washington and UCLA offered for defense, but I decided I wanted to pick the school, not the position. I still love defense, and I think I bring a defensive physicality to offense.”
The Vikings seem to agree with that last statement. It’s one reason they’re teaching Yurosek the fullback position as well.
And, last but not least, Yurosek is worth remembering because he might have the best fun fact of any unknown player toiling away the summer at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.
“Yes, sir, my great-grandfather did invent the baby carrot,” Yurosek said when asked if Wikipedia wasn’t fibbing. “That fun fact comes up every time I go somewhere new.”
Great grandpa Mike and grandpa David owned Bunny Luv, a produce company, when great grandma and grandma asked if there was a way to make carrots smaller to avoid waste.
“It took about a year process for them to figure out the oxidation, making sure the carrots didn’t turn white and all that,” Yurosek said. “They said this is going to dominate the dinner market. Turns out it became the snacks everybody loves. Love me some baby carrots.”
So if you’re searching for a reason to keep your eyeballs on Saturday’s preseason game after J.J. McCarthy exits, look no further than the great-grandson of the guy who invented the tiny carrot you’re dipping into the nearest bowl of ranch dressing.
His name?
Ben Yurosek.
Startribune
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